dxpsview(1X) dxpsview(1X)
Name
dxpsview - DECwindows PostScript previewer
Syntax
dxpsview [ options ] [ file ]
Arguments
file Specifies the file to open at startup. If you omit a file name, you can open a file from within dxpsview.
Description
The dxpsview PostScript viewer displays files coded in the PostScript page description language. The dxpsview window consists of the fol-
lowing four areas:
Title Bar Displays the name of the window, the name of the file currently being viewed, and window manager icons that allow you
to move and resize the dxpsview window and shrink the window to an icon. For more information, see
Menu bar Lists the available dxpsview menus.
Work area Contains the image of a page generated by the PostScript document (or some of that image if the page is larger than the
work area). This window does not accept input focus and does not support text selection.
Status area Specifies the current page status and provides buttons for viewing the next or previous page.
Options
-bd color Specifies the color of the window's border (color displays only). The default is specified by means of the Session
Manager's Customize Window dialog box.
-bg color Specifies the color of the window's background (color displays only). The default is specified by means of the Session
Manager's Customize Window dialog box. When a file is open, the work area has its own color, which cannot be custom-
ized.
-d dispname Specifies the display screen on which dxpsview displays its window. If the display option is not specified, dxpsview
uses the display screen specified by your DISPLAY environment variable. The display option has the format host-
name:number. Using two colons (::) instead of one (:) indicates that DECnet is to be used for transport. The default
is :0. For more information, see
-display dispname This option is the same as the -d option.
-geometry Specifies the width, length, and location of the dxpsview window. If this option is not specified, dxpsview uses
default values. The geometry option has the format [widthxlength][{+-}x{+-}y]. For more information about the screen
coordinate system, see
Menus
The dxpsview application contains the following menus:
File
Page
Options
File Menu
The File menu contains the following items:
Open Selected Opens a file that you selected using the pointer in another application window on the screen.
Open... Displays a File Selection dialog box that lets you specify the file to open. To view a file in another directory or
one that does not have the .ps extension, change the pattern in the File Filter text input field and click on the Fil-
ter button. When a file is opened, the title bar displays its file name.
Revisit Reopens the current file. This is useful for displaying modifications you have made to the source file.
Exit Closes the dxpsview window and exits from the application.
Page Menu
The Page menu contains the following items:
Display number Displays the page that precedes the current page. If the current page is the first page, this menu item is disabled.
Display ... Displays a dialog box that prompts for the number of the page to display.
Display number Displays the page that follows the current page. If the current page is the last page, this menu item is disabled.
Options Menu
The Options menu contains the following items:
Sheet Selection Displays a dialog box that lets you specify how dxpsview displays the file image on a screen "sheet."
The Sheet Sizes option lets you select the screen sheet size. Each PostScript file is designed for a particular page
size; this option lets you match the screen sheet size to the page size in the file. If the screen sheet size is
smaller than the file's, some of the file image is lost. If the screen sheet size is larger than the file's, white
space appears around the file image. The choices are Letter, Legal, Ledger, Executive, A3, A4, A5, B4, and B5. The
default is Letter.
The sheet can be at one of four angles, in portrait or landscape orientation. Click on the button next to the layout
you prefer. The default is upright (0 degrees), in portrait layout.
The scale factor specifies how much to shrink or magnify the images in the file, in comparison to their sizes when
printed on paper. The scale factor range is from .1 to 4.0; the default value is 1.0 (screen images are the same size
as printer images). When you change the scale factor from the default value, the new scale factor appears in the status
area.
Use Comments Turns comment mode on or off. In comment mode, dxpsview attempts to interpret comments in the file as hints that allow
moving from page to page more quickly. By default, comment mode is on. If you have trouble viewing a file, you may be
able to correct the problem by turning off comment mode.
Use Bitmap Widths Specifies whether to use the bitmap widths or scalable widths of the predefined fonts. Using bitmap widths, characters
are spaced more evenly and legibly, but the right edge of paragraphs is jagged. Using scalable widths, the right edge
lines up but character spacing is uneven. Scalable widths help to show font placement when you are viewing a document
for form rather than content. A change in this setting applies to the next file that you open; to apply the change to
the current file, choose Revisit from the File menu. This option is turned off by default.
Use Fake Trays Allows files containing tray size directives to be displayed. Some PostScript files for the LPS40 include tray size
directives. Tray size directives are PostScript programming language instructions that tell the printer which tray
size to use. For example, a file might contain tray size directives that instruct the printer to switch from the let-
ter tray (8 1/2 x 11) to the ledger tray (11 x 17) while printing the file. The viewer does not, however, permit the
addition of tray size directives to PostScript files in this way.
If you try to display a file that contains PostScript tray size directives, dxpsview displays an error message. To dis-
play the file, acknowledge the error, choose the Use Fake Trays menu item, and redisplay the file by choosing the
Revisit menu item from the File menu. By default, this option is turned off.
Watch Progress The Watch Progress menu item lets you specify how dxpsview draws images onto the screen. Usually, dxpsview prepares
and stores an entire page in its cache before drawing it. With the Watch Progress option on, dxpsview displays images
immediately as it prepares them. This option is turned off by default.
Commands
The command box of the dxpsview window contains the following labels and buttons:
Page Specifies the number of the page currently being displayed. In most cases, the label specifies the total number of
pages that can be displayed in the file.
Next Page Displays the next page. If the current page is the last page, this command is disabled.
Previous Page Displays the previous page. If the current page is the first page, this command is disabled.
Cancel Cancels a display operation. The Cancel command is enabled only while dxpsview is in the process of displaying a file
or page. When dxpsview stops displaying the file, it leaves the screen sheet with whatever was completed at the time
you canceled the operation.
Scale Factor Displays the current scale factor, in the format nnX, when the scale factor is other than 1.0.
X Defaults
The dxpsview application uses the values in the .Xdefaults file when you logged in and uses the appropriate resource specification to cus-
tomize the appearance or characteristics of its displayed dxpsview window. The format for a resource specification in the .Xdefaults file
is:
[name*]resource: value
name Specifies the application name or the name string that restricts the resource assignment to that application or to a component of
an application. If this argument is not specified, the resource assignment is globally available to all X applications.
resource Specifies the resource.
value Specifies the value that is to be assigned to the resource.
For more information, see
Because each toolkit-based application can consist of a combination of widgets (for example, push buttons and a scroll bar), you can form
the name string by adding widget class and name identifiers to the string. For further information about adding class and name identi-
fiers, see
For dxpsview, the available class identifiers are:
DPSViewer
Label
MainWindow
Menu
Pulldown
PushButton
Scroll
Scrollw
Separator
Window
The class DPSViewer must be specified in the .Xdefaults file when the resource applies to dxpsview only. The class DPSViewer must be the
first element in the specification.
For dxpsview, the available name identifiers are:
commandBar Applies the resource to the command bar located at the bottom of the dxpsview window. The named items on the command bar
are odometer, next, prev, abortBtn, and scale.
scrollw Applies the resource to all dxpsview scroll bars.
vbar Applies the resource to the vertical scroll bar. To specify a resource for either the up or down stepping arrows, you can
add the name ScrollButton1 or ScrollButton2.
hbar Applies the resource to the horizontal scroll bar. To specify a resource for either the left or right stepping arrows, you
can add the name ScrollButton1 or ScrollButton2.
menuBar Applies the resource to the menu bar.
file Applies the resource to the File menu. To specify a resource for one of the items displayed in the file menu, you can spec-
ify openSel, openDialog, revisit, or quit.
page Applies the resource to the Page menu. To specify a resource for one of the items displayed in the file menu, you can spec-
ify displayPrev, displayChoose, or displayNext.
options Applies the resource to the Options menu. To specify a resource for one of the items displayed in the File menu, you can
specify trays, comments, bwidths, faketrays, or windowDrawMode.
Help Applies the resource to the Help menu. To specify a resource for one of the items on the Help menu, you can specify Help or
About.
In addition to the general resources listed in the resources available for dxpsview are:
pixmapCacheSize Specifies the number of pages that dxpsview stores in its cache. If the value is greater than 0, dxpsview can dis-
play previously viewed pages more quickly. However, the greater the number, the more memory used in the server.
The default is 0.
fileNameSuffix Specifies the file name extension used by the Open... menu item in the File menu. The default is ps.
fileNamePrefix Specifies the directory used by the Open... menu item in the File menu when searching for a file. The default is
the directory from which the previewer was invoked.
watchProgress Specifies whether dxpsview draws to the window or to a pixmap. With watchProgress on, dxpsview draws directly to
the window rather than to a pixmap. This allows direct viewing of the PostScript interpreter's actions and con-
serves server pixmap resources. The default is off.
Files
~/.Xdefaults
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/DPSViewer
See Also
X(1X), dxwm(1X),
DECwindows Desktop Applications Guide
dxpsview(1X)