web2c: Online Metafont graphics
6.4 Online Metafont graphics
============================
The Web2c implementation of Metafont can do online graphics with a
number of devices. (See the Metafont manual for more information about
how to draw on your screen.) By default, no graphics support is
enabled.
Metafont examines the 'MFTERM' environment variable or config file
value at runtime, or the 'TERM' environment variable if 'MFTERM' is not
set, to determine the device support to use. Naturally, only the
devices for which support has been compiled in can be selected.
Here is a table of the possibilities, showing the 'MFTERM' value and
the corresponding 'configure' option(s) in parentheses.
'epsf'
('--enable-epsfwin') Pseudo-window server for Encapsulated
PostScript (see 'web2c/window/epsf.c'). This device produces an
EPS file containing the graphics which would be displayed online on
other devices. The name of the EPS file defaults to metafont.eps
but can be changed by setting the MFEPSF environment variable to
the new filename. Contributed by Mathias Herberts.
'hp2627'
('--enable-hp2627win') HP2627a color graphics terminals.
'mftalk'
('--enable-mftalkwin') Generic window server (see
'web2c/window/mftalk.c').
'next'
('--enable-next') NeXT window system. This requires a separate
program, called 'DrawingServant', available separately. See the
'web2c/window/next.c'.
'regis'
('--enable-regiswin') Regis terminals.
'sun'
('--enable-suntoolswin') The old Suntools (not any flavor of X)
window system. (You can get the even older SunWindows 'gfx' system
by using 'sun-gfx.c'.)
'tek'
('--enable-tektronixwin') Tektronix terminals.
'uniterm'
('--enable-unitermwin') Uniterm, Simon Poole's emulator of a smart
Tektronix 4014 terminal. This may work with regular Tektronix
terminals as well; it's faster than the driver
'--enable-tektronixwin' selects.
'xterm'
'--with-x' The X window system (version 11).
There are two variants of the X11 support, one that works with the
Xt toolkit, and another that works directly with Xlib. The Xt
support is more efficient and has more functionality, so it is the
default. If you must use the Xlib support, use 'configure --with-x
--with-kf-x-toolkit=no'.
Specify '--disable-mf-nowin' in order not to build a separate
non-windows-capable Metafont executable 'mf-nowin' (or
'mf-nowin.exe').
You cannot specify any of the usual X options (e.g., '-geometry')
on the Metafont command line, but you can specify X resources in
your '~/.Xdefaults' or '~/.Xresources' file. The class name is
'Metafont'. If you're using the Xt support, all the usual X
toolkit resources are supported. If you're using the Xlib support,
only the 'geometry' resource is supported.
You specify the X display to which Metafont connects in the
'DISPLAY' environment variable, as usual.
Writing support for a new device is straightforward. Aside from
defining the basic drawing routines that Metafont uses (see 'mf.web'),
you only have to add another entry to the tables on the last page of
'web2c/lib/texmfmp.c'. Or you can write an independent program and use
MFtalk (see 'web2c/window/mftalk.c').
Info Catalog
web2c: Modes
web2c: Metafont
web2c: gftodvi invocation