Messages from Usenet group comp.lang.idl-pvwave, compiled by Paulo Penteado
We have a UNIX (DEC OSF/1, on a DEC Alpha) IDL license, and all graphics etc. works fine when using a UNIX workstation for display. But some of out users have IBM PC compatibles, and use Vista eXceed for Windows as an X-windows server. Thus they can run IDL and see X window graphics and the online help window. Most of this works, except: (1) both dotted and dashed linestyles (1 & 2) appear as dashed for default linethickness (1)! (They work if, say, thick=3). (2) with the online help, the window appears and so does its contents. When selecting any new page/topic, it also appears. But when scrolling down through the current page, nothing new appears - the first page of text just scrolls off the top. In order to see any help that doesn't appear at the top of its page, you have to scroll down through the blank document, guess where to stop, and then minimise the window and then restore it - and suddenly the help appears. Anybody had this happen? Anybody solve it? Cheers, Tim ......................... Dr Tim Osborn . t.osborn@uea.ac.uk .... ___/.. __ /.. /.. /. Senior Research Associate . phone:01603 592089 ... /..... /. /.. /.. /.. Climatic Research Unit . fax: 01603 507784 .. /..... __/.. /.. /... School of Environmental Sciences. . /..... /\ ... /.. /.... University of East Anglia . ____/.._/..\_..____/..... Norwich NR4 7TJ . ......................... UK .
f055@uea.ac.uk (T.Osborn) wrote: > We have a UNIX (DEC OSF/1, on a DEC Alpha) IDL license, and all graphics etc. > works fine when using a UNIX workstation for display. But some of out users > have IBM PC compatibles, and use Vista eXceed for Windows as an X-windows > server. Thus they can run IDL and see X window graphics and the online help > window. Most of this works, except: We use HCL eXceed/w. I don't know if this is the same as Vista eXceed. > (1) both dotted and dashed linestyles (1 & 2) appear as dashed for default > linethickness (1)! (They work if, say, thick=3). I haven't verified this yet but IDL may use linethickness 0 as a default. That should make the server to use the fastest line drawing algorithm which may not exactly represent you the client (user) expects. When use request thick=3 the X server must use a faithfull representation. However, you can select on your X Server on how to behave when linethickness=0 is transmitted. Use Xconfig and select Performace. Then check "zero line width" . The help text for this item: [begin of quoted text] "Exact Zero-Width Lines (Performance Settings) "The X protocol states that zero-width (thin) lines are one pixel wide lines drawn using an unspecified, device-dependent algorithm. A line-width of zero may differ from a line-width of one in which pixels are drawn. This permits the use of many manufacturers' line drawing hardware, which may run faster than the more precisely specified wide lines. "By default, the eXceed server allows Microsoft Windows to directly draw zero-width lines. This method is generally much faster than the exact pixel algorithm used by X to draw lines of other widths. If you wish to force exact line drawing for zero-width lines, check this option. "Note: Certain video drivers ignore color information on some styles of zero-width line drawing. If lines appear in an incorrect color, or do not appear at all, check this option. [end of quoted text] > (2) with the online help, the window appears and so does its contents. When > selecting any new page/topic, it also appears. But when scrolling down through > the current page, nothing new appears - the first page of text just scrolls > off the top. In order to see any help that doesn't appear at the top of its > page, you have to scroll down through the blank document, guess where to stop, > and then minimise the window and then restore it - and suddenly the help > appears. > Anybody had this happen? Anybody solve it? I can remember it: I saw this phenomenon when I installed IDL 4.0 last summer. The online help is incredibly slow on our unix cluster, so I prefer the MS Windows Online Help. In the meanwhile we upgraded to HCL eXceed Version 5.0 and I checked IDL help with this verion: The problem has disappeared! > Cheers, > Tim > ......................... Dr Tim Osborn . t.osborn@uea.ac.uk > .... ___/.. __ /.. /.. /. Senior Research Associate . phone:01603 592089 > ... /..... /. /.. /.. /.. Climatic Research Unit . fax: 01603 507784 > .. /..... __/.. /.. /... School of Environmental Sciences. > . /..... /\ ... /.. /.... University of East Anglia . > ____/.._/..\_..____/..... Norwich NR4 7TJ . > ......................... UK . I hope this help Norbert Hahn University of Darmstadt Germany