CURSORS mode and IGI: IRAF graphics labelling

Frank Valdes wrote on Apr 16, 1998

Q: I am generating contour plots using "newcont".  I would like to be able
to draw a box around the plot (NO TICKMARKS) and label various knots, etc.

I have stumbled through the LANGUAGE help and can do the text labelling
interactively (have not figured out how to do the box yet without ticks).
Unfortunately, I have to start all over for each new plot.  How can I keep
track of my interactions and turn them into a script that I can edit for
applying to future plots??

I have gone through the help pages on LANGUAGE, but am not clear on how
to solve my problem....except by bothering you!


A: I believe what you have found are the "cursors" commands that apply
to all graphics.  These are done by the CL on top of the current
graphics buffer.  But whenever the graph is redrawn by an application
this disappears.  Having a facility to make command files for this
type of thing is desirable but the way various things communicate this
is not currently possible.  So it is indeed a frustration.

The powerful tool for doing custom graphics is IGI in the STSDAS
package.  Many graphs can be made entirely with IGI.  But it cannot do
contour polots I don't think.  I believe it is possible to have it
operate on an existing graph in the command buffer produced by any
other task.  You can write an IGI macro that should be able to do alot
of what you want.  You just have to make sure not to erase the graphics
buffer.  Do you know about saving graphics in a metacode file with ":w
mc"?  You should do this at any point where you might want to return to
it.  So if you are doing the IGI annotation on top of a graph created
by some other task you should save the graph into a metacode file so
you can start over multiple times starting with reading the metacode
file and then running your IGI macro.

---

Last post on Apr 16, 1998