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<title>ploticus: correspondence, troubleshooting, and bug reports</title>
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  <table cellpadding=2 width=550><tr>
  <td><br><h2>Correspondence, troubleshooting, and bug reports</h2></td>
  <td align=right>
  <small>
  <a href="../doc/Welcome.html"><img src="../doc/ploticus.gif" border=0></a><br>
  <a href="../doc/Welcome.html">Welcome</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;
  <a href="../gallery/index.html">Gallery</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;
  <a href="../doc/Contents.html">Handbook</a> 
  <td></tr></table>
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<br>
<br>
.>>

.TH Correspondence,_troubleshooting,_and_bug_reports PL "21-MAY-2003   PL ploticus.sourceforge.net"
 

.SH CORRESPONDENCE
.ig >>
<a href="http://ploticus.sourceforge.net/steve.html">Steve Grubb</a> is the author of ploticus.
.>>
.LP
.ig >>
<a href="#bugreports">To submit a bug report or other feedback, click here</a>
.>>
.LP
If you have interesting examples or web sites that use ploticus, please send the
URLs or script files.


.ig >>
<br><br><br>
.>>

.SH TROUBLESHOOTING
Here are some troubleshooting tips and common snafus:
.ig >>
<br><br><br>
.>>
.LP
\fBDownloading\fR
.IP \(bu
Unix users should download gzip tar files.
Zip files are intended only for PC environments (text files have CR/LF line terminators).
.br
.br
.LP
\fBCompiling from source code\fR
.IP \(bu
Before compiling, review the \fBMakefile\fR and follow the simple 3-step 
installation guide.
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
An ANSI-compliant C compiler such as \fBgcc\fR is required to compile the source code.
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
After building, do a quick test.  From within the \fCsrc\fR directory type: \fCpl stock.htm\fR
.br
Or, this: \fCpl -gif stock.htm\fR 
.br
For further testing see \fC pltestsuite \fR, or run some gallery examples.
.br
.br
.LP
\fBUsing ploticus\fR
.IP \(bu
This error: \fCpl error 4899: No PLOTICUS_PREFABS env var (or hardcoded Makefile 
PREFABS_DIR) found\fR, indicates that the user does not have the
\fBPLOTICUS_PREFABS\fR environment variable set and exported
(it must contain the full pathname of the directory where
ploticus prefabs reside, as included in the download).  
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
Within
.ig >>
<a href="getdata.html">
.>>
\0proc getdata
.ig >>
</a>
.>>
set \fCshowresults: yes\fR to show the data that ploticus has gotten, and how it
was parsed into fields.
This can also be done with
.ig >>
<a href="processdata.html">
.>>
\0proc processdata.
.ig >>
</a>
.>>
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
Use the \fB-debug\fR command line option.
The resulting diagnostic output has been improved recently, and
there is now better debugging support for
.ig >>
<a href="cgi.html">
.>>
\0CGI mode.
.ig >>
</a>
.>>
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
Use the \fB-echo\fR command line option to display expanded script lines as
they are evaluated.  
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
Be sure you know which version you are executing
(you might have earlier ploticus versions on your system and not realize it).
Use \fCpl -version\fR to print the ploticus
version; use the unix command \fCwhich pl\fR to print the file that you
are actually executing when you type \fCpl\fR.
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
Unix builds prior to 2.11 do not read native PC text files.  This problem occurs
if pl is compiled on a unix machine and you feed it native PC text files, 
either as scripts or data files.  
Symptoms may include truncated multi-line text
items, or garbage characters appearing at the end of text items.  
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
If an image result contains blank areas at the top or side, it is probably because
the image is larger than 8" x 8" in one or both dimensions.  To generate images larger than 
8" x 8" a sufficient \fBpagesize\fR must be specified, either on the command line or via 
proc page.  
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
If viewing result images in a browser, remember that image caching is usually
being done, and that you might not be seeing the most recently generated image,
even when you Reload or Refresh.
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
Use proc print or #write to print out variable contents.
Use #exit to stop script execution prematurely, so that you can "step thru" 
your script.
.br
.br
.IP \(bu
Check to be sure you aren't exceeding one of the
.ig >>
<a href="limits.html">
.>>
\0program limitations
.ig >>
</a>
.>>


.ig >>
<br><br><br>
.>>
.ig >>
<a name=bugreports></a>
.>>


.SH BUG REPORTS
Much of the incremental improvement in this package has been due to
the careful bug reports that have been sent in by attentive users.  Thanks!
Bug reports and other feedback may be posted to the 
.ig >>
<a href="http://yahoogroups.com/group/ploticus">
.>>
\0ploticus news group
.ig >>
</a>
.>>
or sent to me at \fC
.ig >>
<a href="mailto:scg@jax.org">
.>>
\0scg@jax.org
.ig >>
</a>
.>>
\fR  
.LP
Before submitting a bug report, please make a fair effort towards solving
the problem yourself (the troubleshooting tips above may be useful).
.LP
\fBIn order to speed up the process, please supply the following:\fR
.IP \0
\fB1.\fR Indicate whether you are using a \fBprefab\fR or a \fBscript\fR.
.IP
\fB2.\fR Include a self-contained example (include sample data) that reproduces the problem.  
For scripts, send a script and a sample data set.  
For prefab, send the exact command you used, and a sample data set.
.IP
\fB3.\fR Indicate your pl version (type \fC pl -version \fR to find out)
and your computing platform (win32, linux, etc.)
.IP
\fB4.\fR Supply other details describing exactly how you invoked pl.  
CGI mode?  By typing in a pl command?  Via perl or PHP?  Provide the exact pl command 
used (or the URL if using CGI mode).  If you used a config file please send it.  

.ig >>
<br>
<br>
</td></tr>
<td align=right>
<a href="../doc/Welcome.html">
<img src="../doc/ploticus.gif" border=0></a><br><small>data display engine &nbsp; <br>
<a href="../doc/Copyright.html">Copyright Steve Grubb</a>
<br>
<br>
<center>
<img src="../gallery/all.gif">
</center>
</td></tr>
</table>
.>>
