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diff --git a/graphics/circuit_macros/README b/graphics/circuit_macros/README
index a9f7f75c86..708d190f89 100644
--- a/graphics/circuit_macros/README
+++ b/graphics/circuit_macros/README
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-* Circuit_macros Version 10.5, copyright (c) 2024 J. D. Aplevich under *
+* Circuit_macros Version 10.6, copyright (c) 2024 J. D. Aplevich under *
* the LaTeX Project Public Licence in file Licence.txt. The files of *
* this distribution may be redistributed or modified provided that this *
* copyright notice is included and provided that modifications are clearly *
@@ -17,14 +17,15 @@
and non-WYSIWYG. Graphical interfaces are available for specific
operating systems.
- The macros are to be processed by an m4 macro processor, and evaluate to
- drawing commands in the pic "little language," which is easy to read and
- learn. The diagram is then automatically translated into TiKZ, PSTricks,
- or other formats for processing by LaTeX or other applications. Pic
- is well suited to line drawings requiring parametric or conditional
- components, fine adjustment, geometric calculations, repetition, or
- recursion. Arbitrary text for formatting by LaTeX can be included.
- Free interpreters for m4 and pic are readily available.
+ The macros are to be processed by an m4 macro processor, and evaluate
+ to drawing commands in the pic "little language," which is easy to
+ read and learn. The diagram is then automatically translated into
+ TiKZ, PSTricks, or other formats for processing by LaTeX or other
+ applications. Pic is well suited to line drawings requiring parametric
+ or conditional components, fine adjustment, geometric calculations
+ (it is Turing complete), repetition, or recursion. Arbitrary text
+ for formatting by LaTeX can be included. Free interpreters for m4
+ and pic are readily available.
Sources are available as a git repository at
https://gitlab.com/aplevich/Circuit_macros
@@ -110,14 +111,14 @@ USAGE
m4 gpic.m4 cct.m4 | gpic -t > cct.tex
- The basic commands given above suffice for documents of moderate
- size and complexity; otherwise, a "make" facility or equivalent should
- be used or, for modest documents, diagram processing can be controlled
+ The basic commands given above suffice for documents of moderate size
+ and complexity; otherwise, a "make" facility or equivalent should be
+ used or, for modest documents, diagram processing can be controlled
from within the tex document source as described in the manual. For
- near-immediate viewing of the basic process, three windows can be kept
- open: one in which to edit the source, one to process the source and
- produce postscript or pdf, and a viewer such as GSview 5.0, which updates
- when clicked.
+ near-immediate viewing of the results, three windows can be kept open:
+ one in which to edit the source, one to process the source and produce
+ postscript or pdf, and a viewer such as gv or GSview 5.0. A window
+ displaying the manual is also useful for composing a significant diagram.
INSTALLATION AND TESTING: See the INSTALL file.
@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@ DPIC:
Several Linux distributions will install dpic by command but the version
may not be the latest. A git repository containing complete source is at
https://gitlab.com/aplevich/dpic
- and source plus a Windows executable can be obtaied from
+ and source plus a Windows executable can be obtained from
http://ece.uwaterloo.ca/~aplevich/dpic/
The best advice is to obtain the newest version.
@@ -176,23 +177,24 @@ SVG output, Inkscape:
SVG is the native file format for the Inkscape graphics editor.
Therefore, elements defined by these macros can be output by dpic -v in
- svg format for later manipulation by Inkscape. A very basic palette of
- circuit elements for Inkscape is found in examples/paletteSVG.m4.
- In the examples subdirectory, type "make paletteSVG.svg", read the resulting
- file into Inkscape, and then ungroup the elements as desired. You would
- probably wish to add to or customize these elements for extensive use.
+ svg format for later manipulation by Inkscape. A basic palette of
+ circuit elements for Inkscape is found in examples/dpv/palettePDV.m4.
+ In the examples/dpv subdirectory, type "make paletteDPV.svg", read
+ the resulting file into Inkscape, and then ungroup the elements as
+ desired. You would probably wish to add to or customize these elements
+ for extensive use.
EXAMPLES
- A set of examples is included in this distribution, showing electric
- circuits, block diagrams, flow charts, signal-flow graphs, basic
- use of colour and fill, and other applications. Some of the examples
+ Numerous examples are included in this distribution, showing electric
+ circuits, block diagrams, flow charts, signal-flow graphs, basic use
+ of colour and fill, and other applications. Some of the examples
test the boundaries of the domain of application of dpic with m4
- macros. Read the manual Circuit_macros.pdf and view examples.pdf
- in the examples directory or make and view the html file in the
- examples/svg directory. For the curious, there are additional source
- files in the examples directory that are not shown in examples.pdf.
- Try http://ece.uwaterloo.ca/~aplevich/Circuit_macros/
- for the possibly unstable development version of these macros.
+ macros. Read the manual Circuit_macros.pdf and view examples.pdf in the
+ examples directory or make and view the html file in the examples/dpv
+ directory. For the curious, there are additional source files in
+ the examples/extras directory that are not shown in examples.pdf.
+ Try http://ece.uwaterloo.ca/~aplevich/Circuit_macros/ for the possibly
+ unstable development version of these macros.
The examples directory Makefile automates the generation of .ps, .eps,
.png, and .pdf files for individual diagrams. Subdirectories of the
@@ -220,10 +222,10 @@ INTEGRATION WITH OTHER TOOLS:
representative but keep in mind that systems and installations evolve
over time:
- A Python-based GUI called PyCirkuit is
- at https://pypi.org/project/pycirkuit/ and
- https://github.com/orestesmas/pycirkuit. For an
- introduction, look at the FOSDEM video by Orestes Mas:
+ A Python-based GUI called PyCirkuit is at
+ https://pypi.org/project/pycirkuit/ and
+ https://github.com/orestesmas/pycirkuit. For an introduction, look at
+ the FOSDEM video by Orestes Mas:
https://archive.fosdem.org/2020/schedule/event/pycirkuit/
A python build-automation tool, m4cm, by Peter Jan Randewijk is at
@@ -242,9 +244,10 @@ INTEGRATION WITH OTHER TOOLS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=53&v=pFRIBvUJHS4
A git repository of a KDE interface by Andrew G. for Linux is at
- https://github.com/ag-ckt/cirkuit/tree/V0.5.0.
+ https://github.com/ag-ckt/cirkuit/tree/V0.5.0 but it seems to be
+ unmaintained.
- Another recent introduction is at
+ A recent elementary introduction to Circuit_macros is at
https://www.root.cz/clanky/publikovanie-elektrickych-schem-a-diagramov-pomocou-circuit-macros/
It is in Czech but Google translate works well.
@@ -254,6 +257,10 @@ INTEGRATION WITH OTHER TOOLS:
A Windows batch file for Circuit_macros is found at
http://someonehasdonethis.blogspot.ca/2012/12/a-solution-for-drawing-circuit-diagrams.html
+ The eschpic package on Github contains macro definitions targeted at
+ IEC-style electrical drawings for industrial and automation purposes:
+ https://github.com/xwhatsit/eschpic
+
Mac users:
Descriptions of Mac installations have been published from time to time;
for example:
@@ -261,17 +268,15 @@ INTEGRATION WITH OTHER TOOLS:
VARIATIONS
Macros such as these will be modified inevitably to suit individual
- needs and taste. They continue to evolve in my own library as I use
- them and as others send comments. No such collection can hope to
- include all possible circuit-related symbols, so you will probably
- find yourself writing your own macros or adapting some of these.
- Be careful to rename modified macros to avoid confusion. The learning
- curve compares well to other packages, but there is no trivially
- easy way to produce high-quality graphics. (If "a picture is worth a
- thousand words," ask yourself how long it would take to write, revise,
- and perfect a thousand words.)
-
- See eschpic on Github for IEC-style electrical drawings.
+ needs and taste. They continue to evolve in my own library as I
+ use them and as others send comments. No such collection can hope to
+ include all possible circuit-related symbols, so you will probably find
+ yourself writing your own macros or adapting some of these. The example
+ files might be a good place to start. Be careful to rename modified
+ macros to avoid confusion. The learning curve compares well to other
+ packages, but there is no trivially easy way to produce high-quality
+ graphics. (If "a picture is worth a thousand words," ask yourself
+ how long it would take to write, revise, and perfect a thousand words.)
The pic language dates from the 1980s and was first developed
as a preprocessor for the *roff family of Unix wordprocessors.
@@ -318,15 +323,16 @@ Xfig:
LIBRARIES:
The file libgen.m4 contains general-purpose macros and is read
- automatically by other libraries. The file libcct.m4 defines basic
- circuit elements. Binary logic-circuit elements are in liblog.m4 and
- additional single-line elements are in libSLD.m4. Macros for drawing 3D
- projections are in lib3D.m4, and some macros for drawing double-line
- arrows are in darrow.m4. The file dpictools.pic contains pic macros
- and is read automatically by some of the examples.
-
-Feel free to contact me with comments or questions. I have retired
-from full-time work but continue the hobby of maintaining these files.
+ automatically by other libraries and the macro gen_init. The file
+ libcct.m4 defines basic circuit elements. Binary logic-circuit
+ elements are in liblog.m4 and additional single-line elements are
+ in libSLD.m4. Macros for drawing 3D projections are in lib3D.m4, and
+ some macros for drawing double-line arrows are in darrow.m4. The file
+ dpictools.pic contains dpic macros and is read automatically by some
+ of the examples.
+
+Feel free to contact me with comments or questions. I have retired from
+full-time professorship but continue the hobby of maintaining these files.
I may now be able to spend more time on individual requests but I may
not reply instantly to email.