GasTeX: Graphs and Automata Simplified in TeX

version 2.3

JasTeX : the long-awaited graphical interface in Java for GasTeX.

Introduction and examples

•  An automaton (New: 05/05/02)
  
•  A Petri net (New: 05/05/02)
  
•  A diagram
•  and more ... (New: 05/05/02)
•  nodes
•  edges (New: 03/01/02)
•  arrow heads (New: 05/05/02)
  
•  node labels
•  Animated slides (pdf) (New: 03/01/02)
•  new macros in version 2.1
•  compatibility with gastex 1.0
•  compatibility with pspictpg 0.6

Download

•  gastex.sty (05/05/02) which contains the definition of all the TeX macros,
•  gastex.pro (05/05/02) which contains all the postscript procedures (this file could be in your working folder but it is best placed where the tex.pro file is),
•  gastex.txt (05/05/02) the short documentation for gastex, you may also look directly in the file gastex.sty where all macros are documented,
•  ex-gastex.tex (05/05/02) some examples to test your installation
•  gastex may be used with prosper in order to produce very nice animated slides. Here is a simple example . (New: 03/01/02)

Feedback

Remarks

• pdflatex and gastex : gastex does not work with pdflatex since it produces postscript code and pdflatex does not know what to do with it. (New: 03/01/02)

Solution: Use latex and then ps2pdf.
I don't know whether it is possible to translate my postscript code into pdf code. The problem is that I'm using postscript to make some computations and not only to draw the picture. I would appreciate the help of a pdf guru on this.
• This new version of gastex has been completely rewritten. It is much more powerful than version 1.0. You need to use a compatible mode if you wish to use old pictures with this new version. See the files gastex.txt and ex-gastex.tex to learn more about this compatibility.
• The perl script GasTeX1to2.pl allows you to translate most gastex 1.0 pictures to gastex 2.0 syntax. Just use this perl script as a filter on your file.
• gastex mainly generates postscript so the pictures cannot be seen with a dvipreviewer. One should use a postscript printer or a postscript previewer (which usually allows also to print on nonpostscript printers).
• I have only tested gastex with dvips.
• In case you need the old version, it is still available here .

History since version 2.0

• Added the parameter ELdistC (y or n) allowing to specify whether the distance (ELdist) is between the center (y) of the label and the edge or between the side (n) of the label and the edge. The behaviour of previous gastex versions corresponds to the setting (n) which is therefore the default.
• Added the macro \drawqbpedge allowing to specify the auxiliary point of a quadratic Bezier curve with two angles instead of the absolute coordinates required by \drawqbedge.
• Added parameters sxo, syo, exo, eyo (offsets in \unitlength). They define offsets for the virtual starting and ending points of an edge with respect to the centers of the starting and ending nodes.
• Improved drawing for arrowheads (in gastex.pro). First, the direction of the arrowhead is better for curved edges. Second, when several arrowheads are drawn they follow the curve. Previously, they followed the tangent at the ending point of the edge which was bad for curved edges.
  

• Added the options slide and paper to the package.

In order to get the default settings for slides, use
\usepackage[slide]{gastex}
The default settings for papers is obtained with
\usepackage[paper]{gastex}
or
\usepackage{gastex}
• Added new option loopCW to define whether loops are in clockwise direction or not.
• Fix a TeX error (Arithmetic overflow) that occurred when using \drawedge(A,B){} with two nodes A and B having the same coordinates.

Now, in this case, an error message is issued in the log and the macro \drawedge(A,B){} is ignored.

• New macros to draw directly circles, rectanges, ovals, lines and bezier curves.
\drawcircle, \drawrect, \drawoval, \drawline, \drawqbezier, \drawcbezier
All these macros uses gasset options and in particular:
Nframe, Nfill, linecolor, fillcolor, dash, AHnb, etc...
• Compatibility mode for pspictpg up to v0.6

Fix the bug which occured sometimes when using Nw=0,Nh=0.

• Fix an error that occured in v2.0 when using Nfill=y without defining previously fillgray or fillcolor.

The following default setting has been added.
\gasset{fillgray=0,Nfill=n} % Not filled but black if filled

Known problems and (hopefully) solutions

• GasTeX and German (21/10/99):

Frank Goertzen (frank.goertzen@unibw-muenchen.de) has reported that when using gastex together with german an error may occur when running dvips if the german package is loaded first.
Solution: load gastex before german:
\usepackage{gastex}
\usepackage{german}
I have no idea concerning the cause of this error.

• Zero width or height (07/03/00): A postscript error may occur when using Nw=0,Nh=0.

Solution: Use a small value instead of 0, e.g. Nw=0.1,Nh=0.1
Fixed in version 2.1
 
• gasset and tabular (27/10/00): Using gasset inside a tabular or an array produces an error. (New: 03/01/02)

The reason is that I'm using the "&" symbol as a marker in order to process gasset options.
Solution: Include the whole picture inside an mbox.
\begin{tabular}{c}
  \mbox{\begin{picture}(10,20)(-5,-5)
  \gasset{ELdist=0}
  \node(A)(0,0){1}\drawloop(A){$a$}
  \end{picture}}
\end{tabular}
• pdflatex and gastex: gastex does not work with pdflatex since it produces postscript code and pdflatex does not know what to do with it. (New: 03/01/02)

Solution: Use latex and then ps2pdf.