[texhax] xfig

[Benjamin Deutsch]

Hello,

> Does anybody have the experience using xfig? I have two operating
> systems in my computer. One is windows xp, and the other is linux. I use
> xfig in linux to draw some figures. Then I tried to transfer the figures
> drawn to windows XP. However, I got an error message when I tried to
> show these figures by GV. The error message is undefined #FIG. I really
> don't know what is wrong there. (All the figures work fine in linux).

You don't mention how you tried to transfer the figures, but from your
description, I assume you're trying to open the .fig-files directly in gv.
This will not work, since .fig is the internal format used by xfig (I do
not know any other application that uses it).

To transfer a figure, you need to export it to a different format, such as
encapsulated postscript (.eps files). In xfig, this is easy: from the main
menu, select:

  File -> Export...

In standard xfig setups, encapsulated postscript will be chosen as the
default format (under "Language:"), and the filename will aleady match
your current figure, but with the correct ending (filename.fig becomes
filename.eps). in most cases, you only need to press "Export" at the
bottom to obtain an .eps version of your file.

This .eps file can now be viewed in gv, or imported into many imaging
programs. Xfig also exports to other vector and bitmap image formats, but
.eps is typically the optimal choice. You may want to experiment with
other formats though.

Hope this helps,

  Benjamin

-- 
Dipl.-Inf. Benjamin Deutsch            Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg
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