jsdriv_server

PGPLOT graphics device for Windows

Written by: Jan Saroun, saroun@ujf.cas.cz

Features

• Allows to use PGPLOT interactive graphics on Windows
• Provides a new JSDRIV device server (analogy to pgxwin_server on Linux)
• Requires mingw-w64 gcc compiler suite to compile PGPLOT with JSDRIV support
• Requires Lazarus FreePascal to compile the graphics device library
• Developed and tested on Windows 10, 64 bit

=====================================================================

Package contents

./jsdriv

Lazarus project files (*.lpr) which allow to build:

jsdrivlib.dll, a library dynamically loaded by libpgplot.dll (to be linked with client applications)

jsdriv_server.exe , a server providing persistent graphics windows (similar to pgxwin_server on Linux)

./pgplot_binding

Extensions to PGPLOT needed to create libpgplot.dll which supports the JSDRIV device.

sys_mingw - Source files to be compiled with the original PGPLOT source distribution

makeflie_gfortran - makefile for compiling PGPLOT using mingw-w64 gcc + gfortran (includes drivers: NULL, PSDRIV, JSDRIV)

grexec.f - Generated driver function GREXEC for the NULL, PSDRIV and JSDRIV devices.

compile.bat - A batch file for compilig PGPLOT with JSDRIV support

Compiling JSDRIV server and client library

• Install Lazarus FreePascal RAD (https://www.lazarus-ide.org/) if you don't have it already
• Build the project jsdrivlib.lpr to create the client library, jsdrivlib.dll.
• Build the project jsdriv_server.lpr to create the server, jsdriv_server.exe

The binaries are saved in ./jsdriv/bin, you should move them to appropriate directories:

• copy jsdrivlib.dll alongside with the program executable
• copy jsdriv_server.exe alongside with grfont.dat (i.e. where the environment variable PGPLOT_DIR points to)

Compiling PGPLOT with JSDRIV support:

(paths are relative to the ./pgplot_binding folder)

• Download the original PGPLOT ver. 5.2 source files from http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~tjp/pgplot/)
• Extract it to a new directory, e.g. ./src
• Open Windows command line and make ./pgplot_binding your current directory
• Make sure you call the correct gcc compiler from mingw-w64 distribution, try > gcc --version
• Run compile all ./src to build libpgplot.dll
• Run compile prog ./src to build PGPLOT examples
• Run compile clean to remove temporary object files

See the contents of compile.bat to learn how to use makeflie_gfortran directly.

Test - run PGPLOT examples

• Copy jsdriv_server.exe and jsdrivlib.dll to ./pgplot_binding
• From Windows command line, make ./tgt your current directory
• Define environment variables: PGPLOT_DEV=/JSDRIV PGPLOT_DIR="full path to ./pgplot_binding"
• Run the pgdemoxx.exe examples from the command line

NOTE: when running te program for the first time, an anitvirus program may slow down the startup of jsdriv_server. Just wait for ~ 10 sec till the server starts. Its icon should be visible on the tray.

Distribution + installation notes

• Install libpgplot.dll and jsdrivlib.dll alongside with your application executable, or in the system directory: %SystemRoot%\system32
• On systems without mingw-w64 installed, some other mingw runtime libraries may be needed:
  • libquadmath-0.dll
  • libgcc_s_seh-1.dll
• Install grfont.dat and jsdriv_server.exe in the directory defined in the PGPLOT_DIR variable. Recommended place is the folder with the dll's and the application binaries.