From: [email-masked] (Lawrence Hugh Snyder)
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996 12:39:45 -0700

To: s-news
Subject: X11/unix graphics--answers

Thanks to all who answered.
Sorry not to give credit by name; you know who you are.
larry

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Question 1) "Device-independent way to set par() defaults?":
	Create your own local version of the function, Device.Default(), and
	add the line par(las=1) to it.  This function gets called anytime a
	device is started, and therefore your addition is applied to all
	devices.

	Gory details:
	 * Put the current definition of Device.Default() into an ascii file:
		> sink("Device.Default")
		> Device.Default
		> sink()
	   or	# sink() appears broken on my 3.2 Splus, so I do this instead:
		> echo 'Device.Default' > Device.Default
		> Splus BATCH in out
	 * Now edit the ascii file 'Device.Default':
		> add the line par(las=1) near the bottom of the file
		  (or add whatever other global device defaults you'd like)
		> add "Device.Default <-" to the top of the file (to assign
		  the function)
	 * Return to Splus and execute
		> Device.Default <- source("Device.Default")
			(Ignore the resulting warning message.)
	
	A file called Device.Default, containing your customization,
	now appears in your local directory, and is called instead
	of the system version.

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Question 2) "The setlinecap setting is different for motif() and postscript()":
	Others confirm the discrepency, and apparently my fix:
		'ps.options(extra.setup("0 setlinecap"))'.
	is a reasonable one.

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Question 3) "Test for directory existence before attaching?":
	if(is.dir(".Save")) attach(".Save") 	 # Uses sh function 'test'

	(My original error was not redirecting error output; see
	the definition of is.dir().)
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