View source for PSTricks

{{No footnotes|date=October 2021}}
'''PSTricks''' is a set of [[Macro (computer science)|macros]] that allow the inclusion of [[PostScript]] drawings directly inside [[TeX]] or [[LaTeX]] source code. It was originally written by [[Timothy Van Zandt]] and has been maintained in recent years by [[Denis Girou]], [[Sebastian Rahtz]] and [[Herbert Voss]] ([[:de:Herbert Voß|de]]).

== Basic usage ==
[[File:PSTricksSimple.svg|thumb|240px|right|PSTricks example (scaled)]]
There is a wide array of commands available for making graphics. Coordinates in PSTricks are always represented in parentheses, as the following example (scaled) illustrates:

<syntaxhighlight lang="latex">
 \begin{pspicture}(5,5)
   %% Triangle in red:
   \pspolygon[linecolor=red](1,1)(5,1)(1,4)
   %% Bezier curve in green:
   \pscurve[linecolor=green,linewidth=2pt,%
     showpoints=true](5,5)(3,2)(4,4)(2,3)
   %% Circle in blue with radius 1:
   \pscircle[linecolor=blue,linestyle=dashed](3,2.5){1}
 \end{pspicture}
</syntaxhighlight>
{{clear}}

== Extensions ==
[[File:PSTricks-Sine.png|thumb|400px|right|Plotting [[sine|sin]](''x'') with ''pst-plot'']]
PSTricks commands are low level, so many LaTeX packages have been made in order to ease the creation of several kinds of graphics that are commonly used on mathematical [[typesetting]].

'''pst-plot''' provides commands for creating [[Function (mathematics)|function]] graphs.

Consider the following example:
{{clear}}

<syntaxhighlight lang="latex">
 \begin{pspicture*}(-7,-2)(7,2)
   \psaxes[labels=none](0,0)(-7,-2)(7,2)        % sets up axis
   \psplot[linecolor=blue, linewidth=1.5pt]%    % plots the sinewave
     {-7}{7}{x 0.01745329252 div sin}           % notice the RPN expression
   \uput[45](3.1415926,0){$\pi$}                % these are the labels
   \uput[90](-1.570796,0){$-\pi/2$}             % \uput is a box positioned at [angle]
   \uput[-90](1.570796,0){$\pi/2$}              % relative to (x,y) coordinate
   \uput[-135](-3.1415926,0){$-\pi$}            % and putting { content } on the box
   \psline[linewidth=1pt,linecolor=red,linestyle=dotted]%   % red dotted lines
     (1.57079632,1)(1.57079632,0)
   \psline[linewidth=1pt,linecolor=red,linestyle=dotted]%
     (-1.57079632,-1)(-1.57079632,0)
 \end{pspicture*}
</syntaxhighlight>
{{clear}}

The previous example also illustrate that TeX commands can be used as elements into the pictures.
Since PostScript uses [[Reverse Polish Notation|RPN]] style for mathematical operations, the argument to pst-plot must be supplied in the same form.
An alternative is to use the optional argument ''algebraic'', then the formula can be described as an algebraic expression.

'''pstricks-add''' extends pst-plot enabling also [[Polar coordinates|polar]] graphs and allowing the use algebraic notation for plots instead of RPN.

'''pst-math''' provides [[trigonometric]] [[function (mathematics)|functions]] in [[radian]]s (since PostScript defaults to using [[degree (angle)|degree]]s) and hyperbolic trigonometric functions.

'''pst-3dplot''' is used for creating 3D graphics like the following:

[[File:PSTricks-Hyperboloid.png|thumb|400px|none|Hyperbolic paraboloid drawn using PSTricks package ''pst-3dplot'']]

'''multido''' provides basic loop functionality for programming graphs with repeating elements:
[[File:Drini-nonuniformconvergence.png|thumb|400px|none|Plotting a graph while varying parameters with ''multido'']]

'''pst-eucl''' is a beta extension for easy creation of [[geometry|geometrical]] drawings.
[[File:PSTricks-Circumcircle.png|thumb|400px|none|Circumcircle of a triangle, illustrated with ''pst-eucl'']]

There are many other extensions, for drawing [[Circuit diagram]]s, [[barcode]]s, [[Graph (discrete mathematics)|graphs]], [[Tree (graph theory)|trees]], visualizing data, etc.

== Compatibility ==
PSTricks is only fully compatible with TeX systems using PostScript intermediates, including but not limited to eTeX and others. However, it is ''not'' compatible with the widely used [[pdfTeX]] engine in [[PDF]] mode. As pdfTeX is the default engine in most current installations, users of PSTricks must either force pdfTeX to [[Device independent file format|DVI]] mode or use [[auto-pst-pdf]]. [[PGF/TikZ]] is an alternative to PSTricks that ''is'' compatible with pdfTeX.

== Software which supports PSTricks output ==
*[[Inkscape]]
*[[Interactive geometry software]]: [[C.a.R.]], [[GeoGebra]], [[Kig (software)|Kig]]
*JPicEdt
*[[Mathematica]]
*[[WinFIG]]
*[[LaTeXPiX]]
*[[gnuplot]]
*[[LaTeXDraw]]
*[[Dia (software)|Dia]]

== See also ==
* [[PSfrag]]
* [[Asymptote (vector graphics language)]]
* [[TeX]]
* [[List of TeX extensions]]
* [[LaTeX]]
* [[PostScript]]
* [[Inkscape]] for converting [[Scalable Vector Graphics|SVG]] images to PSTricks code.
* [[PGF/TikZ]] (Portable Graphics Format), an alternative [[TeX]] package for programming graphics (also works with pdftex).
* [[CircuiTikZ]]

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* Herbert Voss; PSTricks&nbsp;– Grafik für TeX und LaTeX, 7th edition, DANTE e.V. and Lehmanns.media, 1008 pages, Heidelberg and Berlin 2016, {{ISBN|978-3-86541-858-6}}.
* Herbert Voss; PSTricks&nbsp;– Graphics for TeX and LaTeX, 1st edition, UIT, 916 pages, Cambridge 2011, {{ISBN|978-1-906860-13-4}}; [http://www.tug.org/books/reviews/tb105reviews-voss.html review in TUGboat]
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{official website|http://tug.org/PSTricks/main.cgi}}
* PSTricks [http://tug.org/PSTricks/main.cgi?file=doc/docs documentation].
* PSTricks [http://tug.org/PSTricks/main.cgi?file=examples examples].
* [http://latexdraw.sourceforge.net/ LaTeXDraw], a free and [[open source]] graphical editor generating PSTricks code, written in Java.
* [http://jpicedt.sourceforge.net/site/index.php JPicEdt], another free and [[open source]] graphical editor generating PSTricks code, written in Java.
* [http://latexpix.comyr.com/latexpix.htm LaTeXPiX], a freeware graphical editor generating (amongst others) PSTricks code, written for Windows OS.

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[[Category:Free TeX software]]
[[Category:Macro programming languages]]
[[Category:PostScript]]