# Xfig

Xfig is an interactive drawing tool which runs under X Window System on most UNIX-compatible platforms, including Mac OS X and any X server under Microsoft Windows.

In Xfig, figures may be drawn using objects such as circles, boxes, lines, spline curves, text, etc. It is also possible to import images in formats such as GIF, JPEG, EPS, etc. Those objects can be created, deleted, moved or modified. Attributes such as colors or line styles can be selected in various ways. For text, many fonts are available.

A three button mouse is recommended to work with Xfig, although, one/two button mouse can also be configured to work with Xfig.

It is possible to embed LaTeX mathematical formulae in block diagrams created using Xfig.

http://linux.math.tifr.res.in/manuals/html/xfig/contents.html has the up-to-date information on Xfig.

The slides in this page make use of our project logo, available at File:ST 3T Logo.pdf. We welcome readers to create additional spoken tutorials.

# Level Zero Tutorials

1. Simple block diagram
• Explain panel on left hand side, bottom, top left and canvas of Xfig worksheet
• Create a box, increase thickness through editing
• Create an arrow
• Change the font size of text, create text and move inside the box
• Change the attribute value and add lines with arrow head directly
• Save the file as block.fig and export the pdf file
2. Feedback control diagram
• Open the .fig file created in the simple block diagram tutorial
• Copy the box
• Change the text justification to centre aligned
• Enter text directly into the box
• Put a dot from the logic library
• Create a circle, delete it and redraw it
• Explain the scroll bar on the right and also the mouse button indicators on top right corner
• Save the file as feedback.fig
3. Feedback diagram with Maths
• Open the .fig file saved in the feedback control tutorial
• Put $G(z) = \frac z{z-1}$ in the second block diagram
• Choose the special flag
• Save and export it as combined tex and pdf
• Show that if "special" is not chosen, we get only text
• Change /frac into /dfrac
• Show that at the time of compilation, dfrac unknown error
• Include \usepackage{amsmath} in the tex file
• Recompile it and show that the equation is now coming properly
• Use pdfcrop to trim the pdf file, mention Briss