GKS-EZ programming manual for FORTRAN-77

Abstract

A standard has now been adopted for subroutine packages that drive graphic devices. It is known as the Graphical Kernel system (GKS), and many commercial implementations of it are available. Unfortunately, it is a difficult system to learn, and certain functions that are important for scientific use are not provided. Although GKS can be used to achieve portability of graphic applications between graphic devices, computers, and operating systems, it can also be misused in this respect. In addition, it introduces the very real problem of portability between the various implementations of GKS. This document describes a set of FORTRAN-77 subroutines that may be used to control a wide variety of graphic devices and overcome most of these problems. Some of these subroutines are from GKS itself, while others are higher-level subroutines that call GKS subroutines. These subroutines are collectively known as GKS-EZ. The purpose is to supply someone who is not a specialist in computer graphics with a flexible, robust, and easy to learn graphics system. Users of GKS-EZ should not have much need for a full GKS manual; this document will supply all of the information to use GKS-EZ except for a few items. These missing items include the numeric identification of the supported graphic devices and the procedure for linking the GKS subroutines into a executable module.