http://www.ens-lyon.fr/~krisrose/Xy-pic.html
Xy-pic

Xy-pic - Typesetting graphs and diagrams in TeX

The latest Xy-pic release 3.7 is available at the locations listed below.

Xy-pic is a package for typesetting graphs and diagrams using the principle of `logical composition of visual components'. It is structured as several modules, each defining a mnemonic plain text notation for a particular kind of graphical object or structure. Example objects are arrows, curves, frames, and colouring/rotation on drivers that support it; these can be organised in matrix, directed graph, path, polygon, knot, and 2-cell structure (a more complete list of the features is given below).

Xy-pic works with most formats, including all variants of LaTeX, AMS-TeX, and plain TeX, and has been used to typeset complicated diagrams from many application areas including category theory, automata theory, algebra, neural networks, and database theory.

Contents: availability, features, papers, samples.


Availability

You can get Xy-pic from its home ftp site or its web copy, or from your nearest CTAN.

(Of course you can also search for it on the Web with an Alta Vista query or on FTP with an Archie FTP search; finally Alta Vista also permits locating all web pages that refer to this page.)

Xy-pic was conceived by Kristoffer Høgsbro Rose, the present version is the result of several years of collaboration with Ross Moore. Xy-pic is © by its authors as free software (see the GNU General Public License for details).


Xy-pic Features

(excerpt from README file)
Xy-pic is structured as a `kernel' and several orthogonal modules called `options', each defining a custom notation for a particular kind of graphical object or structure.

These (combinable) `logical composition' structures are available:

The following `visual component' objects can be used:

Papers on Xy-pic

Clicking on a title will show the proper reference; other forms available as indicated.
K H Rose: Xy-pic User's Guide
Latest edition available as dvi, dvi.gz, dvips, dvips.gz, ps, ps.gz, pdf, and pdf.gz.

Explains how to use the Xy-pic macro package to typeset `matrix-like' diagrams with TeX.

K H Rose & R Moore: Xy-pic Reference Manual
Latest edition available as dvi, dvi.gz, dvips, dvips.gz, ps, ps.gz, pdf, and pdf.gz.

Reference manual for Xy-pic summarising syntax and `drawing semantics' of the capabilities in the kernel, all extensions and features, and the PostScript¹ backend.

K H Rose & R Moore: Xy-pic Complete Sources with TeXnical Commentary
Available as dvi, dvi.gz, dvips, dvips.gz, ps, and ps.gz.

Just that. This is a large document.

M Goossens, S Rahtz, and F Mittelbach: The LaTeX Graphics Companion
Addison-Wesley, 1997.

Chapter 5 gives a concise introduction to some advanced uses of Xy-pic.

K H Rose: ``Very High Level 2-dimensional Graphics'' with TeX and Xy-pic
Invited for TUG '97. Latest edition available as ps.gz.

Shows how a custom embedded language for drawing directory trees is implemented with Xy-pic; this make it possible to get nice pictures and diagrams in paper aesthetically integrated with the text, ensuring that the information in the pictures can be exploited in alternate ways. As an example of the latter we show how the picture can be used to create this animation.

K H Rose: Xy-pic and Notation for Categorical Diagrams
Discusses textual notation for categorical diagrams based on the authors experience from developing Xy-pic. In particular the notion of `conceptual markup' for diagrams is introduced, and the `graph' mode implementing it in Xy-pic is explained.

This was presented as an invited talk at ECCT-94, the European Colloquium on Category Theory.

R Moore: Typesetting Neural Nets using Xy-pic (as ps.gz).

This note gives an example of how to use Xy-pic's ``Graph Combinator'' feature to specify the type of diagram that is frequently used to display Neural Networks.

K H Rose: How to Typeset Pretty Diagram Arrows with TeX
Explains the design decisions used in the design of the arrows used by the macro package Xy-pic for typesetting graphs and diagrams with TeX.

K H Rose: Typesetting Diagrams with Xy-pic: User's Manual
First published introduction to Xy-pic (for version 2.6; obsolete).

Xy-pic Examples

R Street: Quantum Groups: an entrée to modern algebra
Several chapters of a book which uses diagrams in an essential way.

R Moore: Polynomial Invariants for Knots (as tex, ps.gz)
This note is an example of the use of the Xy-pic `knots and links' feature.

K H Rose: Fundamental Reduction Systems, Examination (as tex, ps.gz)
This illustrates how the graph mode was used to draw electronic circuits in an exam paper.

R Moore: Endomorphism Rings (1st: tex, ps.gz, 2nd: tex, ps.gz, 3rd: tex, ps.gz, 4th: tex, ps.gz)
Matrices and graphs for studying endomorphism rings, devised by George Ivanov.


¹ PostScript and PDF are trademarks of Adobe, Inc.


Kristoffer Høgsbro Rose <krisrose@ens-lyon.fr>. Last modified: Tue Mar 16 13:44:32 CET 1999
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