Dataplot Installation Instructions for MacOS Assuming MacPorts
is Installed
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Contact Information
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February 2024
Alan Heckert
Statistical Engineering Division
National Institute Of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-8980
(301) 975-2899 or FTS 879-2899
[email protected]
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Jim Filliben (deceased)
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Step 1: Install Dependencies via the MacPorts Package Manager
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This page assumes that you have installed MacPorts. For
instructions on downloading and installing MacPorts, see
As noted on the homepage.htm page,
MacPorts requires that a current version of Xcode and the command
line tools for Xcode be installed on your MacOS.
Note that MacPorts installs to the "/opt/local" directory. Using
this separate location avoids interference with any software you
may have installed to "/usr" or "/usr/local". Also, MacPorts
requires that you have super user permission on your machine.
Assuming that you have MacPorts installed, you can install the
following dependencies (some of these are optional).
- gfortran/gcc
Since Dataplot is currently built from source, installing
gcc and gfortran is required. To install gcc and gfortran,
enter
Installing gcc should also include gfortran.
Note that different applications for MacPorts may require
different version of the compiler. It is recommend that
you enter the following commands
ls /opt/local/bin/gcc*
ls /opt/local/bin/gfortran*
If either gcc or gfortran does not appear without an
extension (e.g., you have "gfortan-13 but not "gfortran"),
then enter the following command(s)
sudo port select --set gcc gcc-13
sudo port select --set gfortran gfortran-13
The "-13" identifies the version of gcc/gfortran. We
recommend using the highest version listed, although
Dataplot should not be particularly sensitive to the
specific version.
- X11
Dataplot can use X11 for generating screen graphics when
Dataplot is initiated from an X11 xterm window. To install
X11 from MacPorts enter the commands
sudo port install xorg xorg-libX11
sudo port install xft2
Although X11 is not strictly required, it is recommended
that you install either X11 or Aquaterm.
- Aquaterm
Dataplot uses the Aquaterm library to generate screen
graphics for the command line version of Dataplot when
it is run from a standard MacOS terminal window. To
install Aquaterm from MacPorts, enter
sudo port install aquaterm
Although Aquaterm can be installed independently of
MacPorts, we recommend installing the MacPorts version.
The Aquaterm from github is currently (as of 2024/01)
only supported for the Intel chipset. The MacPorts version
is supported for both Intel and M1 chipsets.
Although Aquaterm is not strictly required, it is recommended
that you install either X11 or Aquaterm.
- GD
The GD graphics library is used to generate plots in the
jpeg, png, gif, bmp, wbmp, and tiff image formats. You can
also read images in these formats. To install GD from
MacPorts, enter
This is an optional feature.
- cairo
The Cairo graphics library can be used to generate plots in
a number of different formats (X11, Postscript, PDF, SVG or
jpeg/png/gif). To install Cairo from MacPorts, enter
This is an optional feature.
- readline
The readline library supports history recall with command
line editing. To install readline from MacPorts, enter
sudo port install readline
Note that MacOS comes with a version of readline. However,
Dataplot is not currently compatible with that version, so
if you want to activate this feature you need to install the
MacPorts version.
This is an optional, but recommended, feature.
- libplot
This is an older graphics library supported under Unix/Linux.
Dataplot uses libplot to support some additional graphics
formats not otherwise supported (netPBM bitmap, Adobe
Illustrator, binary CGM, xfig). To install libplot from
MacPorts, enter
sudo port install xorg-libXaw plotutils +x11
This is an optional feature. Unless you have a particular
need for one of the above graphics drivers you can
probably skip this.
- tcl/tk
Dataplot implements its GUI using the Tcl/Tk scripting
language.
The ActiveState web site provides a MacOS specific version
of Tcl/Tk that has a Mac look and feel. However, the
Dataplot GUI does not work well with the ActiveState MacOS
specific version, so the MacPorts version is recommended.
To install the MacPorts version of tcl/tk, enter
sudo port install tcl
sudo port install tk
If you are not interested in the GUI, you can skip this
feature.
- ghostscript
Ghostscript is a Postscript interpreter that can be used to
convert Postscript output to other formats. Specifically,
it can convert Dataplot Postscript output to PDF format.
sudo port install ghostscript
Ghostscript is independent of Dataplot. However, since
Dataplot's primary graphics output format is Postscript
it can be useful to have Ghostscript installed.
Likewise, it may be convenient to install one of the
Postscript/PDF viewers (e.g., evince or okular)
sudo port install evince
sudo port install okular
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Download and Unpack the Dataplot Files
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Step 2: Download and Unpack the Dataplot Files
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The Dataplot files are available on the following github site
Select the "Clone or Download" menu and then select the
"Download ZIP" text. This will save the file
Move this file to a convenient location on your system
and then enter
unzip dataplot-master.zip
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Build Dataplot
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Step 3: Build Dataplot
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After the unzip command, enter the command
To use the MacOS version of the Makefile, enter
cp Makefile.mac_macports Makefile
Check the following lines in the Makefile
- The "PREFIX=$(DESTDIR)/opt/local" line. This will install
Dataplot to the MacPorts directories. If you want to
install to a different directory (e.g., /usr/local), modify
this line to the preferred location.
- The line
"FEATURES = READLINE NCURSES GD TIFF CAIRO X11 PLOT AQUA_MACPORTS MACPORTS MACOSX_M1"
specifies what dependencies you have installed.
You should remove any features where you did not install the
dependencies. If you did not install readline, remove
READLINE and NCURSES. If you did not install GD, remove
GD and TIFF. If you did not install CAIRO, remove CAIRO. If
you did not install X11, remove X11. If you did not install
libplot, remove PLOT. If you did not install Aquaterm,
remove AQUA_MACPORTS.
If your machine uses the Intel chipset, remove MACOSX_M1.
The INSTALL file provides additional detail (e.g., if you want to
build a version that can handle larger data set sizes). However,
in most cases you should not need to modify anything other than
the PREFIX and FEATURES lines.
After making any needed modifications to the Makefile, enter
If the Makefile does not show any errors, then do
If you did not set the PREFIX line to a location that requires
root permissions, then you can omit the "sudo".
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Problems with Downloading or Installation
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If you have problems with the download or installation, contact
[email protected]
for assistance.
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Test Dataplot Installation
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Step 4: Test Command Line Version of Dataplot
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If you installed X11, open an xterm window and enter the
following commands.
dataplot
device 1 x11
call minitest.dp
exit
If you installed Aquaterm, open a MacOS terminal window and enter
the following commands.
dataplot
device 1 aquaterm
call minitest.dp
exit
Even if you only intend to use the GUI version, I recommend
testing the command line version first since the GUI version is
in fact running the command line version.
Be sure that the directory containing the Dataplot executable is in
your path. For example, if you have the executable in
/opt/local/bin, you can add the following line to your .cshrc file
(if you use the c-shell)
set path=(/opt/local/bin $path)
For the Bourne shell, the comparable line for the .bashrc file is
PATH=/opt/local/bin:$PATH; export PATH
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Step 4b: Testing the GUI version of Dataplot
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To test the Dataplot GUI, enter
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Dataplot Configuration Files
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There are two configuration files that you may want to edit
at some point.
- The "/opt/local/lib/dataplot/dplogf.tex" file contains a
default startup file that will be executed when you initiate
Dataplot. This is an ASCII file containing Dataplot
commands that is useful for specifying your own defaults
for Dataplot. After you become more familiar with Dataplot,
you may want to view this file to see if you would like to
modify it for your own preferences.
If you would like to create your own custom file , then
do the following
cp /opt/local/lib/dataplot/dplogf.tex ~/dplogf.tex
Then edit ~/dplogf.tex using any ASCII editor. If you
have a dplogf.tex file in your home directory, this will
override the system version.
How much you would like to utilize dplogf.tex is a
personal preference.
- The "/opt/local/lib/dataplot/frscript/xdpConfig" file is a
configuration file for the GUI. In general, you will not
need to edit this file. However, if you would like to
create your own custom version, then
cp /opt/local/lib/dataplot/frscript/xdpConfig ~/xdpConfig
This is an ASCII file so edit ~/xdpConfig using your
preferred ASCII editor. As with dplogf.tex, a copy of
xdpConfig in your home directory will override the system
version. See the comments in xdpConfig for guidance in
editing this file.
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Date created: 02/05/2024
Last updated: 02/05/2024
Please email comments on this WWW page to
[email protected].
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