2013

As previously described, a total of six fields can be used to define a shape as
part of a linetype. The first two are mandatory and position-dependent; the
next four are optional and can be ordered arbitrarily. The following two
examples demonstrate various entries in the shape definition field.
[CAP,ep.shx,S=2,R=10,X=0.5]
The code above draws the CAP shape defined in the ep.shx shape file with a
scale of two times the unit scale of the linetype, a tangential rotation of 10
degrees in a counterclockwise direction, and an X offset of 0.5 drawing units
before shape elaboration takes place.
[DIP8,pd.shx,X=0.5,Y=1,R=0,S=1]
The code above draws the DIP8 shape defined in the pd.shx shape file with an
X offset of 0.5 drawing units before shape drawing takes place, and a Y offset
of one drawing unit above the linetype, with 0 rotation and a scale equal to
the unit scale of the linetype.
The following syntax defines a shape as part of a complex linetype.
[shapename,shapefilename,scale,rotate,xoffset,yoffset]
The definitions of the fields in the syntax follow.
shapename The name of the shape to be drawn. This field must be included.
If it is omitted, linetype definition fails. If shapename does not exist in the
specified shape file, continue drawing the linetype but without the embedded
shape.
shapefilename The name of a compiled shape definition file (SHX). If it is
omitted, linetype definition fails. If shapefilename is unqualified (that is, no
path is specified), search the library path for the file. If shapefilename is fully
qualified and not found at that location, remove the prefix and search the
library path for the file. If it is not found, continue drawing the linetype but
without the embedded shape.
scale S=value. The scale of the shape is used as a scale factor by which the
shape's internally defined scale is multiplied. If the shape's internally defined
scale is 0, the S=value alone is used as the scale.
rotate U=value, R=value or A=value. R= signifies relative or tangential rotation
with respect to the line's elaboration. A= signifies absolute rotation of the
shape with respect to the origin; all shapes have the same rotation regardless
of their relative position to the line. The value can be appended with a d for
degrees (if omitted, degree is the default), r for radians, or g for grads. If
rotation is omitted, 0 relative rotation is used.
Shapes in Custom Linetypes | 25