How to use the command `pic` (with examples)

The pic command is a picture preprocessor for the groff (GNU Troff) document formatting system. It allows users to process input with pictures and save the output for future typesetting with groff to PostScript. The command can also be used to typeset input with pictures to PDF using the [me] macro package.

Use case 1: Process input with pictures, saving the output for future typesetting with groff to PostScript

Code:

pic path/to/input.pic > path/to/output.roff

Motivation: In this use case, the pic command is used to process input that contains pictures and generate an output file in the roff format. The output file can be saved for future typesetting with groff to generate a PostScript file.

Explanation:

• pic: The pic command calls the picture preprocessor for groff.
• path/to/input.pic: This argument specifies the path to the input file that contains the picture source code.
• >: This symbol redirects the output of the command to a file.
• path/to/output.roff: This argument specifies the path to the output file where the processed input with pictures will be saved in the roff format.

Example output: The processed input with pictures is saved in the path/to/output.roff file.

Use case 2: Typeset input with pictures to PDF using the [me] macro package

Code:

pic -T pdf path/to/input.pic | groff -me -T pdf > path/to/output.pdf

Motivation: In this use case, the pic command is used in conjunction with the groff command to typeset input that includes pictures to a PDF file. The [me] macro package is used for typesetting.

Explanation:

• pic: The pic command is called with the -T pdf option to specify the desired output format as PDF.
• path/to/input.pic: This argument specifies the path to the input file that contains the picture source code.
• |: This symbol is a pipe, which connects the output of the pic command to the input of the groff command.
• groff: The groff command processes the input from the pic command and typesets it.
• -me: This option specifies the [me] macro package to be used for typesetting.
• -T pdf: This option specifies the desired output format as PDF.
• path/to/output.pdf: This argument specifies the path to the output file where the final PDF will be saved.

Example output: The processed input with pictures is typeset using the [me] macro package and saved in the path/to/output.pdf file.

Conclusion:

The pic command is a useful tool for processing input with pictures and generating output that can be further processed or typeset using the groff document formatting system. It provides flexibility in terms of output formats and allows for integration with other commands, such as groff, to achieve specific typesetting requirements. With the examples provided, users can now make use of the pic command to process their input with pictures and generate desired output formats.