Bash shell script: Txt to Postscript form??!!

MiamiLoco · 11-04-2009, 02:51 PM

Hi, I was wondering if someone could help me out or point me in the right direction. What's the best way to write a Bash Shell script to generate a txt file into Postscript form?

pcunix · 11-04-2009, 03:06 PM

apropos Postscript

text2ps - convert text files to PostScript

MiamiLoco · 11-04-2009, 03:07 PM

Thanks for the quick reply, but what would be the actual bash script loop that would do this?

pcunix · 11-04-2009, 03:11 PM

Huh?

There's no loop.

text2ps file > newpsfile

By some funny chance, could this possibly be a homework assignment???

pcunix · 11-04-2009, 03:13 PM

If you need to understand looping, try this: http://aplawrence.com/Basics/bash_looping.html

tuxdev · 11-04-2009, 03:14 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PostScript

Let's look at hello world:

Code:

%!PS
/Courier findfont
20 scalefont
setfont
72 500 moveto
(Hello world!) show
showpage

20pt is a bit large, 12pt would do. A basic way to do this is:
1. Start the vertical cursor at say, 750
2. For each line in the text field (while read -r LINE ; do)
a. Tell it to move the actual cursor to (50, <bash cursor>)
b. Tell it to show the line
c. Decrement the vertical cursor by say, 16

theNbomr · 11-04-2009, 03:15 PM

You might have a2ps (ASCII to Postscript). Works just like test2ps.
--- rod.

pcunix · 11-04-2009, 03:24 PM

Well, yeah, if you want to write your own Postscript, then TuxDev's post is where you want to start. If you need to get into it in depth, there aee PDF references at http://www.adobe.com/devnet/postscript/