GhostScript Menu Help

Name:	GhostScript Menu
Version:	0.3
Last update:	2019-11-27 14:12:56

Introduction

The GhostScript Menu is a rudimentary feature which allows you to easily create and execute command lines for the Ghostscript interpreter (aka the gs command).
It provides an editing window and a palette of options in order to build the command line.
For more information about the gs command, see the gs manual page.

Activation

To activate the GhostScript Menu, go to Alpha ↣ Global Setup ↣ Menus and select the GhostScript Menu checkbox.
Once it is activated, you have a new menu in the menu bar with a few commands described in the section below.

Menu items

Here is the description of all the menu items of the GhostScript Menu.

Main GhostScript Menu

Build Gs Command: Display an editing window to assemble the command line.
Send To Ghostscript: Execute the command assembled in the editing window. This is the current selection or the text of the entire window if there is no selection. If the ghostscript command has a return value, it is displayed in a separate result window.
Show Palette: Display a floating palette containing all the options supported by the gs command for easy insertion.
Ghostscript Options: This submenu contains the options supported by the gs command. Selecting an item from this menu inserts the option at the cursor's position.

The floating palette and the Ghostscript Options submenu contain exactly the same options. The palette is just a replica of the submenu.

Completions

Instead of using the Ghostscript Options submenu or the floating palette to insert options, you can also type the first letters and hit the completion key (which is by default ⌘-Tab).
If there are several possibilities, a listpick dialog lets you choose the one you want. For instance, type '-sF' (without the quotes), then hit the completion key. The mode displays a listpick dialog with the following suggestions: -sFONTMAP, -sFONTPATH.

Key Bindings

The following keyboard shortcuts are available with the Ghostscript menu:

Command	Shortcut
Build Gs Command	`⌃⌥G`
Send To Ghostscript	`⌘T`

Preferences

The GhostScript Preferences can be accessed via the Alpha ↣ Preferences ↣ Package Preferences menu item. Click here to display the Gs Menu Preferences panel.

the Default Paper Size preference declares a default value for the -sPAPERSIZE ghostscript option.

The Ghostscript editing window is in Ghostscript mode which is a simple internal mode providing coloring and completions. It has a few options (mostly for coloring) which can be accessed via the Alpha ↣ Ghostscript Mode Setup ↣ Mode Preferences… menu item. See the GS Preferences panel.

Known problems

Please report any problem or bug you encounter in Alpha's Bug Tracker.

License and Disclaimer

Copyright (c) 2007-2019, Bernard Desgraupes.
All rights reserved.
The GhostScript Menu package is free software and distributed under the terms of the new BSD license:
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
Neither the name of Bernard Desgraupes nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL BERNARD DESGRAUPES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.