LaTeX and xfig

LaTeX within xfig

Introduction

It is possible to set up xfig so that you can use LaTeX in any text you enter. There is a slight "cost" due to the fact that there is an additional step that is required to process the files made by xfig; you can't simply export figures made this way directly to an eps figure from within xfig. But if you need to include math in your label the extra step is worth it. There is also some initial setup required (see below). Additional information, including alternative methods, can be found on the LaTeX and Xfig page of the Xfig User Manual.

How to use LaTeX within xfig - Shell Script Option

(See below for Perl Option.)

Call xfig with the options below:
% xfig -specialtext -latexfonts -startlatexFont default
I use bash, so I have included these options in my .bashrc, where I also set the size of the xfig window and start up xfig with a metric grid. My .bashrc has the entry:
alias xfig='xfig -geometry 950x700+50+20 -metric -startgridmode 3 -specialtext -latexfonts -startlatexFont default'
When entering text in xfig, simply use $ signs when you need to enter math mode. Sizing of text can be done from the xfig Edit tab; you do not need to resize with LaTeX commands.
When the figure is complete Export it to "Combined PS/LaTeX (both parts)." This creates two files: filename.pstex and filename.pstex_t
At this point I use a script named xfigTOeps:
% xfigTOeps filename
This uses filename.pstex and filename.pstex_t to produce the figure filename.eps. (The script includes these files in an otherwise blank LaTeX page, compiles this page, and then extracts the eps figure; see below for details.)
System Setup for Shell Script
- Download the script xfigTOeps, put it in a directory that is in your path, and make it executable.
- Download the file xfig_to_eps.tex. (The script xfigTOeps is written assuming that xfig_to_eps.tex is in ~/local; modify as necessary.
- Make a directory for temporary files. (The script xfigTOeps is written assuming that this is ~/tmp; modify as necessary.)

How to use LaTeX within xfig - Perl Script Option

The procedure is identical up until the last step, at which point you can use Perl scripts written by Ben Vollmayr-Lee. This method is cleaner because it does not require any system setup, but the actions of the Perl scripts are not as transparent (to those of us not fluent in the language).

Call xfig with the options below:
% xfig -specialtext -latexfonts -startlatexFont default
I use bash, so I have included these options in my .bashrc, where I also set the size of the xfig window and start up xfig with a metric grid. My .bashrc has the entry:
alias xfig='xfig -geometry 950x700+50+20 -metric -startgridmode 3 -specialtext -latexfonts -startlatexFont default'
When entering text in xfig, simply use $ signs to indicate math mode.
When the figure is complete Export it to "Combined PS/LaTeX (both parts)." This creates two files: filename.pstex and filename.pstex_t.
(Export the figure this way for both EPS and PDF as final output; the xfig2pdf script below converts EPS files to PDF in the final step.)
At this point use an executable Perl script named xfig2eps for EPS output, or xfig2pdf for PDF:
% xfig2eps filename
or
% xfig2pdf filename

This page maintained by
Marty Ligare, mligare@bucknell.edu