Matrix Comparison Facility
Manpage for Graphical Tool


xmatcmp(1)                                                      xmatcmp(1)


NAME
        xmatcmp - graphical tool (for X using Tcl/Tk) for comparing and
                  visualizing matrices

SYNOPSIS
        xmatcmp [-sparse] [-tol ]  [operator]
                  [|]


DESCRIPTION
        Visualizes the contents of a matrix, or performs a comparison between
        two matrices (or between a matrix and a constant) and displays the
        output in graphical format. The input files, file1 and file2 , contain
        snapshot summaries of matrix contents in the format described in mcf(5).
        The last argument to the command may be either a filename or a constant.
        It is assumed to be a file, but if no such file exists, it will be
        considered a constant. The constant should be specified as either an
        integer or a floating point number (see options for examples).

        An optional operator determines how the comparison is performed. Six
        predefined operators may be specified using C-like or Fortran-like
        notation. The following list provides all the valid operators:

                EQ  "="   GT   ">"   GE   ">="   LT   "<"   LE   "<="

        If the argument is not a predefined operator, it is assumed to be a
        user-defined comparison function. See mcf(5) for description of
        comparison functions. If an operator is not provided, a default of
        equality is assumed.

        An optional tolerance determines if an element in the result matrix is
        a mismatch or not.  Only elements whose value exceeds the tolerance
        value are counted as mismatches.  If no tolerance value is specified,
        a default of 0.0 is assumed.

        The main display visualizes the result matrix in the form of a
        rectangular grid where each square represents a matrix element.Squares
        are colored according to their value (i.e., the magnitude of the
        difference calculated by comparing the corresponding elements of the
        two inputs).  Positioning the cursor over a square, reveals the indices
        and value of the element. Button controls allow the user to select a
        different predefined operator, apply a user-defined function to compare
        the matrices, or change the tolerance value; the display is updated to
        show the new results.  A color key shows the mapping of colors to
        magnitude ranges, and also summarizes the results, in terms of the
        number of mismatches and the magnitudes of the average and worst-case
        mismatches.

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

        To see the indices/value of an element, position the cursor over the
        corresponding square in the main display.

        To change the comparison operator, select the appropriate button from
        the button selection at the bottom of the main window.

        To change the tolerance value, type the new value in the entry field
        at the bottom of the main window and hit the Return key.

        To hide/redisplay the Color Key, choose the appropriate setting on
        the Options menu.

        To change the size ranges for mismatches, choose Change Color Mapping
        from the Options menu.

        To change a color, click on that colorUs square in the Change Color
        Mapping window.

        To save the matrix being displayed, select Save Results File from the
        File menu.

        To display this Quick Reference guide, select Quick Reference from the
        Help menu.

        To exit the tool, select Quit from the File menu.

OPTIONS

        -sparse                 indicates that the matrix snapshots are in
                                sparse format (see mcf(5) for file formats).
                                Dense format is assumed by default.

        -tol         apply tolerance instead of the default of 0.0.
                                The tolerance is specified as either an integer
                                or a floating point number. Examples of valid
                                values for tolerance are:  8.197620,  -4,
                                0.495,  -13.045, etc.


ENVIRONMENT
        DISPLAY specifies the default host and display number
        (for X Window System calls).Tcl and Tk are required to run the tool.

SEE ALSO
        X(1), Tcl, Tk, matcmp(1)


COPYRIGHT
        The design and implementation of the Matrix Comparison Facility
        (MCF) are available for royalty-free adoption and use for
        non-commercial purposes, by any public or private organization.
        Copyright is retained by Oregon State University.
        Redistribution of any part of MCF or any derivative works must
        include this notice.

	MCF was developed by Bhanu Balasubramaniam, Department of Computer
	Science, Oregon State University, 1995.


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