Ferret Version 5.8 Release Notes

January 3, 2005

New Features and Enhancements in Version 5.8


New Documentation


Minor Syntax Changes in Version 5.8


Bug Fixes in Version 5.8




New Features and Enhancements in Version 5.8

Minor Syntax Changes in Version 5.8

  • Change in the message returned on an error in a GO script argument. We have changed the message "*** NOTE" to "** ERROR". In GO scripts, arguments are checked with the QUERY/IGNORE command. If the argument test fails, Ferret previously returned text preceded by "** NOTE". Ferret then returns to the command line. It is more consistent with other Ferret error handling to return the "** ERROR" text, since the behavior of QUERY is to stop running the GO script and return control to the command line.

  • PLOT/THICK without a color specifier now cycles through colors for lines. Previously if PLOT/THICK was used without /COLOR, all lines were drawn in black.
    yes? PLOT/THICK/I=1:100 cos(i/20), sin(i/30)       ! black and red thick lines
    yes? PLOT/OVER/THICK=3/I=1:100 cos(i/30)*sin(i/20) ! Green is the next color
    yes? PLOT/OVER/THICK=1/I=1:100 cos(i/10)           ! Blue is next; /THICK=1 is a thin line


  • PPL POLYGON is allowed as well as PPL FILLPOL after a POLYGON/SET command. For user friendliness, the PPL command can be either PPL FILLPOL (previous syntax) or PPL POLYGON.
    yes? POLY/COLOR=red/PALETTE=blue/SET {1,2,1}, {2,1,0.5} 
    yes? PPL SHAKEY,1,0
    YES? PPL POLYGON



  • Bug fixes in Version 5.8