Graphics Attributes

Every graphics presentation space has a set of graphics attributes. A normal presentation space has a larger set of graphics attributes than a micro or cached micro presentation space. (Segment-related attributes, for example, do not apply in micro presentation spaces.) These attributes all have default values, which means that they always have an effect on graphics, even if you have not explicitly specified their values. The attributes can be broken into two general groups. The first group comprises those attributes that form a part of the picture and that can vary as the picture is drawn. These are:

With the exception of the segment attributes and the viewing transformation, these attributes are reset to their default values at the start of a root segment, unless the fast-chaining attribute is set. If the fast-chaining attribute is set, their values cannot be guaranteed. You should, therefore, explicitly set any attribute values required in the segment. Similarly, the values of these attributes cannot be guaranteed following a call to:

Therefore, if any of these functions is followed by primitives outside a segment, you should explicitly set required attribute values. When GpiCloseSegment is followed by GpiOpenSegment (and also between any two segments in the chain), the fast-chaining attribute determines what happens to the current values of these attributes. The viewing transformation and the segment attributes are unaffected by fast-chaining.

These attributes take effect when graphics are sent to an output device, not when graphics are defined. For this reason, the calls to GpiQuery... that retrieve the current values of these attributes are invalid in retain mode. The majority of the group-one attribute-setting functions cause graphics orders to be added to the current segment.

The second group of attributes defines the environment in which the picture is drawn. These attributes do not normally vary as the picture is drawn, but have an overall effect on the result of any drawing or correlation operation. This group includes: