# [Xy-pic] Re: positioning in XY-Pic, redux

Ross Moore ross@ics.mq.edu.au
Wed, 22 May 2002 13:17:41 +1000 (EST)

> Pardon me, the editor blew up. :)
>
> So,
>
> how does one place a collection of circles with prescribed radii and
> prescribed centers into an XY-Pic box?
>
> Let's hardcode all the dimensions.  By analogy with, say,
>
> \begin{xy}
> <1cm,1cm>*{11}
> ,<2cm,2cm>*{22}
> ,<0cm,2cm>*{02}
> ,<2cm,0cm>*{20}
> \end{xy}
>
> I was hoping this would work:
>
> \begin{xy}
> {\ellipse<1cm>{}}
> ,<0cm,1cm>{\ellipse<2cm>{}}
> ,<1cm,0cm>{\ellipse<3cm>{}}
> \end{xy}
>
> But it doesn't, since XY-Pic doesn't even pick up the "coordinates"
> <1cm,0cm>, and just pastes the third circle with its center somewhere at
> the "current c", which is a part of the second circle.
>
> Does this have to do with the fact that \ellipse is a "decor", or with
> some fundamental misunderstanding on my part as to how XY-Pic thinks of
> the "c" and "p" positions, and the syntax of moving them?

Yes, it is related to this.
The correct syntax is:

,<0cm,1cm>,{\ellipse<2cm>{}}
^-------------------  need this
,<1cm,0cm>,{\ellipse<3cm>{}}
^-------------------  and this

See:

http://www-texdev.ics.mq.edu.au/BEKE/xytest/

>
> Please let me know, as basically this is what's keeping me from being able
> to complete a paper! :)
>
> Thanks greatly,

Hope this helps,

Ross

> Tibor Beke  (Dept. Math, U. Michigan, USA)
>