# [Xy-pic] Rectangular frames (Was: Modifying one dimension of a box)

Alexander Perlis alexanderperlis@yahoo.com
Mon, 21 Oct 2002 20:22:05 -0700 (PDT)

--- Ross Moore <ross@ics.mq.edu.au> wrote:
> [...] the most determining factor is the fact that the Xy-pic
> fonts can only produce circles at specific radii. There is
> necessarily a rounding to one of these specific sizes.

That must be the correct explanation. I tried a few different sizes,
and sometimes the circle agreed better with the square, other times
worse. I retract my claim about inside versus outside framing.

Concerning bad corners in the framing of rectangles: my complaints
concern the non-PostScript situation. As far as I can tell, \UseRules
and \NoUseRules does *not* affect the framing of rectangles. Either
way, the frame appears to be made partially with rules (for vertical
lines) and partially with fonts (for horizontal lines). This is not
good: since the line font has round-capped ends, the corners of a
rectangular frame are messed up. (The situation is further aggravated
by a small miscalculation, turning the right-hand corners into gaping
holes.) I can see the problem quite easily in xdvi and on a dvips
preview and/or printout. So two different DVI drivers show the
problem.

For an example, take the code below. Magnify the output in your DVI
previewer or try printing it. All four corners are distinct. Top-left
is best, bottom-right is worst.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[all]{xy}
% Let's	exaggerate the problem:
\mag1440\relax\hsize6.5truein\vsize8.9truein
\begin{document}
$\xy *=<4ex>[][F-]{} \endxy$
\end{document}

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