Metapost Cheat Sheet

class: middle

# MetaPost
            # Cheat sheet for the Plancton Editor

---

# Description of a letter

<code>beginchar(<r>65</r>,<g>7</g>);</code>

* <r>65</r>: ASCII value
            * <g>7</g>: letter width / number of units

<code>endchar(<o>5</o>);</code>

* <o>5</o>: total number of points placed

---

# Linking points

<code><r>draw</r> z1 <r>--</r> z2 <r>--</r> z3 withcolor col; </code>

* link points with <r>straight line</r>

<code><g>draw</g> z1 <g>..</g> z2 <g>..</g> z3 withcolor col; </code>

* link points with a <g>curve segment</g>

---
            
            
            # Linking points

<code><r>draw</r> z1 <r>{left}</r> .. <g>{right}</g>z2 .. z3 withcolor col; </code>

* exit point z1 to the <r>left</r> and enter point z2 trhough the <g>right</g>

<code><r>draw</r> z1 <o>{dir 50}</o> .. z2 .. z3 withcolor col; </code>

* exit point z1 at angle <r>50 deg</r>

---

# Placing points

<code><r>top</r> y2 := capHeight * uy;</code>
            
            <code><g>bot</g> y1 := 0*uy;</code>

* point placement considers line thickness for <r>cap height</r> and <g>baseline</g>

* point placment takes segment <g>[z1,z2] </g> into consideration

---

# Fill

<code><r>fill</r> z1 -- z2 -- z3 -- z1 -- <r>cycle</r> withcolor red;</code>

* fill area defined by z1, z2, z3 in red

---

# Pens

<code>pickup <r>pensquare</r> scaled .5 ux; </code>
            
            <code>pickup <g>pencircle</g> scaled .5 ux; </code>

* use a <r>square</r> or <g>circle</g> to draw all of your letter by putting the above before any point descriptions
            
            ---

# Pens
            
            
            * to use a separate pen description per segment use the following (example):

`pickup pencircle scaled ux;`
            
            `draw z1--z2 withcolor green;`
            
            `pickup pencircle scaled ux;`
            
            `draw z2--z4 withcolor blue;`
            
            ---
            
            # Line endings
            
            `pickup pencircle scaled ux;`
            
            <code><r>linecap:=rounded;</r></code>
            
            `draw z1--z2 withcolor green;`
            
            * draw a round (<r>circle</r>) line ending
            
            `pickup pencircle scaled ux;`
            
            <code><r>linecap:=squared;</r></code>
            
            `draw z1--z2 withcolor green;`
            
            * draw a rectangular (<r>squared</r>) line ending
            
            ---
            
            # Further Links and Resources
            
            * [The MetaPost User’s Manual](https://www.tug.org/docs/metapost/mpman.pdf)
            
            * [A MetaPost tutorial by Hartmut Henkel](https://meeting.contextgarden.net/2008/talks/2008-08-22-hartmut-metapost/mptut-context2008.pdf)
            
            * [ASCII values of characters](https://www.techonthenet.com/ascii/chart.php)