Thread: Outputting a table for print...

Okay, I want to output something in a grid or table suitable for print, and if possible I want to do so without relying on external libraries.

My immediate solution is to write HTML to an appropriately named text file because I know the codes for that, but it seems to me there must be a better format for this. Any ideas?

You could write them out as postscript files if you want, but that might seem like hard work compared to HTML.

I take it you're not writing a win32 GUI program then.

Heh. No, it's actually a Curses application. I wanted something a little more cross-platform.

If I were writing it in Win32 what format would you recommend?

I've got to find out how out write out PS files.

I could do output with tabs myself but I want something a bit prettier. Here, lemme spec it out:

• A grid drawn with numbers on it.
• As close to straight C++ as possible. (I'm going to be distributing the code and don't want others to have to install 3rd party libraries any more than necessary)
• Page breaks would be nice, but not necessary.

I've got a puzzle generator. It generates puzzles a bit like soduku, but easier (and without the thick lines). Curses is fine while it's running but it doesn't work so good to output as a text file. So I'd like to do something a bit prettier, especially since I assume mass puzzle generation is something that this program will be used primarily for (if it's used at all).

PS would work great if i could figure out how to do a grid in PS with properly positioned numbers.

Originally Posted by master5001

Ya know... there have been a couple of instances where it would have come in handy just in the past few weeks alone. For sudoku I just don't see any real reason to switch to a GUI interface. I mean you can. But what are you honestly gaining? Its like making a tic-tac-toe game and needing to see it as a pretty GUI. At the end of the day there is only so much you can do to make it look good and it will only be a slight step up above your curses code you have now.

Hu? Gui interface? No. It's a text interface, Curses in fact. The only part that needs to be pretty is the file output with the puzzles (and solutions) on it. And at that it only need to be prettier than a text file.
+---+---+---+
| 1 | _ | _ |
+---+---+---+
| _ | 7 | _ |
+---+---+---+
| _ | _ | 5 |
+---+---+---+ <- Not what I want.

My problem with LaTeX is it doesn't import well into anything. I'm definitely leaning towards PS, tho navigating the incredible volume of commands and learning the ones I want is daunting. That's okay, this has been a learning process all over for me.

Originally Posted by tabstop

Well, I guess the question is "what do you want to import it into?" I don't know what percentage of Win32 systems out there can view .ps files either -- I guess photoshop.

Yeah, I'm getting that. PS may work but it may not be the best thing.

Here's what I want. When I was teaching math I used puzzles on the first day to teach the learning process and I wish I would have had Numbrixs available because they really are very easy. So now I want to make the tool I wish I had then.

Is there a way to output to a PDF without loading external libraries?

PS is easy, once you get used to the reverse polish notation.
Plus they're just text files, so no need for messy libraries.

I fell like I'm copping out, but I think for now I'm just going to do a text file. This project has forced me to learn enough. If someone else wanted to write a PS or RTF function I'll gladly add it in.

The Numbrix Generator will probably show up on my site in a few weeks.