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On order of options to Graphics[]

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg70252] On order of options to Graphics[]
• From: "Nasser Abbasi" <nma at 12000.org>
• Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 06:11:58 -0400 (EDT)
• Reply-to: "Nasser Abbasi" <nma at 12000.org>

5.2 on XP:

It seems strange to me that the order of arguments in this example should 
have made a difference, but it does:

When I write Thickness[] After Line[] it has no effect. But before, it does:

Show[  Graphics[    {  Line[{{1, 0}, {1, 6}}],   Thickness[0.1] }   ]  ] 
(*does not work eq(1)*)

Show[  Graphics[    {  Thickness[0.1],  Line[{{1, 0}, {1, 6}}]  }   ]  ] 
(*now it works  eq(2)*)

From help it says:

          Graphics[ primitives, options]

Then It gives Line[] as an example of a graphic primitive, and Thickness[] 
as an example of graphics Directive. But help did NOT say which order the 
primitive and directive should have with respect to each others. It just 
says "the following directives can be used" and leaves it up to the user to 
figure that the order of primitive and directive is important.

So based on this little experiment, One must write

         Graphics[  {  Directive, Primitive } ]  ----> maps to eq (2) which 
works

and not

        Graphics[  { Primitive, Directive } ] ----> maps to eq(1)

It seems more logical to me to write {Primitive,Directive}. But this does 
not work. One must have the Directive before the Primitive.

I wish the help can be more detailed. I find Mathematica help hard to follow 
many times. Mathematica help needs to be more detailed.

Nasser

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: On order of options to Graphics[]
    • From: Murray Eisenberg <murray@math.umass.edu>
  • Re: On order of options to Graphics[]
    • From: "Chris Chiasson" <chris@chiasson.name>