For example:
default_font *times-bold-r-normal-12* Sets the font in the left information window to ``times bold 12 pt''. Setting this too large will render the information unreadable. If problems occur, the file may be deleted to restore the defaults.
Some of the more useful settings are:
want_colormaps 0 If set to 1, imal will set a colormap instead of allocating colors. The first save_colors colors in the colormap are never altered when the colormap is changed. If the value for ``save_colors'' is too low, colormap flashing will occur when the mouse moves from one window to another. If it is set to 1 or 0, the menus may also become unreadable.
foreground_color
foreground_red
foreground_green
foreground_blue
These values specify the color index and RGB colormap values of the foreground color in the main drawing area.
information_width 120 width of the information area at the left. If set to 0, the information area is not displayed. This setting cannot be changed from within the program.
default_font fixed Sets the font in left information window to system default font (may be faster than the default Helvetica font).
window_handle_size Sets the size of active area around the edge of each image. Clicking on this area causes the image to be grabbed and moved.
spacing Sets the spacing between dots in the line used to indicate an area selection. Setting this to a higher value may improve performance on slower computers, but also makes the selection harder to see.
help_directory the directory in which the files imal.hlp and formats are located (default = /usr/local/lib/imal and $HOME/.imal respectively).
format_list Path name of the formats file (See Sec.6.6). The formats file should be copied into the $HOME/.imal directory for each new user.
A few X or X-like servers out there exhibit quirky behavior, particularly on laptops. This can result in colors being inverted or fine vertical stripes in the image. To accommodate such programs, 3 options are available to force imal to use specific settings.
want_byte_order - If not equal to -1, this sets the byte order for images to the specified value. For instance, ``want_byte_order 0'' would force imal to put the bytes least significant byte first, while ``want_byte_order 1'' forces imal to use most significant byte first order.
nosparse - If not equal to 0, forces imal to use packed pixel mode for 32 bit/pixel modes. Some X servers fail to return the correct value when applications check the packing mode. This option will cause problems if used on a display that is not 32 bits/pixel.
sparse - If not equal to 0, forces imal to use sparse pixel packing mode for 32 bits/pixel. Some X servers fail to return the correct value when applications check the packing mode. This option will cause problems if used on a display that is not 32 bits/pixel.
In some countries, a comma is used as a decimal point separator. imal checks the system locale and automatically substitutes the appropriate character (see `man setlocale' for details). If you don't want this behavior, or if your locale is not set up correctly, you can set the decimal point separator to any character by changing the decimal_point entry in the file $HOME/.imal/imal.ini. Some choices are obviously better than others. Even if ',' is used, this will cause ambiguity parsing commands such as:
i = max(12,345);
print("The 3 answers are:",i,12,234);
You will need to remember to separate arguments with spaces to prevent getting error messages.