499. Briefly: Drawing NMR sequences using metapost and Mark White's pulse.mp

Since it's Friday afternoon and I'm not likely to get anything useful done in the hour that remains before going home, I might as well put up another post.

Since posting http://verahill.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/498-briefly-drawing-nmr-pulse-sequences.html I've had a look at this: http://www.celos.net/comp/pulses/

And that actually is (almost -- let's not get carried away here) exactly what I have been looking for. The main issue was that it's meant for metapost -- or rather, the main issue was my unfamiliarity with metapost. Anyway, my life is know complete.

So here's how to get started...

First 'install' the metapost script:

sudo apt-get install texlive-metapost
mkdir ~/texmf/metapost
cd ~/texmf/metapost -p
wget http://www.celos.net/comp/pulses/pulses.mp
sudo texhash

Next, time to test-drive it

mkdir ~/tmp/pulse_test -p
cd ~/tmp/pulse_test
vim test.mp

input pulses.mp

beginfig(0);
    initf;

    startline(rf,"RF");
    xline(1);
    xpulse(0.5,0.5,"90");
        ospan(-0.25,-1.0,1.5,"d1");
    xline(0.75);
    xpulse(1.0,0.5,"180");
        ospan(-0.5,-1.0,1.5,"d1");
    xline(1.0);
        ospan(0,-1.0,1.5,"vd");
    xline(1.5);
    xacq(2);
endfig;

mpost test.mp
mptopdf test.0
pdftops -eps test-0.pdf test-0.eps

Now, I somehow suspect you can embed metapost scripts directly in .tex documents, but from my brief testing I haven't quite managed to make it work.