DOCUMENT:Q74044 16-JUN-1999 [win16sdk] TITLE :INFO: Logical and Physical Coordinate Relationship PRODUCT :Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit PROD/VER:WINDOWS:3.1 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kbSDKWin32 kb32bitOnly ====================================================================== 3.00 3.10 WINDOWS kbprg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY ======= Windows is designed to use a logical coordinate system when doing many of its graphics operations. Many of the Windows functions take logical units as parameters. Windows translates these units to physical device units based on the mapping mode of the device, window origin, window extents, viewport origin, and viewport extents. This article discusses the relationship between logical and physical coordinates. MORE INFORMATION ================ The default mapping mode for a device context (DC) is the MM_TEXT mode. The point (0,0) is the origin of the logical and physical coordinate systems in this mode. It also has a 1 to 1 mapping ratio of logical to physical device units. The programmer can change the mapping mode of a DC by using the SetMapMode() function. The following six mapping modes have predefined logical to physical mapping ratios: - MM_TEXT - MM_LOENGLISH - MM_HIENGLISH - MM_LOMETRIC - MM_HIMETRIC - MM_TWIPS The following two mapping modes can be set to have user defined ratios of logical to physical units: - MM_ANISOTROPIC - MM_ISOTROPIC In the last two modes, coordinates are transformed from logical to physical and vice versa based on the current window and viewport extents in the DC. The functions SetWindowExt() and SetViewportExt() allow an application to set the window and viewport extents. These functions should only be used in the MM_ANISOTROPIC and MM_ISOTROPIC mapping modes because they are the only ones in which the application can define the mapping ratio. The formulae used to convert to and from the different coordinate systems are documented in section 2.5.3, page 2-18, in the "Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit Reference Volume 1" for version 3.0. REFERENCES ========== For more information about the relationship between the logical and physical planes, refer to the following: "Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit Reference Volume 1" version 3.0, section 2.5 "Mapping Functions," pages 2-15 through 2-20. "Programming Windows," first edition, by Charles Petzold Chapter 12, pages 520-540. "Programming Windows," second edition, by Charles Petzold Chapter 11, pages 517-539. "Peter Norton's Windows 3.0 Power Programming Techniques," by Peter Norton and Paul Yao, Chapter 20, c. 1990, Bantam Books. Additional query words: 3.00 3.10 ====================================================================== Keywords : kbSDKWin32 kb32bitOnly Technology : kbAudDeveloper kbWin3xSearch kbSDKSearch kbWinSDKSearch kbWinSDK310 Version : WINDOWS:3.1 Issue type : kbinfo ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1999.