help for png2rtf

Including PNG graphs in RTF output

Syntax

png2rtf using newfile.doc
[, replace append
graph(PNG path and filename)
height(height of graph in pixels, default 753)
width(width of graph in pixels, default 548)
author(Author name for RTF file properties)
title(Title for RTF file properties)
company(Company for RTF file properties)
]

Description

Suppose you want to export graphs to a document that can be viewed easily by folks who don't use Stata.
Using TeX and making a PDF is arguably the
easiest way to go; see e.g. texdoc on SSC for a primer.
Ulrich Kohler has advocated using ghostscript
and Maarten Buis has advocated
using file to write out html; see also log2html on SSC for related ideas.
There is also advice from Michael Blasnik on using a mail merge
in Microsoft Word or similar software; see
http://www.stata.com/statalist/archive/2004-06/msg00301.html and
http://www.stata.com/meeting/4nasug/abstracts.html#blasnik.

png2rtf offers yet another alternative: you can export graphs as PNG files
then convert the binary file into a hexdump for
inclusion in an RTF file; png2rtf automates this second step.
The resulting file can be opened in Microsoft Word and
many other word processors immediately. Note that the hexdump roughly doubles
the size of the graph file, so do what you can to make sure your PNG is as small
as possible (e.g. don't plot symbols on top of each other).

You can add other material
to the RTF including text and formatting tags much as you would in
html or TeX, but that functionality is not provided in png2rtf
(see also e.g. estout on SSC for a program that writes
out estimates and other tables to RTF files).

Examples

sysuse auto, clear

sc mpg weight

gr export mpg.png, height(300) width(300) replace

png2rtf using mpg.doc, g(mpg.png) replace

eststo clear

_eststo mpg: reg mpg weight

_eststo pri: reg price weight

"esttab mpg pri using mpg.doc, rtf la nogap onecell mti a ti(\par Here is some text{\page}{\b A title})": esttab mpg pri using mpg.doc, rtf la nogap onecell mti a ti(\par Here is some text{\page}{\b A title})

sc price weight

gr export price.png, height(300) width(300) replace

png2rtf using mpg.doc, g(price.png) a

Author

Austin Nichols
Urban Institute
Washington, DC, USA
austinnichols@gmail.com

Also see

Manual: [G] png_options, [G] graph export

On-line: help for graph export.