# Arithmetic overflow in psscaleboxto

The following example, using \psscaleboxto, produces an error:

"I can't carry out that multiplication or division, since the result is out of range."

Why does it happen?

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pstricks}

\begin{document}
\begin{pspicture}(20,20)
\psscaleboxto(1,1) {
\psframe(0,0)(5,5)
}
\end{pspicture}
\end{document}

-

that cannot work, because all PSTricks objects have inside TeX a width and height of 0pt. That is the reason why you can't expand "nothing" to 1x1. This will work:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pstricks}

\begin{document}
\begin{pspicture}[showgrid](10,10)
\psscaleboxto(1,1){\rule{5cm}{5cm}}
\psframe*[unit=0.2,linecolor=red](5,5)(10,10)
\end{pspicture}
\end{document}


\rule is known with width and height on TeX level.

You can use the default \resizebox or \psscalebox if you have a pspicture environment:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pstricks,graphicx}

\begin{document}

\resizebox{4cm}{2cm}{%
\begin{pspicture}[showgrid](10,10)
\psframe*[linecolor=red](5,5)(10,10)
\psdot[dotstyle=x,dotscale=5](3,3)
\end{pspicture}%
}
\psscaleboxto(2,4){%
\begin{pspicture}[showgrid](10,10)
\psframe*[linecolor=red](5,5)(10,10)
\psdot[dotstyle=x,dotscale=5](3,3)
\end{pspicture}%
}
\end{document}


-
I see that putting the psframe inside the scalebox also works, as long as the \rule is there: "\psscaleboxto(1,1){ \rule{5cm}{5cm} \psframe*[linecolor=red](5,5)(10,10) }" Is there a way to make the black "rule" disappear? –  Erel Segal Halevi Mar 1 at 19:52
What exactly do you want to achieve? With the options xunit=..,yunit=.. you can do the same with objects. –  Herbert Mar 1 at 20:06
I have not a single object but an arrangement of several objects (frames, dots, etc), and I want to reproduce the same arrangement in a smaller scale, in order to illustrate some recursive construction (similar to a fractal). –  Erel Segal Halevi Mar 1 at 20:34
see my edit ... –  Herbert Mar 1 at 20:59
I see, so I just have to put the pspicture inside the psscalebox. –  Erel Segal Halevi Mar 1 at 21:03