PyXPlot Users' Guide
PyXPlot Users’ Guide
A Command-line Data Processing,
Graph Plotting and
Vector Graphics Suite.
Version 0.9.2
Dominic Ford, Ross Church
Email:
coders@pyxplot.org.uk
September 2012
1 Introduction to PyXPlot
1 Introduction
1.1 What is Pyxplot?
1.2 Compatibility with gnuplot
1.3 The structure of this manual
1.4 An introductory tour
1.5 License
1.6 Spelling conventions
1.7 Acknowledgments
2 Installation
2.1 Installation within Linux distributions
2.2 System requirements
2.3 Installation from source archive
3 First steps with Pyxplot
3.1 Getting started
3.2 First plots
3.3 Comments
3.4 Splitting long commands
3.5 Printing text
3.6 Axis labels and titles
3.7 Querying the values of settings
3.8 Plotting data files
3.9 Plotting many data files at once
3.10 The
replot
command
3.11 Directing where output goes
3.12 Setting the size of output
3.13 Plotting styles
3.14 Setting axis ranges
3.15 Interactive help
4 Performing calculations
4.1 Variables
4.2 Physical constants
4.3 Functions
4.4 Handling numerical errors
4.5 Working with complex numbers
4.6 Working with physical units
4.7 Configuring how numbers are displayed
4.8 Numerical integration and differentiation
4.9 Solving systems of equations
4.10 Searching for minima and maxima of functions
4.11 Working with time-series data
5 Working with data
5.1 Input filters
5.2 Reading data from a pipe
5.3 Including data within command scripts
5.4 Special comment lines in data files
5.5 Tabulating functions and slicing data files
5.6 Function fitting
5.7 Datafile interpolation
5.8 Fourier transforms
5.9 Histograms
5.10 Random data generation
6 Programming: Pyxplot’s data types
6.1 Instantiating objects
6.2 Strings
6.3 Lists
6.4 Dictionaries
6.5 Vectors and matrices
6.6 Colors
6.7 Dates
6.8 Modules and classes
6.9 File handles
2 Plotting and Vector Graphics
1 Plotting: a complete guide
1.1 The
with
modifier
1.2 Pyxplot’s plot styles
1.3 Labelling datapoints
1.4 The
style
keyword
1.5 Plotting functions in exotic styles
1.6 Plotting parametric functions
1.7 Graph legends
1.8 Configuring axes
1.9 Gridlines
1.10 Clipping behaviour
1.11 Labelling graphs
1.12 Color maps
1.13 Contour maps
1.14 Three-dimensional plotting
2 Producing image files
2.1 The
set terminal
command
2.2 The default terminal
2.3 PostScript output
2.4 Backing up over-written files
2.5 Changing font
3 Producing vector graphics
3.1 Adding other vector graphics objects
3.2 Multiplot mode
3.3 The
text
command
3.4 The
arrow
and
line
commands
3.5 Editing items on the canvas
3.6 Linked axes and galleries of plots
3.7 The
polygon
command
3.8 The
image
command
3.9 The
eps
command
3.10 The
box
and
circle
commands
3.11 The
arc
command
3.12 The
point
command
3.13 The
ellipse
command
3.14 The
piechart
command
3.15 LaTeX and Pyxplot
3 Reference Manual
1 Command reference
1.1 ?
1.2 !
1.3 arc
1.4 arrow
1.5 assert
1.6 box
1.7 break
1.8 call
1.9 cd
1.10 circle
1.11 clear
1.12 continue
1.13 delete
1.14 do
1.15 ellipse
1.16 else
1.17 eps
1.18 exec
1.19 exit
1.20 fft
1.21 fit
1.22 for
1.23 foreach
1.24 foreach datum
1.25 global
1.26 help
1.27 histogram
1.28 history
1.29 if
1.30 ifft
1.31 image
1.32 interpolate
1.33 jpeg
1.34 let
1.35 list
1.36 load
1.37 local
1.38 maximize
1.39 minimize
1.40 move
1.41 piechart
1.42 plot
1.43 point
1.44 print
1.45 pwd
1.46 quit
1.47 rectangle
1.48 refresh
1.49 replot
1.50 reset
1.51 save
1.52 set
1.53 show
1.54 solve
1.55 spline
1.56 swap
1.57 tabulate
1.58 text
1.59 undelete
1.60 unset
1.61 while
2 List of in-built functions
2.1 The
ast
module
2.2 The
colors
module
2.3 The
exceptions
module
2.4 The
fractals
module
2.5 The
os
module
2.6 The
os.path
module
2.7 The
phy
module
2.8 The
random
module
2.9 The
stats
module
2.10 The
time
module
2.11 The
types
module
3 List of physical constants
4 List of physical units
5 List of paper sizes
6 Line and point types
7 Configuring Pyxplot
7.1 Configuration files
7.2 An example configuration file
7.3 Setting definitions
7.4 Recognised color names
4 Appendices
A Other applications of Pyxplot
A.1 Conversion of jpeg images to PostScript
A.2 Inserting equations in Powerpoint presentations
A.3 Delivering talks in Pyxplot
B Summary of differences between Pyxplot and gnuplot
B.1 The typesetting of text
B.2 Complex numbers
B.3 The multiplot environment
B.4 Plots with multiple axes
B.5 Plotting parametric functions
C The
fit
command: mathematical details
C.1 Notation
C.2 The probability density function
C.3 Estimating the error in
C.4 The covariance matrix
C.5 The correlation matrix
C.6 Finding
D ChangeLog
2012 Sep 19: Pyxplot 0.9.2
2012 Aug 29: Pyxplot 0.9.1
2012 Aug 1: Pyxplot 0.9.0
2011 Jan 7: Pyxplot 0.8.4
2010 Sep 15: Pyxplot 0.8.3
2010 Aug 4: Pyxplot 0.8.2
2010 Jun 1: Pyxplot 0.8.1
2010 May 19: Pyxplot 0.8.0
2009 Nov 17: Pyxplot 0.7.1
2008 Oct 14: Pyxplot 0.7.0
2007 Feb 26: Pyxplot 0.6.3
2006 Sep 09: Pyxplot 0.5.8
E Index
PyXPlot Users' Guide