Introduction to GnuPlot
College of Natural Sciences Computing Laboratories
http://www.cs.uni.edu/Help/gnuplot/
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614
Gnuplot is a command-line driven program for producing 2D and 3D
plots. Although it doesn't have as many features as some of the
commerical mathematical software available, it isn't as complex to use
as packages such as Mathematica or Matlab. It is ideal for a users you
only need a plot of a graph, and who don't want to learn a major
tool.
The features and topics on Gnuplot covered in this document include :
If you have questions at any time, you can access the on-line help by typing
help within Gnuplot. Gnuplot has a very good help system.
To access Gnuplot, you probably want to be logged into one of the Suns
in Wright 339. It is possible to run GnuPlot on any Xserver, but that
is beyond the scope of this document. When you are logged into a Sun, you can do one of the following:
- At the prompt on one of the suns, type gnuplot
- Pick GnuPlot from the Wright Hall Menu that comes up when you hold
the Right mouse button down.
To quit gnuplot, type exit, or hit Control-D.
In 2D plots, the variable to use is x, in 3D plots, use x and y.
Multiplication is denoted by *, and division by /.
Exponents are denoted by**, and all multiplication must be
explicit. That is, 3x would generate and error, you would want
to use 3*x.
For example, the polynomial 3x4 + 4x - 2/3 would be
the following in Gnuplot:
Gnuplot also has a number of predefined functions. These are called by
putting the arguments in parenthesis, i.e., sin(x). These include the
following:
- The standard trig functions, sin, cos, and tan Note, to
use the constant pi can be referenced by just using pi.
- The inverse trig functions , asin, acos, and atan.
- The hyperbolic trig functions, sinh, cosh, and tanh.
- The exp and log function. exp raises e to the power of its
argument. For example, 4e2x would be
4*exp(2*x) in Gnuplot. log returns the natural log (base
e) of it's argument. This corresponds to ln in normal
math notation.
- For information on other functions, type help functions
in Gnuplot.
The following are other examples of functions. Make sure you
understand what functions are being described.
- (x**2 - 4)/(x +2)
- x**2 + y**2 - (x*y)**(2/3)
- log(exp(x)) (Hint, this simplifies to x)
- sin(x*y)
- 3*x**2 + 6/(1*y**2)
For a quick example, let's say you wanted a graph of
sin(x). You would then type the following at the gnuplot>
prompt:
This will pull up another window with the graph you wanted. If you
made a mistake or want to slightly change what you typed, hit the
UP ARROW. This will pull up what you typed. If you have typed a
couple of lines, you can keep hitting the arrow button. The you can
use the left and right arrow keys to change what you typed. As a quick
example, try changing what you typed to
The command used for two-dimensional plots is plot. The
simplest use of it is:
For example, to plot x3, type
You should see something like the following pop up in the graphics
screen.
For another example, to see what the hyperbolic cosine function looks
like, type
This should display
Note that in this picture the scale isn't the best for finding a lot
of information about the graph. It tells us that the function gets
very large as x gets larger. But if we want to see what the
function looks like closer to 0, we need to change the scale. Gnuplot
uses an autoscale mechanicism. It sets the scale so that the graph
will fit on the screen. To change the scale, use one of the following
forms of plot:
- plot [x1:x2] [y1:y2] <function>
- plot [x1:x2] <function> (To just set the x range)
- plot [] [y1:y2] <function> (To just set the y range).
Note, that if you set the range for the x values on one plot, they
will stay that way for future plots. To set the default x range back
to [-10,10], type the following:
Also, if you set the range for the y values, they will stay the same
for future plots as well. You can set GnuPlot back to autoscaling the
y axis by typing the following:
For more information on the set xrange and set autoscale
commands, use the help command.
To see what cosh looks like from x=[-5, 5], type
Or, to see what cosh looks like from y=[0, 10], type
The command used for three-dimensional plots is splot. The
simplest use of it is:
For example, to plot the function z = -x3 -y, you
would type the following:
You should see something like the following:
You can change the scale in a similar manner to plot:
- splot [x1:x2] [y1:y2] [z1:z2] <function>
- splot [x1:x2] <function> (To just set the x range)
- splot [] [y1:y2] <function> (To just set the y range).
- splot [] [] [z1:z2] <function> (To just set the y range).
Or, you can use the following commands to change the default ranges
for subsequent graphs:
- set xrange [x1:x2]
- set yrange [y1:y2]
- set zrange [z1:z2]
To change back to the default x and y ranges, type the following:
- set xrange [-10:10]
- set yrange [-10:10]
It is important to note that if you set the range for the zaxis in one
plot, it will remain at that range for subsequent plots. If you want
to turn GnuPlot's autoscaling back on, type:
For more information on autoscaling, type help autoscale.
Also, if you get an error about an invalid range, you need to change
the ranges you are using.
Hidden 3D view
Sometimes, 3D graphs can be hard to interpret. For instance, the graph
of - z = 2(x2 + y2)exp(-x2 -
y2)
could be seen by typing the following:
- splot [-2:2] [-2:2] 2*(x**2 + y**2)*exp(-x**2 - y**2)
Note that in this graph, the set grid command was
used.
To make viewing this easier, you can use the set hidden3d
command. For instance, if you typed the following, you would get:
When you look at the previous graph, it seems that the resolution of
the graph is not very high. To decrease the amount of choppiness in
the graph, you need to increase the precision used. This can be done
for 2D plots by the set samples command, and for 3D plots by
set isosamples command. You will almost always have to use
this for 3D plots, because the default sampling rate is very low. The
syntax of the command is:
- set isosamples x_rate, y_rate
The default is for both rates to be set to 10.
For example, typing the following yields:
- set isosamples 30, 30
- splot [-2:2] [-2:2] 2*(x**2 + y**2)*exp(-x**2 - y**2)
- set isosamples 100, 100
- replot
It is important to note that the higher you set the isosamples, the
longer it will take to create the graph. In most cases, you won't want
to set the sample size larger thant 100.
The following commands relate to contour lines in 3D plots:
- set contour base - Draw the contour lines along the
base of the diagram
- set contour surface - Draws the lines along the 3D surface
- set contour both - Draws lines on both surface and base
- set nocontour - Turns off contour lines
Note that the set contour surface option is not available with
the set hidden3d option.
Typing the following commands yields the following two graphs:
- set hidden3d
- set contour base
- splot [-2:2] [-2:2] 2*(x**2 + y**2)*exp(-x**2 - y**2)
- set nohidden3d
- set contour surface
- replot
If only the contours lines are desired, the set nosurface
command will turn off drawing the surface. For more information on
this, type help set surface. The drawing of contour lines is
highly custimizable, for information type help set cntrparam.
For example, if you only want the contour lines for z=.2, .4, .6, you
could enter the following:
- set cntrparam levels discrete .2, .4, .6
Many times, you will want to change the view of a graph. To do this,
you need to use the set view command. This command is fairly
unwieldy. The syntax for the command is one of the following:
- set view horizontal_angle,vertical_angle
- set view horizontal_angle,vertical_angle,zoom
- set view ,,zoom
The first argument is the angle between the viewpoint and the
horizontal axis of the screen. The second is the angle between the
axis perpendicular to the screen. The third number if the zoom factor.
The default values are 60, 30, 1. To change back to the default view,
type:
For instance, to see how changing the horizontal angle changes the
graph,consider the following:
- set hidden3d
- set isosamples 30
- splot [-2.5:2.5] [-2.5:2.5] (x**2 + 3*y**2)*exp(1-(x**2 + y**2))
To see what happens when you change the vertical angle, consider
the following:
- set view 60,30
- splot [-2.5:2.5] [-2.5:2.5] (x**2 + 3*y**2)*exp(1-(x**2 + y**2))
To see an example of zooming, consider
- set view 60,30
- set view ,,2
- replot
Parametric Equations
GnuPlot includes support for Parametric Equations. To switch to
parametric mode, type the following:
To go back to standard Cartesian mode, type:
For example, to see the plot of the set of equations x = 5 cos t
and y = 2 sin t, you could type the following:
- set parametric
- set xrange [-6:6]
- set yrange [-6:6]
- set trange[0:10]
- set isosamples 60
- plot 5*cos(t), 2*sin(t)
The xrange and yrange values specify the range of the graph
displayed. The set trange command sets the range that is used
to compute the parametric equations. If you use brackets to set a
range within the plot command, it will refer to the trange.
The first part of the plot command before the comma is the x
equation, and the second part is the y equation.
For another example, consider trying to plot the cycloid x = t -
sin t and y = 1 - cos t.
- set xrange [0:40]
- set yrange[-1:3]
- set trange [0:40]
- plot t-sin(t), 1-cos(t)
3D Parametric Plots
Gnuplot also supports 3D parametric plots. It uses the the variables
u and v. 3D paramettric plots use the xrange, yrange,
and zrange values to determine what is displayed on the screen. The
urange and vrange variables can be changed to determine
how much of the graph is drawn. For example,:
- set xrange [0:30]
- set yrange [0:30]
- set zrange [0:80]
- set grid
- splot 2*u, u**2 + v, v**2
If you changed the urange and vrange parameters, you
would get a differant graph.
- set vrange [-10:10] - this makes the graph taller
- set urange [-7:7] - this makes the graph extend further
- set isosamples 80
- replot
Many of the standard 3D features apply to 3D parameter plots (you
can use isosamples, views, and hidden3d).
Polar Plots
To switch to graphing with polar coordinates, type:
To switch back to Cartesian coordinates, type:
In polar mode, the independent variable x corresponds to the
angle, or theta noramally used for polar plots. Polar plots are
always plotted in a rectangular box, to change the size of the graph,
use the set yrange command. This will change both the
horizontal and vertical range. For an example, consider the following:
To change the displayed range so their is extra space around the
graph, type:
Note that this would leave the yrange set to [-4:4] for
subsequent plots. To turn autoscaling back on, use the following:
The default for interpretation of the angle is radians. To switch this
value, you can use one of the following:
- set angles degrees
- set angles radians
3D Polar coordiantes
GnuPlot supports the 3D equivalent of polar coordinates, spherical and
cylindrical coordinates, are only available for 3D data
plots. For information on them, see help set mapping.
Plotting Data
One of the most powerful features in GnuPlot is how easily Data can be
plotted. For example, we have the following data file (in
/opt/Gnu/info/gp/example1.dat). The data was generated by applying
euler's method to a ODE problem. The first column is the number of
subintervals. The second column is the step size (1/(# of
subintervals)). The third column is the value obtained, and the fourth
column is the absolute error.
# Example1.dat
# number of subint. - width of subinterval, computed value, abs. error
0 1 5 0.00673794699908559
1 0.5 5.0009765625 0.00576138449908559
2 0.25 5.00317121193893 0.00356673506015159
3 0.125 5.00478985229103 0.00194809470805701
4 0.0625 5.00572403277733 0.0010139142217529
5 0.03125 5.00622120456923 0.000516742429855555
6 0.015625 5.00647715291715 0.000260794081935245
7 0.0078125 5.00660694721608 0.000130999783004349
8 0.00390625 5.00667229679632 6.56502027673866e-05
9 0.001953125 5.0067050843668 3.28626322820824e-05
10 0.0009765625 5.0067215063061 1.64406929883398e-05
11 0.00048828125 5.00672972430911 8.22268997247022e-06
12 0.000244140625 5.00673383506831 4.11193077187733e-06
13 0.0001220703125 5.00673589088727 2.05611181058885e-06
14 6.103515625e-05 5.00673691890656 1.02809252577885e-06
15 3.0517578125e-05 5.00673743294363 5.14055459532869e-07
16 1.52587890625e-05 5.00673768996904 2.57030048800289e-07
17 7.62939453125e-06 5.00673781848355 1.28515534214557e-07
18 3.814697265625e-06 5.00673788274127 6.42578132925564e-08
19 1.9073486328125e-06 5.00673791487013 3.21289537197345e-08
20 9.5367431640625e-07 5.00673793093482 1.60642699142954e-08
21 4.76837158203125e-07 5.00673793896686 8.03222910406021e-09
Note that lines beginning with a # are considered
comment lines and are ignored. To plot this data, you can type the following: (if the file isn't in
the first level of your home directory, you can specify the full path,
or see the directions on Saving and Loading
From a file for information on changing directories.)
This plots points (x, y) where x is from the first column and y
is from the second column. To make the graph a little easier to read,
you could type the following:(for information on these, see logscale, Line Style)
- set logscale
- set data style linespoints
- replot
Changing which columns are plotted
GnuPlot also lets you plot data from differant columns against each
other. You add the using keywork to a plot command. For
example, to plot the computed value (column 3) against the number of
subintervals (column 1), you could type:
- set nologscale
- plot "example1.dat" using 1:3
Or to plot the third column against the 4th column,
- plot "exampl1.dat" using 4:3
There are many advanced options for plotting columns against each
other like this, for more information see help plot datafile
using.
3D Data Plots
GnuPlot also lets you do 3D plots. The Data File must have three
columns, one for the x, the y, and the z values. For instance, if you
had a data file like the following:
-2.000000 -2.000000 0.500000
-2.000000 -1.500000 0.427300
-2.000000 -1.000000 0.235294
-2.000000 -0.500000 0.062257
-2.000000 0.000000 0.000000
-2.000000 0.500000 0.062257
-2.000000 1.000000 0.235294
-2.000000 1.500000 0.427300
-2.000000 2.000000 0.500000
-1.500000 -2.000000 0.427300
-1.500000 -1.500000 0.500000
-1.500000 -1.000000 0.371134
-1.500000 -0.500000 0.109756
-1.500000 0.000000 0.000000
-1.500000 0.500000 0.109756
-1.500000 1.000000 0.371134
-1.500000 1.500000 0.500000
-1.500000 2.000000 0.427300
-1.000000 -2.000000 0.235294
-1.000000 -1.500000 0.371134
-1.000000 -1.000000 0.500000
-1.000000 -0.500000 0.235294
...
To plot this data, if it were in a file called "try2.dat", you would
type:
- set parametric
- set data style lines
- splot
"try2.dat"
You can also use cylindrical and spherical coordiantes with 3D data
plots. For example:
- set mapping cylindrical
- replot
For more information, see help plot datafile.
Generating Output
The next couple of pages deal with getting output from the graphs you
have created. There are several ways you can do this:
- Print to a Printer - This would be useful if all you need
is a paper copy of the graph you have constructed.
- Output to a Postscript File - This would be useful if you
would like to print multiple copies, or would like to have the image
available to print at a later time without replotting it.
- Output to a Encapsulated Postscript File - This would be
useful if you would like to include the graphics in a
document. Most work processors and desktop publishers (i.e.,
FrameMaker) import EPS files with the highest quality.
- Output to a Graphics File - This would be useful if you
wanted to post the image on the web
Printing to Printer
Once you have the plot you want on the screen, do the following to
print the graphic to a printer:
- set output "| lp" - This will make the graphic screen
disappear
- set terminal postscript
- replot
- set output "| lp" - You can use the up arrow to call this
line up again.
After the last command, you should see a message like the following:
- gnuplot> set output "|lp"
request id is lj3sib-961 (standard input)
This means that is was printed.
To go back to having the graphical display, type the following:
- set terminal x11 - (x11 is the type of windowing
system the Suns use)
If you want to print later, you only have to do the last three of the
commands, i.e.,
- set terminal postscript
- replot
- set output "| lp" - You can use the up arrow to call this
line up again.
Note that the lp in the output command is the print command for
your machine. Use can use the following for the output command:
- set output "| lp" - Prints to the default printer for your
machine. For machines in Wright 339, this lj3sib.
- set output "| lp -dlj3sia" - Prints to the specified
printer. lj3sia is in Wright 339 as well.
- set output "| lp -n 3" - Prints more than one copy (in this
case, 3 copies). This can be combined with the -d option as well.
Outputting to a Postscript File
There are two main uses for graphs in Postscript format. The first is
to have a copy you can print later, without using GnuPlot. You need
regular Postscript files for this. The second is to include the graph
in another document. For this option you need to use Encapsulated
Postscript Files. This is a special form of Postscript that can be
included in documents. (EPS files don't have the extra lines that are
used when a PS file is printed directly to a printer). To generate a
postscript file, do the following:
- set output "filename.ps" where filename.ps is the
name of the output file.
- set terminal postscript
- replot
To print this file from the command line (not in GnuPlot), type
- lp filename.ps To use the default printer, or
- lp -dlj3sib filename.ps To use the printer lj3sib.
If you print to this file again, it will append the graph to the end
of the file as a second page. For instance,
- set output "file2.ps"
- set terminal postscript
- splot sin(x*y)
- plot x**2
would create a 2-page postscript file called "file2.ps". The first
page would be the plot of z=sin(xy) and the second page would
be the plot of y=x2. Usually, you will only want the
one graph in each PS file.
When you want to return to printing to the screen, type the following
two lines:
- set output
- set terminal x11
Options for set terminal postscript
There are several options for this command:
- set terminal postscript color - This will create a
postscript file with color in it. The default is "monochrome", which
only produces black and white images.
- set terminal postscript solid - This will use solid lines
when printing, instead of the default "dashed". This usually creates
better looking graphs.
Printing to EPS files
To print to an EPS file, you do the same as for PS files, but use the
following set terminal command.
- set output "filename.eps"
- set terminal postscript eps
Make sure you only print one image to each EPS file.
Outputing to Graphics files
You cannot output directly from GnuPlot to Graphics files. You could
use the convert command (convert test.ps test.gif) if you had
printed to a file, or you can use the screen grab option in Image
Magick. Do the following to get a graphics files version of a graph.
- Have the graph you want displayed in a graphics window.
- Have ImageMagick started. You can do this by typing display
& in a shelltool or commandtool (not at the gnuplot prompt).
- If you didn't have Gnuplot already running, choose Load from the
menues that pop up when you hold a mouse button down over Image
Magick's screen.
- Choose Grab
- Move the Grab window if you have to, and make sure that the
window with your graph in it is unobstructed.
- Click Okay in the Grab Window. Then click the left mouse button
in the window with the Graph you want.
- After a couple of seconds, a copy of the graph should pop up in
GnuPlots' window. You can resize it or apply effects to it within
ImageMagick.
- Choose Save from ImageMagick's menu.
- Choose format from the Save screen.
- Select the graphics type you want (i.e., .gif or
.jpeg.
- Give the file the name you want, and click on Save.
For more information on ImageMagick, see here for information on the display
program or here for information on the convert
program.
Saving and Loading from a File
Gnuplot lets you load a series or commands in from a file.
This is useful when you are trying to "tweak" a lengthy expression to
get the output that you want. If you haven't used an UNIX editor
before, you will probably want to start with PICO. You can
start it within a terminal window by typing pico, or you can
select it from the Editors menu of the Wright Hall Menu. For
information on how to use Pico, see here. For instance, you might need to enter
the following lines to get a graph that you want.
- set time
- set title "File Graph"
- set hidden3d
- set xrange [-5:5]
- set yrange [-5:5]
- set isosamples 50
- # Actually Plot the Graph
- splot exp(-x**2 - y**2) -cos(y)-(x**2)/5
You could put this in your home directory in a file called, for
instance, "work.gnu". Then to run these commands, you would type the
following in GnuPlot:
Or if the file is in a differant
directory, - load 'web/gnuplot/work.gnu'
This file
is on the system, if you want to try it, type - load '/opt/Gnu/info/gp/work.gnu'
The line beginning with the "#" is a comment line. You can put
these in your text files as comments to yourself.
Changing Directories
If you want to put the file in another directory than your home
directory, you just need to use the cd command in
GnuPlot. First, to see what directory you are in, type the following:
You should see something like "/user/bos", where your username is in
place of "bos". To change directories, just use the cd command as follows:
Adding Pauses, Looping Animations
To make changing GnuPlot graphics, you can specify multiple plots, and
just put pause statements between them. For more information,
see help pause. For an example, type load
'/opt/Gnu/info/gp/work2.gnu'. Also, if you put a reread
statement into your text file, it causes GnuPlot to go the beginning
of the file, and keep looping. For more information, see help
reread, and for an example, type load
'/opt/Gnu/info/gp/work3.gnu'. To exit the loop, hit
Control-C in the GnuPlot window.
Saving Work
The option that GnuPlot gives for saving work is the save
command. If you type the following:
GnuPlot will then create a text file with the name you gave it that
includes set commands for every possible setting in
GnuPlot. You can then load this file to continue work where you left off.
Sometimes, when a plot has drastic changes in one of its variables, it
is useful to use a log scale on that axis. For instance, the graph of
cosh(x) for x=[-10,10] looked like:
If we wanted to use a logscale on the y axis, we would use the
set logscale command. The usage of this command is
To see what logscale is being used, type:
To turn logscaling off for a axis, use
We if typed the following lines in,
- set logscale y
- plot cosh(x)
We would get the following graph.
This can also be useful for data plots.
You can display a grid with the graph by using the set grid
command. To see if grids are being used, type show grid. For
example, if you typed the following,
You would get the following: 
Grids can be turned on for 3d plots as well. They often improve the 3D
perspective.
- set grid
- splot x**2 + y**2
To turn the grid feature off, type set nogrid.
Overlaying Multiple Plots
To overlay multiple plots, you can just list them in the same plot
command, putting comma's between them. For example:
produces the following:
You can add more complex arguments, or mix functions and data:
- plot sin(x) with impulses, x**2/50-1 with boxes
- plot "login.dat" with boxes, 250*x-8000
You can overlay as many graphs as you want. In addition to listing all
of the commands on the same line, you can use the replot
command to add functions. For instance, the first example above could
have been like this:
- plot sin(x)
- replot x**2/50 - 1
You can overlay multiple graphs of any kind, 3D, parametric, etc...
Changing Styles of Lines
You can set the style of plotting for both function and data plots. To
change the default style for functions, use the set function
style command, and to set the default for data plots, use the
set data style command.
- set function style line-style
- set data style line-style
To see the current line style, type the following:
- show function style
- show data style
You can also add the with keywork to plot and
splot commands. For example,
- plot sin(x) with boxes
- plot "turkey.dat" with
impulses
You can also specify differant line style when overlaying differant
plots, for instance,
- plot sin(x) with boxes, cos(x) with steps
This produces the following graph:
Different Line Styles
The following line styles are available for 2D function and data
plots:
`lines`, `points`, `linespoints`, `impulses`, `dots`, `steps`,
`errorbars`, `boxes`, and `boxerrorbars`
Lines
This is the default plotting style. It connects the data points with a
line. Note that if you are doing a Data plot, blanks lines in the data
file will cause gnuplot to not connect the data points with a line.
Points
The Points Style puts a point at each data point.
LinesPoints
This is a combiniation of the two style - Lines and Points.
- plot sin(x) with linespoints
Impulses
The impulses style draws lines from the x-axis to each point.
Dots
The Dots style places very small dots for each data point. This would
be useful for scatterplots with large amounts of data.
Steps
This connects consecutive points with two perpindicular line segments.
Error Bars
GnuPlot can add error bars, which suggest a range of data, only for 2D
data plots. They use the third columnd in the file as the "delta"
value. For more information, see help plot errorbars.
- plot "login.dat" with errorbars
There is also a BoxErrorBars style that combines this style with boxes.
Boxes
This draws boxes from the xaxis to the the points.
3D Plots
The only line styles available for 3D plots are "lines",
"linespoints", "impulses", and "dots".
For more information on line styles, see help set style
Evaluating Expressions
You can use the print command to evaluate any expression for a
numeric answer. Here are some examples:
- print sin(2)
returns 0.909297
- print 1+ exp(log(5))
returns 6
Defining your own variables
GnuPlot allows you to define your own constants and functions. To
define a constant, just use
- constant_name = expression
For example,
This could be useful for changing a constant in an expression, for
example,
- c = 3
- plot sin(c*x)
- c=4
- replot
The replot command would change the graph to reflect the new
constant. Note that you cannot overlay graphs of the same function
using differant values for a constant. The replot command reevaluates
the function, so it will always use the current value of a
variable. For instance, the preceding example would just plot the
graph of sin(4*x). If you wanted to overlay graphs with two
differant constants, you would need to use two differant constants,
i.e.,
- c1=3
- c2=4
- plot sin(c1*x)
- replot
sin(c2*x)
. This would produce the following graph
You could then change any of the constants and just replot to see the
effects of changing the constant.
Defining your own functions
The syntax for defining your own functions is as follows:
- function-name(parameters) =
expression
Here are some simple examples:
- sinc(x) = sin(pi*x)/(pi*x)
- len3d(x,y,z) = sqrt(x*x+y*y+z*z)
- myfunc(x,y) = (1+ x**2 + (2/3)*y**2)/(sin(x*45*y)+
exp(-1*(x*y*(-1/3))))
You can use these functions like any other functions in GnuPlot,
- plot sinc(x)
print len3d(2,3,4)- splot
myfunc(x,y)
Using Condition Statements in Function Definitions
It is possible to define piece-wise function is GnuPlot. Gnuplot uses
the if statement syntax of C. For instance, you could define your own
absolute value function by the following:
- myabs(x) = (x > 0) ? x : -x
Gnuplot first evaluates the expression in the parenthesis. If it is
true, it then performs the expressions after the "?" mark. If the
expression in the parenthesis is false, it evalues the expression
after the ":". You can also define more complex piece-wise functions
by nesting the if statements. For example,
- mypiecewise(x) = (x > 2) ? 2 : ((x < -2) ? -2 : x)
- plot mypiecewise(x)
produces the following graph:
For more examples, see help user-defined
Changing Variables
Sometime, you would rather use other variables names than x and
y for your plots. GnuPlot allows you to change the name of the
independent variable. You do this using the set dummy
command. For instance, if you were working with 2D plots with t
as the independent variable,
- plot sin(x) - Would bring up the graph
- set dummy t
- plot sin(x) - Would give you the error undefined
variable: x.
- plot sin(t) - Would bring up the graph again.
You can change the dummy variables for 3D plots as well, with one of
the following:
- set dummy u, v - To change x to u, and y to v
- set dummy ,v - To just change y to v
For more information, see help set dummy.
Changing Axis Labels
If you want to add Labels to your axis, to describe them, you can use
the commands :
- set xlabel "string"
- set ylabel "string"
- set zlabel "string"
Note that the ylabel string in 2D plots will appear at the top left
corner of the screen, using a Graphic view. However, it will be
vertically placed in a postscript plot. If you want to move the label,
you can use the following offsets after the ylabel graph:
- set ylabel "Y-Values" 0,-10
These will add labels of the string you specify to the graph. For
instance, typing the following:
- set xlabel "X-Values"
- set ylabel "Y-Values" 0, -10
- plot sin(x)
will produce the graph
Labels work the same in 3D plots, where the zlabel is used as well. To turn off the labels, Just use the set xlabel with no arguements.
Displaying Zero Axises...
You can turn off the dashed lines that represent the x=0 and
y=0 lines in 2D plots. To turn them off, use one of the
following:
- set nozeroaxis Turns off both x and y
- set noxzeroaxis Turns off just x
- set yzeroaxis Turns on y
- set zeroaxis Turns on both x and y
For example, if you typed the following:
You would get :
Turning off Border and Graph Key
Command relating to border -
- set noborder - Turns off drawing of border
- set border - Turns on drawing of border
You can also turn off the display of the function names in the upper
right hand corner. Related commands -
For example:
- set noborder
- set grid
- set nokey
- replot
produces the following:
Changing "Tic" Marks on the Borders...
You can turn off the markings on the axis by using one of the commands
like set noxtics. For instance, typing the following:
- set noxtics
- set border
- set noytics
- replot
produces the following graph:
To turn the tics back on, use set xtics or set ytics.
You can also make the Tics marks correspond to Days of the week (i.e.,
set xdtics, or months (i.e., set xmtics). For instance,
typing the following:
- set xdtics
- set ymtics
- plot x
Produces the following:
Ticslevel
One final thing, with splots, you may have noticed that the graph is
always raised above the base. If you want to lower it, see help set
ticslevel.
Adding Title and Time
To add a title to your graph, use the set title "Title String"
command. For instance:
- set title "Graph of Farm Data"
To turn the title off, just use set title with no arguments.
You can also display the time in the lower left hand corner by using
the set time command. To turn off this, use set notime.
Typing the following:
- set time
- set title "Farm Data Plot"
- set nokey
- plot
"farmstuff.dat"
produces the following:
Other Commands
There are other commands that may be useful in changing the appearence
of the graph. Use the help command to get more information.
- arrows - Draw arrows to points on your graph.
- labels - Draw labels at any points in your graph.
GnuPlot for Windows
GnuPlot is also available for Windows. To access it in the PC lab in Wright
112, do the following:
- Login in the PC
- type win to start Windows
- Select the GnuPlot group
- Click on the gnuplot icon
Most things should work the same in Windows as they do on Unix. To print output
to a printer, Just click on the Print button. It will first
come up with a window asking which terminal to use, type in
"postscript". It will then come up
with a window asking which Port to use, use LPT1:. This will print to
the Laser Printer in Wright 339.
If your screen goes to blue, and you get an error message about
Dynamic Commands or something, just hit y to return to Windows. For
some reason, when GnuPlot tries to plot certain functions (such as 3D
plots involving exp, it causes an error.
Downloading and Installing on a PC with Windows 3.1x
If you want to install GnuPlot on your PC, the software is available
for free. You can either download it through the Web, or copy it onto
a floppy in the Wright Hall labs.
Web Download
To download a copy of GnuPlot click here.
Your browser will ask if you want to save the file, if you have a temp directory on your drive you might want to save it to that directory. After you have selected the directory you want to use, click OK and the file will be saved to that directory.
Copying Source file to Floppy
Bring a floppy into the lab in Wright 112. After logging in, type the
following:
- xcopy E:\gnuplot\install.exe A:
Installing GnuPlot in Windows
To install GnuPlot in Windows you first need to run the file you
downloaded.
In the Program Manager choose File, then run, then type
the name of file you downloaded or copied to a floppy.
You should then see the Gnuplot installation program. (If you did not
you might have a bad copy and you should download it again.)
Press return on the install directory screen. Gnuplot will then be installed on your hard drive.
To add the Gnuplot icon, select File in Program Manager, and
select New. Select New Group and click OK.
Type Gnuplot in the description line and click OK.
Open the folder you created. Again select File from the
Program Manager menu, select New, select Program Item
and click OK. Select browse to find the Gnuplot directory on
your hard drive. In that directory, select wgnuplot.exe, and then OK.
Click OK on the Program item Properties box and you should then see
the icon for gnuplot. Double click on the icon to start the program.