1 Overview
1.1 License
2 API
2.1 Gnuplot processes
gnuplot-spawn
gnuplot-kill
gnuplot?
gnuplot-input-port
gnuplot-writeln
gnuplot-program
gnuplot-set-program!
2.2 Data sources
gnuplot-data
gnuplot-data/ file
gnuplot-data?
2.3 Plotting
gnuplot-item
gnuplot-plot
gnuplot-splot
gnuplot-replot
gnuplot-multiplot
gnuplot-hardcopy
gnuplot-set
gnuplot-set*
gnuplot-unset
gnuplot-reset
3 Example
Version: 4.1.3.1

gnuplot.plt

1 Overview

This library provides a wrapper interface to gnuplot. Using the library, mzscheme programs can spawn inferior gnuplot processes and plot data to windows or hardcopy with a programmatic interface.

The library assumes gnuplot version 4.x (tested with 4.2.3).

1.1 License

(C) Copyright 2008 Dimitris Vyzovitis <vyzo at media.mit.edu>

gnuplot.plt is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

gnuplot.plt is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with gnuplot.plt. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

2 API

2.1 Gnuplot processes

(gnuplot-spawn [read?])  gnuplot?
  read? : bool? = #f
(gnuplot-kill gplot)  any
  gplot : gnuplot?
(gnuplot? o)  bool?
  o : any
(gnuplot-input-port o)  input-port?
  o : gnuplot?
(gnuplot-writeln o fmt arg ...)  any
  o : gnuplot?
  fmt : string?
  arg : any

gnuplot-spawn spawns a gnuplot processes, using (gnuplot-program).

When read? is #t then output from gnuplot can be collected through the port accessible with gnuplot-input-port. gnuplot-writeln can be used to write directly to the process’s input port.

The processes is garbage collected when unreachable, but can be explicitly killed with gnuplot-kill

(gnuplot-program)  path-string?
(gnuplot-set-program! o)  any
  o : path-string?

The gnuplot executable.

Defaults to "gnuplot" under unix/macosx and "pgnuplot.exe" under windows.

2.2 Data sources

(gnuplot-data data    
  [#:file fname    
  #:comments comments    
  #:tmpdir tmpdir    
  #:binary bin?])  gnuplot-data?
  data : list?
  fname : path-string? = #f
  comments : list? = #f
  tmpdir : path-string? = #f
  bin? : bool? = #f

Creates a data source using data, which must be a list of lists of numbers, written to a temporary file when fname is #f.

When bin? is #f files are written in ascii, optionally prepending comments from comments which when supplied must be a list of strings. When bin? is #t data is written in binary form, following gnuplot’s binary matrix file format.

Temporary files are automatically deleted when the data sources become unreachable.

(gnuplot-data/file fname [bin?])  gnuplot-data?
  fname : path-string?
  bin? : bool? = #f

Create a data source using an existing file.

(gnuplot-data? o)  bool?
  o : any

#t when o is a gnuplot data source.

2.3 Plotting

Plotting is controlled using a simple translation scheme that maps items to gnuplot’s idiosyncratic syntax, with the following grammar:

  source-item = (item <data> <item> ...)
     
  sequence-item = (seq <item> ...)
  | (seq: <item> ...)
  | (seq* <item> ...)
     
  range-item = ()
  | (<number>/#f <number>/#f)
  | (<symbol> <number>/#f <number>/#f)
  | <string>
     
  param-item = (= <symbol> <item>)
     
  path-item = (path <path-string>)
     
  str-item = (str <string>)
     
  empty-item = #f
     
  any-item = <any>

(gnuplot-item data [options])  item?
  data : gnuplot-data?
  options : plot-item? = null

Create a plot item, using data as the data source, prepended to options.

(gnuplot-plot gplot [#:range range] item ...)  any
  gplot : gnuplot?
  range : list? = #f
  item : item?
(gnuplot-splot gplot [#:range range] item ...)  any
  gplot : gnuplot?
  range : list? = #f
  item : item?
(gnuplot-replot gplot item ...)  any
  gplot : gnuplot?
  item : item?

Basic plotting functions.

range, when present, must be a list of range items.

(gnuplot-multiplot gplot    
  [#:layout layout]    
  plot ...)  any
  gplot : gnuplot?
  layout : list? = null
  plot : procedure?

Performs a multiplot, with layout a list of items, by calling the plot procedures in order with gplot as argument.

(gnuplot-hardcopy gplot    
  fname    
  [plot    
  #:term term])  any
  gplot : gnuplot?
  fname : path-string?
  plot : procedure? = gnuplot-replot
  term : item? = '(postscript color)

Plots with output to file.

(gnuplot-set gplot opt)  any
  gplot : gnuplot?
  opt : item?
(gnuplot-set* gplot opt)  any
  gplot : gnuplot?
  opt : list?
(gnuplot-unset gplot opt)  any
  gplot : gnuplot?
  opt : symbol?
(gnuplot-reset gplot)  any
  gplot : gnuplot?

Modify plot options.

3 Example

The images were created with gnuplot-hardcopy and converted to png using imagemagick’s convert utility

Here we use a simple iterative example to illustrate how to use the library, assuming familiarity with gnuplot.

First, let’s create a gnuplot process and a simple data source:

  (define gplot (gnuplot-spawn))
  (define sin+cos
    (build-list 200
      (lambda (x)
        (let ((x (/ (* x pi) 100)))
          (list x (sin x) (cos x))))))
  (define mydata (gnuplot-data sin+cos))

Here, mydata is a data source that contains 200 samples from the sin and cos functions.

We can split the two functions, creating two plot items:

  (define mysin
    (gnuplot-item mydata '(using (seq: 1 2) title (str "sin(x)") with line 1)))
  (define mycos
    (gnuplot-item mydata '(using (seq: 1 3) title (str "cos(x)") with line 2)))

Now, to plot the two functions together:

  (gnuplot-set gplot '(title (str "my trigonometrics")))
  (gnuplot-plot gplot #:range `((#f ,(* 2 pi)) ()) mysin mycos)

We can take a hardcopy of the plot using gnuplot-hardcopy:

  (gnuplot-hardcopy gplot "/tmp/trig.eps")

We can create a multiplot layout using gnuplot-multiplot:

  (define (plot-sin gplot)
    (gnuplot-plot gplot #:range `((#f ,(* 2 pi)) ()) mysin))
  (define (plot-cos gplot)
    (gnuplot-plot gplot #:range `((#f ,(* 2 pi)) ()) mycos))
  
  (gnuplot-reset gplot) ; reset plotting
  (gnuplot-multiplot gplot
    #:layout '(layout (seq 2 1) title (str "multiplot layout"))
    plot-sin plot-cos)

Finally, to take a hard copy of the multiplot layout:

  (gnuplot-hardcopy gplot "/tmp/multi.eps"
    (lambda (gplot)
      (gnuplot-multiplot gplot
        #:layout '(layout (seq 2 1) title (str "multiplot layout"))
        plot-sin plot-cos)))