GNUPLOT
Interactive Graphics

GNUPLOT is an interactive plotting program.

Copies of the source code for GNUPLOT, or an executable for Windows machines, can be obtained from the official website.

GNUPLOT can do a variety of graphics functions, including plots of

• Y = F(X), where F is a formula you type in;
• (X(I),Y(I)), where X and Y are data in a file;
• 2D vector data: ( U(X,Y), V(X,Y) );
• a parametric 3D line: (X(I),Y(I),Z(I)) where X, Y and Z are data in a file.
• a parametric 3D surface Z(X(I),Y(J)) for a regular grid;
• 2D contours of a parametric surface Z(X(I),Y(J)) for a regular grid;

Related Data and Programs:

GNUFOR is a set of routines that provide an interface between a FORTRAN90 program and GNUPLOT.

GNUPLOT_I is a set of routines allow a running program to display graphics created by GNUPLOT.

MD1 is a molecular dynamics simulation whose output is immediately suitable for input to GNUPLOT.

Reference:

1. Philipp Janert,
   Gnuplot in Action: Understanding Data with Graphs,
   Manning, 2008,
   ISBN: 1-933988-39-8.
2. Thomas Williams, Colin Kelley, J Campbell, D Kotz, R Lang,
   gnuplot, An Interactive Plotting Program,
   The Free Software Foundation, 1990,
   ../../pdf/gnuplot.pdf.
3. The GNUPLOT Website.

Source Code:

• gnuplot.gih, the GNUPLOT help file.

Examples and Tests:

BOXES is an application that plots bar charts. (Sorry, GNUPLOT can't do filled in color bar charts yet!)

• boxes.inp, the input to GNUPLOT;
• boxes.txt, the data file;
• boxes.png, a PNG image of the plot;

DATA is a sample application that plots data in a file.

• data.inp, the input to GNUPLOT;
• data.txt, the data file;
• data.png, a PNG image of the plot;

DATA_COLUMNS plots some of the columns of data in a file:

• data_columns.inp, the input to GNUPLOT;
• data_columns.txt, the data columns file;
• data_columns.png, a PNG image of the plot;

DATA_BLOCKS plots some of the blocks of data in a file:

• data_blocks.inp, input commands to GNUPLOT;
• data_blocks.txt, the data blocks file;
• data_blocks.png, a PNG image of the plot;

MFLOPS records the logarithm base 2 of the vector size, versus the MegaFLOPS rate, for an FFT calculation run using OpenMP on 2 processors. The data shows how the MegaFLOPS rate rises steeply, levels off, and begins, perhaps. to fall.

• mflops_input.txt, the input to GNUPLOT;
• mflops_data.txt, the data file;
• mflops.png, a PNG image of the plot;

MFLOPS2 records the logarithm base 2 of the vector size, versus the MegaFLOPS rate, for an FFT calculation run using OpenMP on 1 and 2 processors. The data shows how the MegaFLOPS rate for the 1 processor program rises more quickly, but levels off sooner.

• mflops2_input.txt, the input to GNUPLOT;
• mflops2_data.txt, the data file;
• mflops2.png, a PNG image of the plot;

PARAMETRIC makes a parametric plot:

• parametric.inp, input commands to GNUPLOT;
• parametric.png, a PNG image of the plot;

POLAR makes a polar plot:

• polar.inp, input commands to GNUPLOT;
• polar.png, a PNG image of the plot;

RANGES controls the range of a plot:

• ranges.inp, input commands to GNUPLOT;
• ranges.png, a PNG image of the plot;

SINE_CURVE plots y=sin(x):

• sine_curve.inp, input commands to GNUPLOT;
• sine_curve.png, a PNG image of the plot;

TWO_PLOTS plots two functions together:

• two_plots.inp, input commands to GNUPLOT;
• two_plots.png, a PNG image of the plot;

TWO_FILES plots data from two files together:

• two_files.inp, input commands to GNUPLOT;
• file1.txt, the first file of data;
• file2.txt, the second file of data;
• two_files.png, a PNG image of the plot;

You can go up one level to the graphics source codes.