Plot

plot is the primary command for drawing plots with gnuplot. It creates plots of functions and data in many, many ways. plot is used to draw 2-d functions and data; splot draws 2-d projections of 3-d surfaces and data. plot and splot contain many common features; see splot (p. ) for differences. Note specifically that although the binary $<$binary list$>$ variation does work for both plot and splot, there are small differences between these modes. Furthermore, plot's axes option does not exist for splot.

Syntax:

     plot {<ranges>}
          {<function> | {"<datafile>" {datafile-modifiers}}}
          {axes <axes>} {<title-spec>} {with <style>}
          {, {definitions,} <function> ...}

where either a $<$function$>$ or the name of a data file enclosed in quotes is supplied. A function is a mathematical expression or a pair of mathematical expressions in parametric mode. The expressions may be defined completely or in part earlier in the stream of gnuplot commands (see user-defined (p. )).

It is also possible to define functions and parameters on the plot command itself. This is done merely by isolating them from other items with commas.

There are four possible sets of axes available; the keyword $<$axes$>$ is used to select the axes for which a particular line should be scaled. x1y1 refers to the axes on the bottom and left; x2y2 to those on the top and right; x1y2 to those on the bottom and right; and x2y1 to those on the top and left. Ranges specified on the plot command apply only to the first set of axes (bottom left).

Examples:

     plot sin(x)
     plot f(x) = sin(x*a), a = .2, f(x), a = .4, f(x)
     plot [t=1:10] [-pi:pi*2] tan(t), \
          "data.1" using (tan($2)):($3/$4) smooth csplines \
                   axes x1y2 notitle with lines 5

See also show plot (p. ).