GnuPlotPlugin

A plugin that allows the display of GnuPlot graphs. See GnuPlotHelp.

Syntax Rules

• Just add %GNUPLOT{"PlotName"}% anywhere in the page where you want the plot to appear and save the topic
  
• Multiple plots can be displayed within one topic
• Any CSV (Comma Seperated Variable) files attached to the topic can be used with the plot or splot commands.

Examples

The following images are examples of plots generated by GnuPlot:

Simple function test

Pre-rendered sample (TestInstall):

Plugin (TestInstall):

Verbatim (TestInstall): %GNUPLOT{"TestInstall"}% Plot settings: set title "TestInstall" set datafile separator "," set terminal png plot sin(x), cos(x), x*x/10

Multi graphs with errorbars, datafile based

Pre-rendered sample (MultigraphWithErrorbars):

Plugin (MultigraphWithErrorbars): GnuPlotPlugin Error: Cannot display the plot because the image file (MultigraphWithErrorbars?.png) has zero size. With a bit of luck the reason for this will be shown below. Gnuplot Error: gnuplot> set term gif ^ "/tmp/MultigraphWithErrorbars.gnu", line 4: unknown or ambiguous terminal type; type just 'set terminal' for a list

Verbatim (MultigraphWithErrorbars): %GNUPLOT{"MultigraphWithErrorbars"}% Plot settings: set title "MultigraphWithErrorbars" set xlabel "X Axis Label" set ylabel "Y Axis Label" set term gif set data style lp set terminal png plot [.8:4.2] "MultigraphWithErrorbarsData.data" using 1:2 t "Curve Title", \ "MultigraphWithErrorbarsData.data" using 1:2:3:4 notitle with errorbars ps 0, \ "MultigraphWithErrorbarsData.data" using 1:5 t "Other Curve", \ "MultigraphWithErrorbarsData.data" using 1:5:6:7 notitle with errorbars ps 0

Damped sinus, datafile based

Pre-rendered sample (DampedSinus):

Plugin (DampedSinus):

Verbatim (DampedSinus): %GNUPLOT{"DampedSinus"}% Plot settings: set title "DampedSinus" set xlabel "X Axis Label" set ylabel "Y Axis Label" set terminal png plot 'DampedSinusData.data'

Map of Denmark, datafile based (data from CIA World Data Bank II)

Pre-rendered sample (CIAWorldDataBankIIDenmark):

Plugin (CIAWorldDataBankIIDenmark):

Verbatim (CIAWorldDataBankIIDenmark): %GNUPLOT{"CIAWorldDataBankIIDenmark"}% Plot settings: set title "CIAWorldDataBankIIDenmark" set noxtics set noytics set noborder set data style dots set terminal png plot "CIAWorldDataBankIIDenmarkData.data" title "" with lines

Interlocking Tori (3D)

Pre-rendered sample (InterlockingTori):

Plugin (InterlockingTori):

Verbatim (InterlockingTori): %GNUPLOT{"InterlockingTori"}% Plot settings: set parametric set isosamples 50,10 set hidden set title "Interlocking Tori" set key below set urange [-pi:pi] set vrange [-pi:pi] set isosamples 50,20 set terminal png splot cos(u)+.5*cos(u)*cos(v),sin(u)+.5*sin(u)*cos(v),.5*sin(v) with lines, 1+cos(u)+.5*cos(u)*cos(v),.5*sin(v),sin(u)+.5*sin(u)*cos(v) with lines

Blue Whale (3D), datafile based

Pre-rendered sample (BlueWhale):

Plugin (BlueWhale):

Verbatim (BlueWhale): %GNUPLOT{"BlueWhale"}% Plot settings: set parametric set hidden3d set nokey set xrange [0:8] set yrange [-4:4] set zrange [-2:2] set data style line set title "Blue Whale" set terminal png splot "whale.dat"

Alternative GnuPlot render sizes, Rosenbrock Function

This one is shown in 350x280. Try blowing it up in size - alter the set terminal png size 350,280 line into something larger (i.e. 1000,1000).

Pre-rendered sample (RosenbrockFunction):

Plugin (RosenbrockFunction):

Verbatim (RosenbrockFunction): %GNUPLOT{"RosenbrockFunction"}% Plot settings: set logscale z 10 set view 20, 340, 1, 1 set isosamples 60, 60 set hidden3d offset 1 trianglepattern 3 undefined 1 altdiagonal bentover set style data lines set ticslevel 0 set title "Rosenbrock Function" 0.000000,0.000000 font "" set xlabel "x" -5.000000,-2.000000 font "" set xrange [ * : * ] noreverse nowriteback # (currently [0.00000:15.0000] ) set ylabel "y" 4.000000,-1.000000 font "" set yrange [ * : * ] noreverse nowriteback # (currently [0.00000:15.0000] ) set zlabel "Z axis" 0.000000,0.000000 font "" set zrange [ * : * ] noreverse nowriteback # (currently [-1.20000:1.20000] ) set terminal png size 350,280 splot [-1.5:1.5] [-0.5:1.5] (1-x)**2 + 100*(y - x**2)**2

Plugin Settings

• One line description, is shown in the TextFormattingRules topic:
• Set SHORTDESCRIPTION = Allows users to plot data and functions using GnuPlot

• Debug plugin: (See output in data/debug.txt)
• Set DEBUG = 0

• Path to gnuplot executable:
• Set GNUPLOTPATH = /usr/local/bin/gnuplot

Plugin Installation Instructions

Note: You do not need to install anything on the browser to use this plugin. The following instructions are for the administrator who installs the plugin on the server where TWiki is running.

• Download the ZIP file from the Plugin web (see below)

• Download the ZIP file from the Plugin web (see below)
• Unzip GnuPlotPlugin.zip in your twiki installation directory.
  Content:

  File:	Description:
  data/TWiki/GnuPlotPlugin.txt	Plugin topic
  data/TWiki/GnuPlotPlugin.txt,v	Plugin topic repository
  lib/TWiki/Plugins/GnuPlotPlugin.pm	Plugin Perl module
  lib/TWiki/Plugins/GnuPlotPlugin/Plot.pm	Perl module responsible for rendering the plot area
  lib/TWiki/Plugins/GnuPlotPlugin/PlotSettings.pm	Perl module responsible for managing the settings

• Edit the GNUPLOTPATH setting above to point to the gnuplot executable. Note -- you can specify an absolute or relative path. Relative path is specified relative to the twiki/bin directory. Absolute path will depend on your webserver configuration (whether or not it runs with chroot or not).

Known issues

• Plot names are not checked for validity yet. This might have a security impact
• A .err file appears in the list of attachments (has error output if graph does not render)
• set title / show title does show the title but the 'show title' line disappears when the plot is edited afterwards

Planned improvements

• TWiki compatible syntax for using datafiles from any topic.
• Form based editing of plot settings to make it easier for users that are not familiar with GnuPlot

Plugin Info

Related Topics: TWikiPreferences, TWikiPlugins

-- TWiki:Main.AbieSwanepoel - 27 Jan 2006