2 First Steps With PyXPlot

In this chapter, I shall provide a brief overview of the basic operation of PyXPlot, essentially covering those areas of syntax which are borrowed directly from gnuplot. Users who are already familiar with gnuplot may wish to skim or skip this chapter, though Section 2.3, describing the use of LaTeX to render text, and Section 2.11, detailing which parts of gnuplot’s interface are and are not supported in PyXPlot, may be of interest. In the following chapter, I shall go on to describe PyXPlot’s extensions of gnuplot’s interface.

Describing gnuplot’s interface in its entirety is a substantial task, and what follows is only an overview; novice users can find many excellent tutorials on the web which will greatly supplement what is provided below.