## Script examples gallery - Scaling and axes

Version 2.32
Scripts

Manual page for Script_examples_gallery_-_Scaling_and_axes(PL)

Ploticus includes an array of options for defining aspects such as the plot area and the creation of axes. Data scaling options include simple linear, log, date, time, datetime, and categories.

#
Basics

simple2
Area definition
Before plotting data, a scaled area must be defined. proc areadef is used to set up a plotting area, and to define its size, scaling, and location on the "page".

Axes
Next, proc axis is invoked to render the X (horizontal), and Y (vertical) axes. A typical axis is a line with some number of regularly placed marks called tics, each of which has a label called a stub. The axis often has a descriptive text label nearby. In this example, date stubs appear in the X axis, in an increment of `1 month` The Y axis is linear numeric with incremental stubs every 50 units.

#
Linear numeric scaling with regular stubs

Generated incremetally (numeric). The min and max may be automatically determined or specified manually. For the stub increment to be automatically determined, just use: `stubs: inc`

#
Self-locating stubs

"Self-locating stubs" are stubs that contain their own location. By using these, stubs and tics may be placed at irregular locations. The underlying scale type is usually simple linear, but it can be any type. Self-locating stubs may be...
- given in the script on multiple lines
- taken from a data field
- taken from an external file
  Other examples:
- lineplot3
- hbars4

  #
  Log scaling

  Log scaling examples.

  #
  Scale by category

  The categories scale type allows non-numeric tags to be plotted directly. This scale type may be useful when rendering scatterplots, and bar displays (for bar placement), etc. Categories do not have to be used in order to make text stubs; often stubs, bars, etc. are placed sequentially, i.e. "as they fall", with the underlying scale type being simple linear numeric, and this is often satisfactory. However, the use of categories as the scale type ensures that data are being displayed at the correct location.
  More examples:
- timely
- timeline1
- timeline2
- timeline3
  Sometimes your data are categorical but do not contain the category names. You just want the first case to be plotted at X = 1, the second at X = 2 and so on. To do this, just use ordinary linear scaling, and specify the stubs literally. When rendering this way you should double check to make sure that data and stubs match correctly. Literal stubs may be specified in one of these ways:
- given in the script on multiple lines
- given in the script as a list
- taken from an external file
  (By default literal stubs begin at X=1 or Y=1, rather than at 0, since this is usually the desired result for bar placement, etc. This may be overridden using stubrange: 0)

  #
  Date scaling

  The date scale type allows date values to be plotted directly. Like other time measures, dates are almost always plotted against the X axis. A wide variety of date notations are supported.
  More examples:
- timeline2
- sa4a (same as sa4 except for year tics)
- year divided into quarters

  #
  Time scaling

  The time scale type allows time values to be plotted directly. A variety of different time notations are supported.
  More examples:

- timeline3

  #
  Datetime scaling

  The datetime scale type allows time values to be plotted directly across multiple days. A datetime datafield consists of a date value and a time value connected by a dot (.). The date and time values may be in any of the supported plotting formats.

  hitcount
  Another example:

- hitcount2 has time increments along x axis

  # Datetime scaling, with time windowing

  Sometimes it is desirable to show only portions of each day, when showing the entire 24 hour day would be too much. Examples of this include a work day or a trading day. datetime scaling allows you to do this- you can indicate the time range for each day at the end of the datetime keyword. For example, `datetime9-17` would show only the hours from 9:00 to 17:00 for each day. See scaleunits for more details on using datetime with time windowing.
  Example:
- hitcount3 demonstrates time windowing

  #
  Other axes rendering capabilities

  ###
  Multiple areas per "page"

  sa2
  Any number of plotting areas may be rendered on a page. (more of an issue when rendering onto paper). Each has its own proc areadef.

  ###
  Broken axes

  Broken axis plots, where an axis is broken to allow compact display of extreme value(s), may be done. (It requires manual "tweaking" and cannot really be automated.) See the example brokenaxis.

  ###
  Axes in unusual places

  Although Y axis is usually done on the left, and X axis along the bottom, axes can be placed anywhere.

  ###
  Overlay of multiple scales

  Two or more coordinate systems may be overlaid, using multiple #proc areadef invocations that plot into the same rectangle. Here's a full-scale example with two Y axes.

  ###
  Overlay of multiple axes

  This example has two X axes overlaid, in order to do two different systems of grid lines. Try this strategy if you have more complicated requirements for tics, stubs, or grid lines.

  ###
  Formatted numeric axes

  European decimal notation.
  Financial notation.

  ###
  Clickmap support

  Clickmaps are supported for the plotting area, in either one dimension or two. Try clicking on the above image.
  data display engine
  Copyright Steve Grubb

  Markup created by unroff 1.0, `` `` August 23, 2005.