## dist prefab

Version 2.32
Prefabs

Manual page for dist_prefab(PL)

View the dist prefab examples

dist is a prefab that computes and displays a frequency distribution (histogram) on one data field.`` The data file does not need to be ordered in any particular way.`` The field may contain continuous numeric data, or alphanumeric values.`` Continuous numeric data is the default, but the cats option may be used to produce category distributions (each unique value having a bar).`` With continuous numeric data, "bins" will be set up and values will be placed into these bins (any alpha values will be lumped into one "alpha" category).

A user-contributed prefab called multidist is also available; it can do multiple, overlaid frequency distributions.``

## Hint

If no bars are appearing, try specifying bar size, eg.`` `barsize=0.1`. This glitch is due to the fact that default bar widths are related to data space.``

## Parameters

Prefab parameter name | Data type | Default | Description | Examples (ignore line wrapping)
Standard parameters |  |  | Most of the standard prefab parameters may be used. You must specify data (the name of the input data file). The legend parameters and ptselect aren't available with this prefab.
x | data field | must be specified | Identifies the data field to be used when computing the distribution. Old name: fld | `x=2 x=pmb`
binsize | numeric | based on data | The size of one "bin" for numeric distributions. | `binsize=2.5`
cats | `yes` or `no` | `no` | If `yes`, a category distribution, using alphanumeric data, will be done. | `cats=yes`
curve | `yes` or linedetails |  | If specified, a bspline curve will be fit to the histogram and displayed. | `curve=yes`
color | color | `pink` | Color of the histogram bars. | `color=orange`
barwidth | inches or cm | based on data | The width of the bars. | `barwidth=0.06`
savetbl | `yes` | `no` |  | If `yes`, a the computed frequency distribution will be dumped to the diagnostic stream (usually standard error). | `savetbl=yes`
order | `natural` or `mag` or `rev` | `natural` | Controls the order in which bars are drawn from left to right, with cats. `natural` shows them in alphabetical order, `mag` based on magnitude from low to high, and `rev` shows them from high to low. | `order=mag`

data display engine
Copyright Steve Grubb

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