xgfe small logo

Documentation

Xgfe is a GUI front end to the Gnuplot plotting package. It is currently runs under Linux, is written in C++, and uses the Qt v1.31 widget set.

Xgfe is not intended to support every option of Gnuplot, but it is very useful for cranking out a quick plot and generally making your life with Gnuplot much easier. Xgfe does offer the ability to type commands directly to Gnuplot so its full capabilites are available through the GUI.

The use of the program should be self explanatory, but a few remarks should be made on some of its features. Use this documentation or the internal docs in Gnuplot for more info.

Here is the main window:

Main window picture

Table of Contents

Files and Functions

Once you fire up Xgfe, you will see the main window shown above. Now you need to decide what you want to plot. If you want to plot a file, go to the File menu and click on the "Open" option to select the appropriate data file. The Filename checkbox will be automatically selected for you (only one datafile can be plotted at this time) You can also plot a function if you so choose. Just type in the function and click the Function checkbox. If you want to plot more than one function, you can enter as many as you want seperated by commas. You can plot a filename or function by themselves, or both at the same time by clicking the appropriate checkbox.

Dummy Variables

You can enter functions in terms of the default dummy variables of X and Y, or you can specify different dummy variables in the "Variable X" and "Variable Y" input boxes. If you use different dummy variables, you must specify a range (this is consistent with running Gnuplot from the command line interface). You can also specify ranges for the Z variable if you want. If no ranges are given, Gnuplot will use defaults. Run "help plot" in Gnuplot for more info on plotting.

Plot Type

The default plot type is 2D plotting. To select 3D plotting, use the Plot Type menu to select the type for files and functions.

Plot Style

The default plotting style for files is points, and for functions is lines. These can be changed as needed. The following styles for files and functions are supported:

Plot Labels

You can set the X, Y, and Z labels for the plots along with the offsets using the appropriate input boxes. Run "help xlabel", "help ylabel", or "help zlabel" in Gnuplot for more info on labels and offsets.

Terminals

Gnuplot allows many terminals to be specified, and Xgfe supports a subset of the more popular ones. ("More popular" is defined as by the author. If you want another terminal to be supported let me know.) The following terminals are supported: The default terminal is x11. Some of the above terminals have options that can be specified. If options are available, a new window will open to allow selection of the options. When a window opens for options, the defaults are listed. Type "help terminal" in Gnuplot for more info.

Output Files

An output file can be specified for the plot. If no output is specified, the output will go to the shell window where you ran Xgfe which is probably not what you want (except for the x11 terminal where this is normal). The output can be reset to stdout which is the default. Type "help output" in Gnuplot for more info.

Plot Size

The plot size can be specified, but the units depend on the terminal option selected. For most terminals, the units are a scaling factor. For others listed above, the units can be pixels or inches. The size can be reset back to the default. Type "help size" in Gnuplot for more info.

Saving Plots

To save your plot settings and command to a file, use the "Save" option under the File menu. A file selection window will open up to allow you to specify the filename. Type "help save" in Gnuplot for more info.

Loading Plots

To load a plot from a saved file, use the "Load" option under the File menu. Type "help load" in Gnuplot for more info.

Raw Gnu Commands

Since Xgfe doesn't provide an interface to all the gory details of Gnuplot, a "Raw Gnu" option is under the File menu. Just type in as many commands as you want in the text box and hit OK to fire off the command(s).

Commands and Error Messages

In the shell window you ran Xgfe from, the plotting commands issued will be printed so you can see what is going on behind the scenes. This can't be turned off at this time. If there are any errors, they will be printed to the shell window. Errors may come from Xgfe, or from Gnuplot. Xgfe will generate errors for easily detected (by me) careless errors, but Gnuplot can generate errors for things such as specifying "Windoze blows chunks" as a function to plot. If there is any confusion over an error message, check Gnuplot's online help.

Back to home


Last modified: Fri Jan 2 18:16:53 CST 1998