Gnuplot.py v. 1.3

[Michael Haggerty]

This is to announce the release of version 1.3 of Gnuplot.py.

Gnuplot.py is a Python [1] package that allows you to create graphs
from within Python using the gnuplot [2] plotting program.  This
version fixes plotting of function objects and moves to a package
structure.

Gnuplot.py can be obtained from

    http://monsoon.harvard.edu/~mhagger/Gnuplot/Gnuplot.html

Prerequisites (see footnotes):
    the Python interpreter [1]
    the Python Numeric module [3]
    the gnuplot program [2]


Some ways this package can be used:

1. Interactive data processing: Use Python's excellent Numeric package
   to create and manipulate arrays of numbers, and use Gnuplot.py to
   visualize the results.
2. Web graphics: write CGI scripts in Python that use gnuplot to
   output plots in GIF format and return them to the client.
3. Glue for numerical applications (this is my favorite): wrap your
   C++/C/Fortran subroutines so that they are callable from Python,
   then you can perform numerical computations interactively from
   scripts or from the command line and use Gnuplot.py to plot the
   output on the fly.
4. Compute a series of datasets in Python and plot them one after the
   other using Gnuplot.py to produce a crude animation.


Features added in version 1.3:

* Converted to python package format.  The main file is now called
  __init__.py, which can be loaded by typing 'import Gnuplot'.

* Passing GridData a callable function was basically broken because of
  the kludgey way of overloading the argument.  Instead of trying to
  fix it, I moved that functionality to a new type of PlotItem called
  'GridFunc'.


Features already present in older versions:

  +  Two and three-dimensional plots.
  +  Plot data from memory, from a file, or from an expression.
  +  Support for multiple simultaneous gnuplot sessions.
  +  Can pass arbitrary commands to the gnuplot program.
  +  Object oriented, extensible design with several built-in types
     of plot items.
  +  Portable and easy to install (nothing to compile except on
     Windows).
  +  Support for MS Windows, using the `pgnuplot.exe' program.
  +  Support for sending data to gnuplot as `inline' or `binary' data.
     These are optimizations that also remove the need for temporary
     files.  Temporary files are also still supported.


Footnotes:
----------
[1] Python <http://www.python.org> is an excellent object-oriented
    scripting/rapid development language that is also especially good
    at gluing programs together.
[2] gnuplot <ftp://ftp.gnuplot.vt.edu/pub/gnuplot/> is a free,
    popular, very portable plotting program with a command-line
    interface.  It can make 2-d and 3-d plots and can output to myriad
    printers and graphics terminals.
[3] The Numeric Python extension
    <ftp://ftp-icf.llnl.gov/pub/python/README.html> is a Python module
    that adds fast and convenient array manipulations to the Python
    language.

Yours,
Michael

== 
Michael Haggerty
mhagger@blizzard.harvard.edu

<P><A HREF="http://monsoon.harvard.edu/~mhagger/Gnuplot/Gnuplot.html">Gnuplot.py
1.3</A> - interface to the gnuplot plotting program; needs NumPy.  (23-Sep-99)

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