Best way to use Python to make 2d XY scatter graphs? WillTKinter do it?

[Tim Churches]

Pat Bills wrote:
> Subject: Re: Best way to use Python to make 2d XY scatter 
> graphs? WillTKinter do it?
> I would like to add a possible solution to those suggested.  
> This may be 
> off-topic and I don't know the context of the question.  I, too, 
> abandoned Excel as my graphing platform. 
> 
> If you are automating research processes and not writing software for 
> distribution then I think the R environment (http://r-project.org) is 
> worth a look.  I've used it for several research projects and created 
> graphs for publication.  There are Python packages to call R 
> from python, 

Walter Moreira's RPy package ( http://rpy.sf.net ), which embeds an R
interpreter within Python and allows data to be passed between the two
works a treat (at least with R v1.7.1 - there may be issues with R
v1.8.0).

> although complete programs can be written in R, which to my 
> newbie eyes 
> is very Python-like.

R uses the S langage, which is primarily a functional language, driven
by vector and array-based data structures (all 1-based, not zero-based).
Procedural code is possible in R but tends to be clumsy and discouraged.
However, Python and R complement each other beautifully - Python for
data management and large scale programme structure, R for perfroming
specific analyses and creating charts and graphics.

>  The graphs can written to several formats (see 
> below) and can paste into your favorite word/presentation processor. 
> 
> The added bonus is you get a wealth of statistical processes 
> along with 
> plotting (although you didn't mention this requirement in 
> your post).  
> 
> There are several downsides: your program would require R to 
> be installed 
> on the system;  batching R on windows does not work (for me); 
> there is a 
> learning curve; and parameters are a bit quirky (work like globals).
> 
> http://r-project.org http://www.omegahat.org/RSPython/index.html

Another charting package worth looking at is Ploticus (
http://ploticus.sf.net ) - there is a Python interface but it is broken
for the most recent version of Ploticus. Nevertheless, Ploticus is easy
to call via a shell or a pipe. A wide range of high quality graphs, easy
to drive, and GPLed (as is R). To me, Ploticus appears to be a worthy
successor to the aging GNUplot.

Tim C