1. Where is the documentation for "plotlines"? [I cannot even find documentation for a "line" type plot in J602! Perhaps I didn't look in the right place in 602: I tried "scriptdoc'plot'" and then j602/help/user/plot.htm, which referred me to wiki page http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Plot, which doesn't tell me anything useful there, and on the linked page http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Plot/Data there's not so much as a single example. Yes, I know there's a Lab, but I want to see documentation (with examples), not a tutorial.]
It would seem the documentation is buried somewhere in new J701 files or not yet written, together with what's available at at 3rd-party google charts pages. Which brings me to: 2. So we have to be grateful for the kindness of strangers here, namely, Google. As long as that kindness lasts, of course -- at least at the present price. 3. So we now have to go outside J itself to do ordinary things such as plot a nice line chart? 4. Perhaps from the narrow perspective of J this is a "big deal". As a user, also, of Mathematica, I note that for a long time one has been able to accomplish the same sort of thing without ever leaving the latter system: data = Partition[RandomInteger[1000, 20], 10]; ListLinePlot[data] That doesn't give a legend such as displayed in the J/Google Charts example, although one can readily add such a legend or add tooltips to display as you mouse over the data points on the plot. And set colors; line widths; filling between the lines or from each line to the axis or anywhere else; select where axis ticks go and how they are labeled; etc. The resulting Mathematica graphic can be exported in all kinds of formats, including png, for use elsewhere. This is not to knock J! I admire the addition. I have to confess, though, that I'm just a bit underwhelmed. One reason I say this is that if one over-hypes such additions to J, one could well be faced with reactions from others of "what's the big deal?" Murray [once again, the format of the beta list original message compilation got truncated when I tried to reply to it] On 7/29/2010 10:18 PM, [email protected] wrote: Message: 4 Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:06:17 -0400 From: Eric Iverson <[email protected]> Subject: [Jbeta] 1.0.12 JHS update available - Google Charts - a big deal To: Beta forum <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 A new JHS update is available. It adds a dozen lines of new J code and gives a hint at what is available through Google Charts. An interesting example of the power of browser/web/html/javascript and cloud computing. Use JAL (Package Manager) to install version 1.0.12 and then restart JHS. In jijx try: plotlines 'fubar';'abc|def';400 200; 2 10$?20#1000 plotpie 'fubar';'abc|def|ghi';400 200; 50 24 12 Look at the dead simple the J code. The functions just pack up the info for the chart you want and request it as a URL from the google charts web site and a png file is sent back in return. Amazing, state the art plotting with only a few lines in total of J code! And normal browser services allow you to save the png file, open in a new tab, etc. See google chart on the web for examples and documentation on all the possbilities. This exact same stuff is available to users of the JHS server at Jsoftware jum. You'll have to use jum to kill your task with the older version and restart you task with the new version and then the examples from above will work exactly the same. I think this is a big deal! -- Murray Eisenberg [email protected] Mathematics & Statistics Dept. Lederle Graduate Research Tower phone 413 549-1020 (H) University of Massachusetts 413 545-2859 (W) 710 North Pleasant Street fax 413 545-1801 Amherst, MA 01003-9305 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
