The pylab hold command sets the hold variable for the current axes. If there is none, it makes one, hence the full-size axes on which your subplots are superimposed. The hold variable determines whether subsequent calls to something like "plot" erase the axes first, or superimpose their drawing on whatever was already there.
What is it you are really trying to do? Eric Peter Melchior wrote: > Hello everybody, > > when using this very simple script, I get three subplots which lie on top of a > empty plot covering the whole area of the figure: > > from numpy import * > from pylab import * > > hold(True) > subplot(311) > subplot(312) > subplot(313) > show() > > The result of this code can be viewed here: > https://www.ita.uni-heidelberg.de/~pmelchior/subplot_overlay.png > > If I leave out the line "hold(True)", which could also read "hold(False)", the > underlying plot disappears. > > Is there a way to avoid that? Or: Is there a preferred position for the "hold" > command? > > Best regards, > > Peter Melchior > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > Matplotlib-users mailing list > Matplotlib-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/matplotlib-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV _______________________________________________ Matplotlib-users mailing list Matplotlib-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/matplotlib-users
