Ryan May wrote: > They're the same plotting interface, just different names. Pylab pulls > in a few extra functions that aren't specific to plotting, but aid in > providing matlab-alike functionality. To use matplotlib.pyplot instead > of pylab for any of the examples, just replace lines of: > > import pylab > > with: > > import matplotlib.pyplot
Not quite--the above, taken literally, will not actually work. To elaborate: pyplot provides a matlab-style state-machine interface to the underlying object-oriented interface in matplotlib. Pylab lumps pyplot together with numpy in a single namespace, making that namespace (or environment) even more matlab-like, particularly if one uses the ipython shell with the "-pylab" option, which imports everything from pylab. Regarding matplotlib examples: we have been gradually converting them from pure matlab-style, using "from pylab import *", to a preferred style in which pyplot is used for some convenience functions, either pyplot or the object-oriented style is used for the remainder of the plotting code, and numpy is used explicitly for numeric array operations. In this preferred style, the imports at the top are: import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import numpy as np Then one calls, for example, np.arange, np.zeros, np.pi, plt.figure, plt.plot, plt.show, etc. Example, pure matlab-style: from pylab import * x = arange(0, 10, 0.2) y = sin(x) plot(x, y) show() Now in preferred style, but still using pyplot interface: import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import numpy as np x = np.arange(0, 10, 0.2) y = np.sin(x) plt.plot(x, y) plt.show() And using pyplot convenience functions, but object-orientation for the rest: import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import numpy as np x = np.arange(0, 10, 0.2) y = np.sin(x) fig = plt.figure() ax = fig.add_subplot(111) ax.plot(x, y) plt.show() So, why do all the extra typing required as one moves away from the pure matlab-style? For very simple things like this example, the only advantage is educational: the wordier styles are more explicit, more clear as to where things come from and what is going on. For more complicated applications, the explicitness and clarity become increasingly valuable, and the richer and more complete object-oriented interface will likely make the program easier to write and maintain. Eric > > Ryan > > On Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 11:29 AM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote: > > On Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 11:51:48AM -0400, Charlie Moad wrote: > > The matplotlib.pyplot is favored over the pylab module now. > > Thanks! I find your comment very interesting. As I have negligible > experience > with Matlab, I'd love to use matplotlib.pyplot. > > The problem is all the docs use pylab right? Where find > matplotlib.pyplot > examples? > > Chris > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by the Moblin Your Move Developer's > challenge > Build the coolest Linux based applications with Moblin SDK & win > great prizes > Grand prize is a trip for two to an Open Source event anywhere in > the world > http://moblin-contest.org/redirect.php?banner_id=100&url=/ > <http://moblin-contest.org/redirect.php?banner_id=100&url=/> > _______________________________________________ > Matplotlib-users mailing list > Matplotlib-users@lists.sourceforge.net > <mailto:Matplotlib-users@lists.sourceforge.net> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/matplotlib-users > > > > > -- > Ryan May > Graduate Research Assistant > School of Meteorology > University of Oklahoma > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by the Moblin Your Move Developer's challenge > Build the coolest Linux based applications with Moblin SDK & win great prizes > Grand prize is a trip for two to an Open Source event anywhere in the world > http://moblin-contest.org/redirect.php?banner_id=100&url=/ > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Matplotlib-users mailing list > Matplotlib-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/matplotlib-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by the Moblin Your Move Developer's challenge Build the coolest Linux based applications with Moblin SDK & win great prizes Grand prize is a trip for two to an Open Source event anywhere in the world http://moblin-contest.org/redirect.php?banner_id=100&url=/ _______________________________________________ Matplotlib-users mailing list Matplotlib-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/matplotlib-users
