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Plotting Mode

Plotting Mode enables creation of scatter plots to visualize relationships between datasets. This mode provides tools for selecting data sources, configuring plot parameters, and generating matplotlib visualizations.

Purpose

Plotting Mode is designed for:

  • Creating scatter plots from numeric datasets
  • Exploring relationships between different variables

Entering Plotting Mode

From Normal Mode, press p to enter Plotting Mode.

Keyboard Reference

Axis Selection

Key Action Description
x Select X-axis Use dataset under cursor as x-axis data
y Select Y-axis Use dataset under cursor as y-axis data

Plot Configuration

Key Action Description
e Edit Configuration Edit plot configuration editor (when parameters available)
Enter Edit Parameter Edit the parameter under cursor (when in config mode)
r Reset Configuration Reset plot configuration to defaults

Plot Generation

Key Action Description
p Plot Generate and display the scatter plot
P Plot and Save Generate plot and save to file

Mode Control

Key Action Description
q Exit Plotting Mode Return to Normal Mode or exit configuration

Basic Workflow

  1. Navigate to first dataset in Normal Mode
  2. Press p to enter Plotting Mode
  3. Press x to select x-axis dataset
  4. Navigate to second dataset
  5. Press y to select y-axis dataset
  6. Press p to generate scatter plot

Configuration

Plot Configuration:

  • e - Edit plot configuration (when both axes selected)
  • r - Reset configuration to defaults
  • Enter - Edit selected parameter (when in config mode)
  • P - Generate plot and save to file

Available Parameters:

  • X/Y axis scaling (linear or logarithmic)
  • Point size and transparency
  • Color schemes
  • Axis ranges

Scale Toggling

Plotting Mode provides direct key bindings for toggling axis scales:

Toggle X-Scale (X) / Toggle Y-Scale (Y)

  • Toggle x/y-axis between linear and logarithmic scale
  • Validates x/y-axis data range is computed before toggling
  • Checks data compatibility when switching to log scale (must be strictly positive)
  • Shows clear error if log scale is incompatible with data (negative/zero values)
  • Provides immediate feedback with exact minimum value for diagnosis

Error Handling

Data Range Validation

  • Operations like toggling scales require the data range to be computed first
  • If you see "data range not yet computed", ensure you've selected datasets with x and y
  • The system automatically waits for data range computation to finish, preventing race conditions

Logarithmic Scale Errors

  • Negative values with log scale: Error message indicates data contains negative values incompatible with logarithmic scale, showing exact minimum value
  • Zero values with log scale: Error message indicates data contains zero values incompatible with logarithmic scale, showing exact minimum value
  • Immediate validation: Scale compatibility is checked immediately when toggling to log scale

Tips

Start Simple

Begin with basic scatter plots using default settings. Adjust configurations as needed for better visualization.

Log Scale Constraints

Logarithmic scales require strictly positive values. The system will prevent you from using log scales with negative or zero data and display a clear error message.