Chapter 6. A catalog of styles
This chapter covers
- Directives for choosing styles
- Gallery of plotting styles
- Pointers to additional styles
The next few chapters describe the different ways you can control the appearance of a plot: how to make it look just right. In this chapter we’ll discuss the various ways to display data, and in the next chapter we’ll talk about all the other stuff that goes onto a plot, such as labels, borders, arrows, and similar decorations. Because axes and their labels can provide so much relevant information about a plot, they’re given their own chapter (chapter 8). And finally, in chapter 9, we’ll discuss how you can customize the appearance of all plot elements, in case you don’t like the defaults.
Most of this chapter is taken up by a comprehensive gallery of available plotting styles. Feel free to treat it as a catalog: look at the pictures to see whether there’s anything you like and might want to use right away. As your needs change, you can always come back and check out what other styles are available.
In any case, be sure to read section 6.2, because it explains the mechanics of how to choose plot styles in gnuplot. The remainder of the chapter is optional (at this point).