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MATLAB Plotting Tools

    Anatomy of a Graph
        Figure ToolBars

    Plotting Tools -- Interactive Plotting
        Starting the Plotting Tools
        Plotting Tools Interface Overview
        The Figure Palette
        The Plot Browser
        The Property Editor
        Accessing All Object Properties -- Property Inspector

    Example -- Working with Plotting Tools
        Adding a Subplot

    Example -- Plotting Workspace Variables
        Plotting Expressions

    Example -- Specifying a Data Source
        Creating the Graph
        Varying the Data Source
        Data Sources for Multiobject Graphs

    Example -- Generating M-Code to Reproduce a Graph
        Data Arguments
        Limitations

    Editing Plots
        Interactive Plot Editing
        Using Functions to Edit Graphs

    Using Plot Edit Mode
        Starting Plot Edit Mode
        Exiting Plot Edit Mode
        Selecting Objects in a Graph
        Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Objects
        Moving and Resizing Objects
        Setting Object Properties
        Undo/Redo -- Eliminating Mistakes

    Saving Your Work
        Saving a Graph in MAT-File Format
        Saving to a Different Format -- Exporting Figures
        Printing Figures
        Generating an M-File to Recreate a Graph

Data Exploration Tools

    Ways to Explore Graphical Data
        Types of Tools

    Data Cursor -- Displaying Data Values Interactively
        Enabling Data Cursor Mode
        Display Style -- Datatip or Cursor Window
        Selection Style -- Select Data Points or Interpolate Points on Graph
        Exporting Data Value to Workspace Variable

    Zooming in 2-D and 3-D
        Zooming in 2-D Views

    Panning -- Moving Your View of the Graph
        2-D vs. 3-D Panning

    Rotate 3D -- Interactive Rotation of 3-D Views
        Enabling Rotate 3D
        Selecting Predefined Views
        Rotation Style for Complex Graphs
        Undo/Redo -- Eliminating Mistakes

    Analyzing Graphical Data
        Basic Curve Fitting
        Adding Plots of Basic Statistics to Graphs
        Examples
        Example -- Plotting the Mean of a Data Set
        Formatting Plots of Data Statistics
        Statistics Plotted by the Data Statistics Tool
        Viewing Statistics for Multiple Plots
        Saving Statistics to the MATLAB Workspace

Annotating Graphs

    How to Annotate Graphs
        Graph Annotation Features
        Enclosing Regions of a Graph in a Rectangle or an Ellipse
        Textbox Annotations
        Annotation Lines and Arrows
        Adding a Colorbar to a Graph
        Adding a Legend to a Graph
        Pinning -- Attaching to a Point in the Figure

    Alignment Tool -- Aligning and Distributing Objects
        Example -- Vertical Distribute, Horizontal Align
        Align/Distribute Menu Options
        Snap to Grid -- Aligning Objects on a Grid

    Adding Titles to Graphs
        Using the Title Option on the Insert Menu
        Using the Property Editor to Add a Title
        Using the title Function

    Adding Axis Labels to Graphs
        Using the Label Options on the Insert Menu
        Using the Property Editor to Add Axis Labels
        Using Axis-Label Commands

    Adding Text Annotations to Graphs
        Creating Text Annotations with the text or gtext Command
        Text Alignment
        Example -- Aligning Text
        Editing Text Objects
        Mathematical Symbols, Greek Letters, and TEX Characters
        Using Character and Numeric Variables in Text
        Example -- Multiline Text
        Drawing Text in a Box

    Adding Arrows and Lines to Graphs
        Creating Arrows and Lines in Plot Editing Mode
        Editing Arrows and Line Annotations

Basic Plotting Commands

    Basic Plotting Commands
        Plotting Steps
        Creating Line Plots
        Specifying Line Style
        Specifying the Color and Size of Lines
        Adding Plots to an Existing Graph
        Plotting Only the Data Points
        Plotting Markers and Lines
        Line Styles for Black and White Output
        Setting Default Line Styles

    Line Plots of Matrix Data
    Plotting Imaginary and Complex Data
    Plotting with Two Y-Axes
        Combining Linear and Logarithmic Axes

    Setting Axis Parameters
        Axis Limits and Ticks
        Example -- Specifying Ticks and Tick Labels
        Setting Aspect Ratio

    Figure Windows
        Displaying Multiple Plots per Figure
        Specifying the Target Axes
        Default Color Scheme

Creating Specialized Plots

    Bar and Area Graphs
        Types of Bar Graphs
        Stacked Bar Graphs to Show Contributing Amounts
        Specifying X-Axis Data
        Overlaying Plots on Bar Graphs
        Area Graphs
        Comparing Data Sets with Area Graphs

    Pie Charts
        Removing a Piece from a Pie Chart

    Histograms
        Histograms in Cartesian Coordinate Systems
        Histograms in Polar Coordinates
        Specifying Number of Bins

    Discrete Data Graphs
        Two-Dimensional Stem Plots
        Combining Stem Plots with Line Plots
        Three-Dimensional Stem Plots
        Stairstep Plots

    Direction and Velocity Vector Graphs
        Compass Plots
        Feather Plots
        Two-Dimensional Quiver Plots
        Three-Dimensional Quiver Plots

    Contour Plots
        Creating Simple Contour Plots
        Labeling Contours
        Filled Contours
        Drawing a Single Contour Line at a Desired Level
        The Contouring Algorithm
        Changing the Offset of a Contour
        Displaying Contours in Polar Coordinates

    Interactive Plotting
    Animation
        Movies
        Example -- Visualizing an FFT as a Movie
        Erase Modes

Displaying Bit-Mapped Images

    Overview
    Images in MATLAB
        Bit Depth Support
        Data Types

    Image Types
        Indexed Images
        Intensity Images
        RGB (Truecolor) Images

    Working with 8-Bit and 16-Bit Images
        8-Bit and 16-Bit Indexed Images
        8-Bit and 16-Bit Intensity Images
        8-Bit and 16-Bit RGB Images
        Mathematical Operations Support for uint8 and uint16
        Other 8-Bit and 16-Bit Array Support
        Converting an 8-Bit RGB Image to Grayscale
        Summary of Image Types and Numeric Classes

    Reading, Writing, and Querying Graphics Image Files
        Reading a Graphics Image
        Writing a Graphics Image
        Obtaining Information About Graphics Files

    Displaying Graphics Images
        Summary of Image Types and Display Methods
        Controlling Aspect Ratio and Display Size

    The Image Object and Its Properties
        Image CData
        Image CDataMapping
        XData and YData
        EraseMode
        Additional Techniques for Fast Image Updating

    Printing Images
    Converting the Data or Graphic Type of Images

Printing and Exporting

    Overview of Printing and Exporting
        Print and Export Operations
        Graphical User Interfaces
        Command Line Interface
        Specifying Parameters and Options
        Default Settings and How to Change Them

    How to Print or Export
        Using Print Preview
        Printing a Figure
        Printing to a File
        Exporting to a File
        Exporting to the Windows Clipboard

    Examples of Basic Operations
        Printing a Figure at Screen Size
        Printing with a Specific Paper Size
        Printing a Centered Figure
        Exporting in a Specific Graphics Format
        Exporting in EPS Format with a TIFF Preview
        Exporting a Figure to the Clipboard

    Changing a Figure's Settings
        Selecting the Figure
        Selecting the Printer
        Setting the Figure Size and Position
        Setting the Paper Size or Type
        Setting the Paper Orientation
        Selecting a Renderer
        Setting the Resolution
        Setting the Axes Ticks and Limits
        Setting the Background Color
        Setting Line and Text Characteristics
        Setting the Line and Text Color
        Setting CMYK Color
        Excluding User Interface Controls
        Producing Uncropped Figures

    Choosing a Graphics Format
        Frequently Used Graphics Formats
        Factors to Consider in Choosing a Format
        Properties Affected by Choice of Format
        Impact of Rendering Method on the Output
        Description of Selected Graphics Formats
        How to Specify a Format for Exporting

    Choosing a Printer Driver
        Types of Printer Drivers
        Factors to Consider in Choosing a Driver
        Driver-Specific Information
        How to Specify the Printer Driver to Use

    Troubleshooting
        Printing Problems
        Exporting Problems
        General Problems

Handle Graphics Objects

    Organization of Graphics Objects
    Types of Graphics Objects
        Information on Specific Graphics Objects

    Graphics Windows -- the Figure
        Figures Used for Graphing Data
        Figures Used for GUIs
        Root Object -- the Figure Parent
        More Information on Figures

    Core Graphics Objects
        Description of Core Graphics Objects
        Example -- Creating Core Graphics Objects
        Parenting
        High-Level Versus Low-Level
        Simplified Calling Syntax

    Plot Objects
        Creating a Plot Object
        Identifying Plot Objects Programmatically
        Linking Graphs to Variables -- Data Source Properties
        Plot Objects and Backward Compatibility

    Annotation Objects
        Annotation Object Properties
        Example -- Enclosing Subplots with an Annotation Rectangle

    Group Objects
        Creating a Group
        Transforming Objects
        Example -- Transforming a Hierarchy of Objects

    Object Properties
        Storing Object Information
        Changing Values
        Default Values
        Properties Common to All Objects

    Setting and Querying Property Values
        Setting Property Values
        Querying Property Values
        Factory-Defined Property Values

    Setting Default Property Values
        How MATLAB Searches for Default Values
        Defining Default Values
        Examples -- Setting Default Line Styles

    Accessing Object Handles
        Secial Object Handles
        The Current Figure, Axes, and Object
        Searching for Objects by Property Values -- findobj
        Copying Objects
        Deleting Objects

    Controlling Graphics Output
        Specifying the Target for Graphics Output
        Preparing Figures and Axes for Graphics
        Targeting Graphics Output with newplot
        Example -- Using newplot
        Testing for Hold State
        Protecting Figures and Axes
        The Figure Close Request Function
        Handle Validity Versus Handle Visibility

    Saving Handles in M-Files
    Properties Changed by Built-In Functions
    Objects That Can Contain Other Objects
        Using Panel Containers in Figures -- UIPanels
        Example -- Using Figure Panels
        Grouping Objects Within Axes -- hgtransform

    Callback Properties for Graphics Objects
        Graphics Object Callbacks
        User Interface Object Callbacks
        Figure Callbacks

    Function Handle Callbacks
        Function Handle Syntax
        Why Use Function Handle Callbacks

    Example -- Using Function Handles in GUIs
        Complete Example Code
        The GUI Layout
        Initialize the GUI
        The Callback Functions

    Optimizing Graphics Performance
        General Performance Guidelines
        Disable Automatic Modes
        Changing Graph Data Rapidly
        Performance of Bit-Mapped Images
        Performance of Patch Objects
        Performance of Surface Objects

Figure Properties

    Figure Objects
        Related Information About Figures

    Docking Figures in the Desktop
        Figure Properties That Affect Docking
        Creating a Nondockable Figure

    Positioning Figures
        The Position Vector
        Example -- Specifying Figure Position

    Figure Colormaps -- The Colormap Property
        Specifying the Figure Colormap

    Selecting Drawing Methods
        Backing Store
        Double Buffering
        Selecting a Renderer

    Specifying the Figure Pointer
        Defining Custom Pointers

Axes Properties

    Axes Objects -- Defining Coordinate Systems for Graphs
    Labeling and Appearance Properties
        Creating Axes with Specific Characteristics

    Positioning Axes
        The Position Vector
        Position Units

    Automatic Axes Resize
    Multiple Axes per Figure
        Placing Text Outside the Axes
        Multiple Axes for Different Scaling

    Individual Axis Control
        Setting Axis Limits
        Setting Tick Mark Locations
        Changing Axis Direction

    Using Multiple X- and Y-Axes
        Example -- Double Axis Graphs

    Automatic-Mode Properties
    Colors Controlled by Axes
        Specifying Axes Colors
        Axes Color Limits -- the CLim Property
        Example -- Simulating Multiple Colormaps in a Figure
        Calculating Color Limits
        Defining the Color of Lines for Plotting
        Line Styles Used for Plotting -- LineStyleOrder

Examples