\(\newcommand{\footnotename}{footnote}\) \(\def \LWRfootnote {1}\) \(\newcommand {\footnote }[2][\LWRfootnote ]{{}^{\mathrm
{#1}}}\) \(\newcommand {\footnotemark }[1][\LWRfootnote ]{{}^{\mathrm {#1}}}\) \(\let \LWRorighspace \hspace \) \(\renewcommand
{\hspace }{\ifstar \LWRorighspace \LWRorighspace }\) \(\newcommand {\TextOrMath }[2]{#2}\) \(\newcommand {\mathnormal
}[1]{{#1}}\) \(\newcommand \ensuremath [1]{#1}\) \(\newcommand {\LWRframebox }[2][]{\fbox {#2}} \newcommand {\framebox
}[1][]{\LWRframebox } \) \(\newcommand {\setlength }[2]{}\) \(\newcommand {\addtolength }[2]{}\) \(\newcommand {\setcounter
}[2]{}\) \(\newcommand {\addtocounter }[2]{}\) \(\newcommand {\arabic }[1]{}\) \(\newcommand {\number }[1]{}\) \(\newcommand
{\noalign }[1]{\text {#1}\notag \\}\) \(\newcommand {\cline }[1]{}\) \(\newcommand {\directlua }[1]{\text {(directlua)}}\)
\(\newcommand {\luatexdirectlua }[1]{\text {(directlua)}}\) \(\newcommand {\protect }{}\) \(\def \LWRabsorbnumber #1 {}\) \(\def
\LWRabsorbquotenumber "#1 {}\) \(\newcommand {\LWRabsorboption }[1][]{}\) \(\newcommand {\LWRabsorbtwooptions
}[1][]{\LWRabsorboption }\) \(\def \mathchar {\ifnextchar "\LWRabsorbquotenumber \LWRabsorbnumber }\) \(\def \mathcode
#1={\mathchar }\) \(\let \delcode \mathcode \) \(\let \delimiter \mathchar \) \(\def \oe {\unicode {x0153}}\) \(\def \OE
{\unicode {x0152}}\) \(\def \ae {\unicode {x00E6}}\) \(\def \AE {\unicode {x00C6}}\) \(\def \aa {\unicode {x00E5}}\) \(\def \AA
{\unicode {x00C5}}\) \(\def \o {\unicode {x00F8}}\) \(\def \O {\unicode {x00D8}}\) \(\def \l {\unicode {x0142}}\) \(\def \L
{\unicode {x0141}}\) \(\def \ss {\unicode {x00DF}}\) \(\def \SS {\unicode {x1E9E}}\) \(\def \dag {\unicode {x2020}}\) \(\def
\ddag {\unicode {x2021}}\) \(\def \P {\unicode {x00B6}}\) \(\def \copyright {\unicode {x00A9}}\) \(\def \pounds {\unicode
{x00A3}}\) \(\let \LWRref \ref \) \(\renewcommand {\ref }{\ifstar \LWRref \LWRref }\) \( \newcommand {\multicolumn }[3]{#3}\)
\(\require {textcomp}\) \( \newcommand {\meta }[1]{\langle \textit {#1}\rangle } \) \(\newcommand {\toprule }[1][]{\hline }\)
\(\let \midrule \toprule \) \(\let \bottomrule \toprule \) \(\def \LWRbooktabscmidruleparen (#1)#2{}\) \(\newcommand
{\LWRbooktabscmidrulenoparen }[1]{}\) \(\newcommand {\cmidrule }[1][]{\ifnextchar (\LWRbooktabscmidruleparen
\LWRbooktabscmidrulenoparen }\) \(\newcommand {\morecmidrules }{}\) \(\newcommand {\specialrule }[3]{\hline }\) \(\newcommand
{\addlinespace }[1][]{}\) \(\require {colortbl}\) \(\let \LWRorigcolumncolor \columncolor \) \(\renewcommand {\columncolor
}[2][named]{\LWRorigcolumncolor [#1]{#2}\LWRabsorbtwooptions }\) \(\let \LWRorigrowcolor \rowcolor \) \(\renewcommand {\rowcolor
}[2][named]{\LWRorigrowcolor [#1]{#2}\LWRabsorbtwooptions }\) \(\let \LWRorigcellcolor \cellcolor \) \(\renewcommand {\cellcolor
}[2][named]{\LWRorigcellcolor [#1]{#2}\LWRabsorbtwooptions }\) \(\newcommand {\intertext }[1]{\text {#1}\notag \\}\) \(\let \Hat
\hat \) \(\let \Check \check \) \(\let \Tilde \tilde \) \(\let \Acute \acute \) \(\let \Grave \grave \) \(\let \Dot \dot \)
\(\let \Ddot \ddot \) \(\let \Breve \breve \) \(\let \Bar \bar \) \(\let \Vec \vec \) \(\newcommand {\nicefrac }[3][]{\mathinner
{{}^{#2}\!/\!_{#3}}}\)
Chapter 3 Step-by-Step Tutorials
Visualization of data is often necessary and convenient in order to analyze and communicate results of research, theses, or
perhaps just results.
pgfplots is a visualization tool. The motivation for pgfplots is that
you as end-user provide the data and the descriptions as input, and pgfplots takes care of rest such
as choosing suitable scaling factors, scaling to a prescribed target dimension, choosing a good displayed range, assigning tick
positions, drawing an axis with descriptions placed at appropriate places.
pgfplots is a solution for an old problem of visualization in
LaTeX: its descriptions use the same fonts as the embedding text, with exactly the same font sizes. Its direct embedding in
LaTeX
makes the use of
LaTeX’s powerful math mode as easy as possible: for any kind of axis descriptions up to user-defined annotations. It features
document-wide line-styles, color schemes, markers… all that makes up consistency.
pgfplots offers high-quality. At the same time, it is an embedded solution: it is largely
independent of 3rd party tools, although it features import functions to benefit from available tools.
Its main goal is: you provide your data and your descriptions – and pgfplots runs without more
input. If you want, you can customize what you want.