Creating Graphs
You can create graphs in several ways in Grapher. These methods include creating graphs with the graph wizard, from the Home tab commands, from the worksheet, and from templates.
Additional plots, axes, legends, titles, summation plots, duplicate axes, and magnifiers can be added to the graph after it is created. All properties of the plot can be edited after the graph is created.
Creating Graphs with the Graph Wizard
The Graph Wizard leads you through the necessary steps to create a new graph. This is often the fastest way to make a graph with multiple plots from a single data file. The Graph Wizard also makes it easy to add items such as axes, legends, and titles.
To create a graph with the graph wizard:
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Click the Home | Wizard | Wizard command.
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In the Graph Wizard - Select File dialog, select the data file for the graph from the Select File list. A preview of the data file is displayed in the Data Preview section.
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In the Graph Wizard - Select Plot Type dialog, choose a plot type for the new graph.
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In the Graph Wizard - Select Data Variables for Plot dialog, define the number of plots you wish to create and their associated data columns in the Data Columns section.
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In the Graph Wizard - Select Graph Options dialog, select which graph components you wish to display. If the graph contains multiple plots, you can select a Color palette for the plots as well.
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Click the Finish button to create the graph.
The graph is created with the specified properties. You can change the properties of a selected graph, plot, or axis through the Property Manager.
Creating Graphs in the Plot Window
The most common method of creating graphs is to use the Home | New Graph commands. To create a graph in the plot window:
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Click or scroll to the Home tab.
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In the New Graph group, click the Basic, Bar, Polar, Ternary, Specialty, Statistical, or Contour Surface plot category.
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Click on the plot type you would like to create.
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Select a data file in the Open Worksheet dialog and click Open. If you are creating a contour grid map or surface grid map, you are prompted for a .GRD file. If you are creating any type of function plot, you are not prompted for a data or grid file.
The graph is created with the default properties. You can change the properties of a selected plot or axis through the Property Manager.
Creating Graphs from the Worksheet
If you are working with the data in the worksheet, you can create a graph without switching to the plot window. Simply select the columns you wish to plot and choose the graph type you wish to create. To create a graph from the worksheet:
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Open the worksheet you wish to use for the plot or plots.
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Highlight the columns to use in the plot or plots.
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Click the Home tab. If you are using the Worksheet Manager, right-click in the worksheet and select Home | New Graph from the context menu.
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In the New Graph group, click the Basic, Bar, Polar, Ternary, Specialty, Statistical, or Contour Surface button. In the Worksheet Manager, click the Basic, Bar, Polar, Ternary, Specialty, Statistical, or Contour Surface in the context menu.
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Select the plot type you would like to create and the graph is created with the default plot properties.
When creating a graph with multiple plots, the plot colors are automatically varied. You can change the properties of a selected plot or axis through the Property Manager.
Creating Graphs Using Templates
Templates are used to set graphing preferences in Grapher. A template file does not contain any reference to a data file. This means that once the template graph is created, you can use the template to create a new graph with any compatible data set. To create a new plot from a template:
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Click the File | New | Plot from Template command.
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Select a .GRT template file in the Open dialog, and click Open.
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Select the data file to use with the template. Select the Use this worksheet for remaining items option if all the plots in a template use the same worksheet.
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Check the Set columns if you want to change the column specifications for individual plots in the graph.
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Click the Open button and the new plot is created.
You can change the properties of a selected plot or axis through the Property Manager. Refer to template graphs for information on creating or saving an edited template.