1 gnuplot ? GNUPLOT is a command-driven interactive function plotting program. For help on any topic, type `help` followed by the name of the topic. The new GNUPLOT user should begin by reading the `introduction` topic (type `help introduction`) and about the `plot` command (type `help plot`). Additional help can be obtained from the USENET newsgroup comp.graphics.gnuplot. 2 copyright ?copyright Copyright (C) 1986 - 1993 Thomas Williams, Colin Kelley Permission to use, copy, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. Permission to modify the software is granted, but not the right to distribute the modified code. Modifications are to be distributed as patches to released version. This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty. AUTHORS Original Software: Thomas Williams, Colin Kelley. Gnuplot 2.0 additions: Russell Lang, Dave Kotz, John Campbell. Gnuplot 3.0 additions: Gershon Elber and many others. There is a mailing list for gnuplot users. Note, however, that the newsgroup comp.graphics.gnuplot is identical to the mailing list (they both carry the same set of messages). We prefer that you read the messages through that newsgroup, to subscribing to the mailing list. (If you can read that newsgroup, and are already on the mailing list, please send a message info-gnuplot-request@dartmouth.edu, asking to be removed from the mailing list.) The address for mailing to list members is info-gnuplot@dartmouth.edu and for mailing administrative requests is info-gnuplot-request@dartmouth.edu The mailing list for bug reports is bug-gnuplot@dartmouth.edu The list of those interested in beta-test versions is info-gnuplot-beta@dartmouth.edu 2 introduction ?introduction GNUPLOT is a command-driven interactive function plotting program. It is case sensitive (commands and function names written in lowercase are not the same as those written in CAPS). All command names may be abbreviated, as long as the abbreviation is not ambiguous. Any number of commands may appear on a line, separated by semicolons (;). Strings are indicated with quotes. They may be either single or double quotation marks, e.g., load "filename" cd 'dir' Any command-line arguments are assumed to be names of files containing GNUPLOT commands, with the exception of standard X11 arguments, which are processed first. Each file is loaded with the `load` command, in the order specified. GNUPLOT exits after the last file is processed. When no load files are named, gnuplot enters into an interactive mode. Commands may extend over several input lines, by ending each line but the last with a backslash (\). The backslash must be the LAST character on each line. The effect is as if the backslash and newline were not there. That is, no white space is implied, nor is a comment terminated. Therefore, commenting out a continued line comments out the entire command (see `comment`). In this documentation, curly braces ({}) denote optional arguments to many commands, and a vertical bar (|) separates mutually exclusive choices. GNUPLOT keywords or help topics are indicated by backquotes or `boldface` (where available). Angle brackets (<>) are used to mark replaceable tokens. For help on any topic, type `help` followed by the name of the topic. The new GNUPLOT user should begin by reading about the `plot` command (type `help plot`). 2 cd ?cd The `cd` command changes the working directory. Syntax: cd "" The directory name must be enclosed in quotes. Examples: cd 'subdir' cd ".." 2 clear ?clear The `clear` command erases the current screen or output device as specified by `set output`. This usually generates a formfeed on hardcopy devices. Use `set terminal` to set the device type. 2 command line-editing ?line-editing ?editing ?history ?command line-editing The Unix, Atari, VMS, MS-DOS and OS/2 versions of GNUPLOT support command line-editing. Also, a history mechanism allows previous commands to be edited, and re-executed. After the command line has been edited, a newline or carriage return will enter the entire line regardless of where the cursor is positioned. The editing commands are as follows: @start table - first is interactive cleartext form `Line-editing`: ^B moves back a single character. ^F moves forward a single character. ^A moves to the beginning of the line. ^E moves to the end of the line. ^H and DEL delete the previous character. ^D deletes the current character. ^K deletes from current position to the end of line. ^L,^R redraws line in case it gets trashed. ^U deletes the entire line. ^W deletes the last word. `History`: ^P moves back through history. ^N moves forward through history. #Character && Function \\ \hline #\multicolumn{3}{|c|}{Line Editing}\\ #\verb~^B~ && move back a single character.\\ #\verb~^F~ && move forward a single character.\\ #\verb~^A~ && move to the beginning of the line.\\ #\verb~^E~ && move to the end of the line.\\ #\verb~^H, DEL~ && delete the previous character.\\ #\verb~^D~ && delete the current character.\\ #\verb~^K~ && delete from current position to the end of line.\\ #\verb~^L, ^R~ && redraw line in case it gets trashed.\\ #\verb~^U~ && delete the entire line. \\ #\verb~^W~ && delete from the current word to the end of line. \\ \hline #\multicolumn{3}{|c|}{History} \\ #\verb~^P~ && move back through history.\\ #\verb~^N~ && move forward through history.\\ %Character@@Function %_ %@@Line Editing %^B@@move back a single character. %^F@@move forward a single character. %^A@@move to the beginning of the line. %^E@@move to the end of the line. %^H, DEL@@delete the previous character. %^D@@delete the current character. %^K@@delete from current position to the end of line. %^L, ^R@@redraw line in case it gets trashed. %^U@@delete the entire line. %^W@@delete from the current word to the end of line. %_ %@@History %^P@@move back through history. %^N@@move forward through history. @end table On the IBM PC the use of a TSR program such as DOSEDIT or CED may be desired for line editing. For such a case GNUPLOT may be compiled with no line editing capability (default makefile setup). Set READLINE in the makefile and add readline.obj to the link file if GNUPLOT line editing is to be used for the IBM PC. The following arrow keys may be used on the IBM PC and Atari versions if readline is used: @start table - first is interactive cleartext form Left Arrow - same as ^B. Right Arrow - same as ^F. Ctl Left Arrow - same as ^A. Ctl Right Arrow - same as ^E. Up Arrow - same as ^P. Down Arrow - same as ^N. #Arrow key & Function & \\ \hline #Left & same as \verb~^B~. & \\ #Right & same as \verb~^F~. & \\ #Ctl Left & same as \verb~^A~. & \\ #Ctl Right & same as \verb~^E~. & \\ #Up & same as \verb~^P~. & \\ #Down & same as \verb~^N~. & \\ %Arrow key@@Function %_ %Left Arrow@@same as ^B. %Right Arrow@@same as ^F. %Ctl Left Arrow@@same as ^A. %Ctl Right Arrow@@same as ^E. %Up Arrow@@same as ^P. %Down Arrow@@same as ^N. %_ @end table The Atari version of readline defines some additional key aliases: @start table - first is interactive cleartext form Undo - same as ^L. Home - same as ^A. Ctrl Home - same as ^E. ESC - same as ^U. Help - `help' plus return. Ctrl Help - `help '. #Arrow key & Function & \\ \hline #Undo & same as \verb~^L~. & \\ #Home & same as \verb~^A~. & \\ #Ctrl Home & same as \verb~^E~. & \\ #ESC & same as \verb~^U~. & \\ #Help & `{\bf help}' plus return. & \\ #Ctrl Help & `{\bf help }'. & \\ %Arrow key@@Function %_ %Undo@@same as ^L. %Home@@same as ^A. %Ctrl Home@@same as ^E. %ESC@@same as ^U. %Help@@help plus return. %Ctrl Help@@help . %_ @end table (The readline function in gnuplot is not the same as the readline used in GNU BASH and GNU EMACS. It is somewhat compatible however.) 2 comment ?comments Comments are supported as follows: a # may appear in most places in a line and GNUPLOT will ignore the rest of the line. It will not have this effect inside quotes, inside numbers (including complex numbers), inside command substitutions, etc. In short, it works anywhere it makes sense to work. 2 environment ?environment A number of shell environment variables are understood by GNUPLOT. None of these are required, but may be useful. If GNUTERM is defined, it is used as the name of the terminal type to be used. This overrides any terminal type sensed by GNUPLOT on start up, but is itself overridden by the .gnuplot (or equivalent) start-up file (see `start-up`), and of course by later explicit changes. On Unix, AmigaDOS, AtariTOS, MS-DOS and OS/2, GNUHELP may be defined to be the pathname of the HELP file (gnuplot.gih). On VMS, the symbol GNUPLOT$HELP should be defined as the name of the help library for GNUPLOT. On Unix, HOME is used as the name of a directory to search for a .gnuplot file if none is found in the current directory. On AmigaDOS, AtariTOS, MS-DOS and OS/2, GNUPLOT is used. On VMS, SYS$LOGIN: is used. See `help start-up`. On Unix, PAGER is used as an output filter for help messages. On Unix, AtariTOS and AmigaDOS, SHELL is used for the `shell` command. On MS-DOS and OS/2, COMSPEC is used for the `shell` command. On AmigaDOS, GNUFONT is used for the screen font. For example: "setenv GNUFONT sapphire/14". On MS-DOS, if the BGI interface is used, the variable `BGI` is used to point to the full path of the BGI drivers directory. Furthermore SVGA is used to name the Super VGA BGI driver in 800x600 res., and its mode of operation as 'Name.Mode'. E.g., if the Super VGA driver is C:\TC\BGI\SVGADRV.BGI and mode 3 is used for 800x600 res., then: 'set BGI=C:\TC\BGI' and 'set SVGA=SVGADRV.3'. 2 exit ?exit ?quit The commands `exit` and `quit` and the END-OF-FILE character will exit GNUPLOT. All these commands will clear the output device (as the `clear` command does) before exiting. 2 expressions ?expressions In general, any mathematical expression accepted by C, FORTRAN, Pascal, or BASIC is valid. The precedence of these operators is determined by the specifications of the C programming language. White space (spaces and tabs) is ignored inside expressions. Complex constants may be expressed as the {,}, where and must be numerical constants. For example, {3,2} represents 3 + 2i; {0,1} represents `i` itself. The curly braces are explicitly required here. 3 functions ?expressions functions ?functions The functions in GNUPLOT are the same as the corresponding functions in the Unix math library, except that all functions accept integer, real, and complex arguments, unless otherwise noted. The `sgn` function is also supported, as in BASIC. @start table #Function & Arguments & Returns \\ \hline %Function@Arguments@Returns %_ 4 abs ?expressions functions abs ?functions abs ?abs #abs(x) & any & absolute value of {\tt x}, $|x|$; same type \\ #abs(x) & complex & length of {\tt x}, $\sqrt{{\mbox{real}(x)^{2} + #\mbox{imag}(x)^{2}}}$ \\ %abs(x)@any@absolute value of x, $|x|$; same type %abs(x)@complex@length of x, $sqrt{roman real (x) sup 2 + roman imag (x) sup 2}$ The `abs` function returns the absolute value of its argument. The returned value is of the same type as the argument. For complex arguments, abs(x) is defined as the length of x in the complex plane [i.e., sqrt(real(x)**2 + imag(x)**2) ]. 4 acos ?expressions functions acos ?functions acos ?acos #acos(x) & any & $\cos^{-1} x$ (inverse cosine) in radians \\ %acos(x)@any@$cos sup -1 x$ (inverse cosine) in radians The `acos` function returns the arc cosine (inverse cosine) of its argument. `acos` returns its argument in radians. 4 arg ?expressions functions arg ?functions arg ?arg #arg(x) & complex & the phase of $x$ in radians\\ %arg(x)@complex@the phase of $x$ in radians The `arg` function returns the phase of a complex number, in radians. 4 asin ?expressions functions asin ?functions asin ?asin #asin(x) & any & $\sin^{-1} x$ (inverse sin) in radians \\ %asin(x)@any@$sin sup -1 x$ (inverse sin) in radians The `asin` function returns the arc sin (inverse sin) of its argument. `asin` returns its argument in radians. 4 atan ?expressions functions atan ?functions atan ?atan #atan(x) & any & $\tan^{-1} x$ (inverse tangent) in radians \\ %atan(x)@any@$tan sup -1 x$ (inverse tangent) in radians The `atan` function returns the arc tangent (inverse tangent) of its argument. `atan` returns its argument in radians. 4 besj0 ?expressions functions besj0 ?functions besj0 ?besj0 #besj0(x) & radians & $j_{0}$ Bessel function of $x$ \\ %besj0(x)@radians@$j sub 0$ Bessel function of $x$ The `besj0` function returns the j0th Bessel function of its argument. `besj0` expects its argument to be in radians. 4 besj1 ?expressions functions besj1 ?functions besj1 ?besj1 #besj1(x) & radians & $j_{1}$ Bessel function of $x$ \\ %besj1(x)@radians@$j sub 1$ Bessel function of $x$ The `besj1` function returns the j1st Bessel function of its argument. `besj1` expects its argument to be in radians. 4 besy0 ?expressions functions besy0 ?functions besy0 ?besy0 #besy0(x) & radians & $y_{0}$ Bessel function of $x$ \\ %besy0(x)@radians@$y sub 0$ Bessel function of $x$ The `besy0` function returns the y0th Bessel function of its argument. `besy0` expects its argument to be in radians. 4 besy1 ?expressions functions besy1 ?functions besy1 ?besy1 #besy1(x) & radians & $y_{1}$ Bessel function of $x$ \\ %besy1(x)@radians@$y sub 1$ Bessel function of $x$ The `besy1` function returns the y1st Bessel function of its argument. `besy1` expects its argument to be in radians. 4 ceil ?expressions functions ceil ?functions ceil ?ceil #ceil(x) & any & $\lceil x \rceil$, smallest integer not less than $x$ #(real part) \\ %ceil(x)@any@$left ceiling x right ceiling$, smallest integer not less than $x$ (real part) The `ceil` function returns the smallest integer that is not less than its argument. For complex numbers, `ceil` returns the smallest integer not less than the real part of its argument. 4 cos ?expressions functions cos ?functions cos ?cos #cos(x) & radians & $\cos x$, cosine of $x$ \\ %cos(x)@radians@$cos~x$, cosine of $x$ The `cos` function returns the cosine of its argument. `cos` expects its argument to be in radians. 4 cosh ?expressions functions cosh ?functions cosh ?cosh #cosh(x) & radians & $\cosh x$, hyperbolic cosine of $x$ \\ %cosh(x)@radians@$cosh~x$, hyperbolic cosine of $x$ The `cosh` function returns the hyperbolic cosine of its argument. `cosh` expects its argument to be in radians. 4 erf ?expressions functions erf ?functions erf ?erf #erf(x) & any & $\mbox{Erf}(\mbox{real}(x))$, error function of real($x$) \\ %erf(x)@any@$erf ( roman real (x))$, error function of real ($x$) The `erf` function returns the error function of the real part of its argument. If the argument is a complex value, the imaginary component is ignored. 4 erfc ?expressions functions erfc ?functions erfc ?erfc #erfc(x) & any & $\mbox{Erfc}(\mbox{real}(x))$, 1.0 - error function of real($x$) \\ %erfc(x)@any@$erfc ( roman real (x))$, 1.0 - error function of real ($x$) The `erfc` function returns 1.0 - the error function of the real part of its argument. If the argument is a complex value, the imaginary component is ignored. 4 exp ?expressions functions exp ?functions exp ?exp #exp(x) & any & $e^{x}$, exponential function of $x$ \\ %exp(x)@any@$e sup x$, exponential function of $x$ The `exp` function returns the exponential function of its argument (`e` raised to the power of its argument). 4 floor ?expressions functions floor ?functions floor ?floor #floor(x) & any & $\lfloor x \rfloor$, largest integer not greater #than $x$ (real part) \\ %floor(x)@any@$left floor x right floor$, largest integer not greater than $x$ (real part) The `floor` function returns the largest integer not greater than its argument. For complex numbers, `floor` returns the largest integer not greater than the real part of its argument. 4 gamma ?expressions functions gamma ?functions gamma ?gamma #gamma(x) & any & $\mbox{Gamma}(\mbox{real}(x))$, gamma function of real($x$) \\ %gamma(x)@any@$GAMMA ( roman real (x))$, gamma function of real ($x$) The `gamma` function returns the gamma function of the real part of its argument. For integer n, gamma(n+1) = n! . If the argument is a complex value, the imaginary component is ignored. 4 ibeta ?expressions functions ibeta ?functions ibeta ?ibeta #ibeta(p,q,x) & any & $\mbox{Ibeta}(\mbox{real}(p,q,x))$, ibeta function of real($p$,$q$,$x$) \\ %ibeta(p,q,x)@any@$Ibeta ( roman real (p,q,x))$, ibeta function of real ($p$,$q$,$x$) The `ibeta` function returns the incomplete beta function of the real parts of its arguments. p, q > 0 and x in [0:1] If the arguments are complex, the imaginary components are ignored. 4 inverf ?expressions functions inverf ?functions inverf ?inverf #inverf(x) & any & inverse error function of real($x$) \\ %inverf(x)@any@inverse error function real($x$) The `inverf` function returns the inverse error function of the real part of its argument. 4 igamma ?expressions functions igamma ?functions igamma ?igamma #igamma(a,x) & any & $\mbox{Igamma}(\mbox{real}(a,x))$, igamma function of real($a$,$x$) \\ %igamma(a,x)@any@$Igamma ( roman real (a,x))$, igamma function of real ($a$,$x$) The `igamma` function returns the incomplete gamma function of the real parts of its arguments. a > 0 and x >= 0 If the arguments are complex, the imaginary components are ignored. 4 imag ?expressions functions imag ?functions imag ?imag #imag(x) & complex & imaginary part of $x$ as a real number \\ %imag(x)@complex@imaginary part of $x$ as a real number The `imag` function returns the imaginary part of its argument as a real number. 4 invnorm ?expressions functions invnorm ?functions invnorm ?invnorm #invnorm(x) & any & inverse normal distribution function of real($x$) \\ %invnorm(x)@any@inverse normal distribution function real($x$) The `invnorm` function returns the inverse normal distribution function of the real part of its argument. 4 int ?expressions functions int ?functions int ?int #int(x) & real & integer part of $x$, truncated toward zero \\ %int(x)@real@integer part of $x,$ truncated toward zero The `int` function returns the integer part of its argument, truncated toward zero. 4 lgamma ?expressions functions lgamma ?functions lgamma ?lgamma #lgamma(x) & any & $\mbox{Lgamma}(\mbox{real}(x))$, lgamma function of real($x$) \\ %lgamma(x)@any@$Lgamma ( roman real (x))$, lgamma function of real ($x$) The `lgamma` function returns the natural logarithm of the gamma function of the real part of its argument. If the argument is a complex value, the imaginary component is ignored. 4 log ?expressions functions log ?functions log ?log #log(x) & any & $\log_{e} x$, natural logarithm (base $e$) of $x$ \\ %log(x)@any@$ln~x$, natural logarithm (base $e$) of $x$ The `log` function returns the natural logarithm (base `e`) of its argument. 4 log10 ?expressions functions log10 ?functions log10 ?log10 #log10(x) & any & $\log_{10} x$, logarithm (base $10$) of $x$ \\ %log10(x)@any@${log sub 10}~x$, logarithm (base $10$) of $x$ The `log10` function returns the logarithm (base 10) of its argument. 4 norm ?expressions functions norm ?functions norm ?norm #norm(x) & any & normal distribution (Gaussian) function of real($x$) \\ %norm(x)@any@$norm(x),$ normal distribution function of real($x$) The `norm` function returns the normal distribution function (or Gaussian) of the real part of its argument. 4 rand ?expressions functions rand ?functions rand ?rand #rand(x) & any & $\mbox{Rand}(\mbox{real}(x))$, pseudo random number generator \\ %rand(x)@any@$rand ( roman real (x))$, pseudo random number generator The `rand` function returns a pseudo random number in the interval [0:1] using the real part of its argument as a seed. If seed < 0 the sequence is (re)initialized. If the argument is a complex value, the imaginary component is ignored. 4 real ?expressions functions real ?functions real ?real #real(x) & any & real part of $x$ \\ %real(x)@any@real part of $x$ The `real` function returns the real part of its argument. 4 sgn ?expressions functions sgn ?functions sgn ?sgn #sgn(x) & any & 1 if $x>0$, -1 if $x<0$, 0 if $x=0$. imag($x$) ignored \\ %sgn(x)@any@1 if $x > 0$, -1 if $x < 0$, 0 if $x = 0$. $roman imag (x)$ ignored The `sgn` function returns 1 if its argument is positive, -1 if its argument is negative, and 0 if its argument is 0. If the argument is a complex value, the imaginary component is ignored. 4 sin ?expressions functions sin ?functions sin ?sin #sin(x) & radians & $\sin x$, sine of $x$ \\ %sin(x)@radians@$sin~x$, sine of $x$ The `sin` function returns the sine of its argument. `sin` expects its argument to be in radians. 4 sinh ?expressions functions sinh ?functions sinh ?sinh #sinh(x) & radians & $\sinh x$, hyperbolic sine $x$ \\ %sinh(x)@radians@$sinh~x$, hyperbolic sine $x$ The `sinh` function returns the hyperbolic sine of its argument. `sinh` expects its argument to be in radians. 4 sqrt ?expressions functions sqrt ?functions sqrt ?sqrt #sqrt(x) & any & $\sqrt{x}$, square root of $x$ \\ %sqrt(x)@any@$sqrt x $, square root of $x$ The `sqrt` function returns the square root of its argument. 4 tan ?expressions functions tan ?functions tan ?tan #tan(x) & radians & $\tan x$, tangent of $x$ \\ %tan(x)@radians@$tan~x$, tangent of $x$ The `tan` function returns the tangent of its argument. `tan` expects its argument to be in radians. 4 tanh ?expressions functions tanh ?functions tanh ?tanh #tanh(x) & radians & $\tanh x$, hyperbolic tangent of $x$\\ %tanh(x)@radians@$tanh~x$, hyperbolic tangent of $x$ The `tanh` function returns the hyperbolic tangent of its argument. `tanh` expects its argument to be in radians. @end table 3 operators ?expressions operators ?operators The operators in GNUPLOT are the same as the corresponding operators in the C programming language, except that all operators accept integer, real, and complex arguments, unless otherwise noted. The ** operator (exponentiation) is supported, as in FORTRAN. Parentheses may be used to change order of evaluation. 4 binary ?expressions operators binary ?operators binary ?binary The following is a list of all the binary operators and their usages: @start table - first is interactive cleartext form Symbol Example Explanation ** a**b exponentiation * a*b multiplication / a/b division % a%b * modulo + a+b addition - a-b subtraction == a==b equality != a!=b inequality & a&b * bitwise AND ^ a^b * bitwise exclusive OR | a|b * bitwise inclusive OR && a&&b * logical AND || a||b * logical OR ?: a?b:c * ternary operation #\multicolumn{3}{|c|}{Binary Operators} \\ #Symbol & Example & Explanation \\ \hline #\verb~**~ & \verb~a**b~ & exponentiation\\ #\verb~*~ & \verb~a*b~ & multiplication\\ #\verb~/~ & \verb~a/b~ & division\\ #\verb~%~ & \verb~a%b~ & * modulo\\ #\verb~+~ & \verb~a+b~ & addition\\ #\verb~-~ & \verb~a-b~ & subtraction\\ #\verb~==~ & \verb~a==b~ & equality\\ #\verb~!=~ & \verb~a!=b~ & inequality\\ #\verb~&~ & \verb~a&b~ & * bitwise AND\\ #\verb~^~ & \verb~a^b~ & * bitwise exclusive OR\\ #\verb~|~ & \verb~a|b~ & * bitwise inclusive OR\\ #\verb~&&~ & \verb~a&&b~ & * logical AND\\ #\verb~||~ & \verb~a||b~ & * logical OR\\ #\verb~?:~ & \verb~a?b:c~ & * ternary operation\\ %Symbol@Example@Explanation %_ %**@a**b@exponentiation %*@a*b@multiplication %/@a/b@division %%@a%b@* modulo %+@a+b@addition %-@a-b@subtraction %==@a==b@equality %!=@a!=b@inequality %&@a&b@* bitwise AND %^@a^b@* bitwise exclusive OR %|@a|b@* bitwise inclusive OR %&&@a&&b@* logical AND %||@a||b@* logical OR %?:@a?b:c@* ternary operation @end table (*) Starred explanations indicate that the operator requires integer arguments. Logical AND (&&) and OR (||) short-circuit the way they do in C. That is, the second && operand is not evaluated if the first is false; the second || operand is not evaluated if the first is true. The ternary operator evaluates its first argument (a). If it is true (non-zero) the second argument (b) is evaluated and returned, otherwise the third argument (c) is evaluated and returned. 4 unary ?expressions operators unary ?operators unary ?unary The following is a list of all the unary operators and their usages: @start table - first is interactive cleartext form Symbol Example Explanation - -a unary minus ~ ~a * one's complement ! !a * logical negation ! a! * factorial #\multicolumn{3}{|c|}{Unary Operators}\\ #Symbol & Example & Explanation \\ \hline #\verb@-@ & \verb@-a@ & unary minus \\ #\verb@~@ & \verb@~a@ & * one's complement \\ #\verb@!@ & \verb@!a@ & * logical negation \\ #\verb@!@ & \verb@a!@ & * factorial \\ %-@-a@unary minus %~@~a@* one's complement %!@!a@* logical negation %!@a!@* factorial @end table (*) Starred explanations indicate that the operator requires an integer argument. The factorial operator returns a real number to allow a greater range. 2 help ?help The `help` command displays on-line help. To specify information on a particular topic use the syntax: help {} If is not specified, a short message is printed about GNUPLOT. After help for the requested topic is given, help for a subtopic may be requested by typing its name, extending the help request. After that subtopic has been printed, the request may be extended again, or simply pressing return goes back one level to the previous topic. Eventually, the GNUPLOT command line will return. 2 load ?load The `load` command executes each line of the specified input file as if it had been typed in interactively. Files created by the `save` command can later be `load`ed. Any text file containing valid commands can be created and then executed by the `load` command. Files being `load`ed may themselves contain `load` commands. See `comment` for information about comments in commands. The `load` command must be the last command on the line. Syntax: load "" The name of the input file must be enclosed in quotes. Examples: load 'work.gnu' load "func.dat" The `load` command is performed implicitly on any file names given as arguments to GNUPLOT. These are loaded in the order specified, and then GNUPLOT exits. 2 pause ?pause The `pause` command displays any text associated with the command and then waits a specified amount of time or until the carriage return is pressed. `pause` is especially useful in conjunction with `load` files. Syntax: pause