RFigure version 3

Forewords

RFigure is a program that deals save in a specific file (whose extension is rfig3) the data and the code that is needed to produce a matplotlib figure. When creating a rfig3 file, is saved separately the data to display and the instructions executed to display.

This code is written by R. Dessalles (Grumpfou) for the most part (the only exceptions are the code in REditors that are adapted from example on the web). It is proposed under the license GNU General Public License v3.0 (unless some part of the code when specified otherwise like REditors, when written by somebody else). It is written in Python 3.6.6.

Install

In a terminal, go in the same folder in which the sources have been installed, and use the following command lines:

pip install .

Alternately, you can explicitly save in you user directories using:

pip install --user .

Note: It is possible that by using the --user option, the script rfig is not saved in a directory which is in the environment variable "PATH". In that case, be sure to add the directory that contains rfig* (usually ~/.local/bin/) to "PATH" manually (see https://askubuntu.com/questions/799302/ubuntu-cant-find-an-executable-file-in-local-bin)

Usages

Quick Example with console

Open Python terminal and try:

import RFigure,numpy
X = numpy.arange(0,10,0.1)
Y = numpy.cos(X)
i = "plot(X,Y)" # the instructions
d = dict(X=X,Y=Y) # the data to display
c = "This is a test" # the commentaries associate with the figures
rf = RFigure.RFigureCore(d=d,i=i,c=c)
rf.show() # execute the instructions to be sure it works
rf.save(filepath='./Test.rfig3') # only save the rfig3 file
rf.save(filepath='./Test.rfig3',fig_type='pdf') # save the rfig3 file as well as the pdf associated

Note that the data contained in d should be either int,float, str,bool,numpy.ndarray, pandas.DataFrame or data collections (list, tuple or dict) that contains supported types.

Example with graphical application

Once a rfig3 file is saved, one can use the graphical interface to modify the instructions using the script automatically installed rfig:

$ rfig ./Test.rfig3

In which case you have the following interface:

Example using a magic function in Jupyter notebooks (IPython)

A Jupyter magic function exists to automatically save figures from Jupyter notebooks. It is available in the RFigure.RFigureMagics module.

To import the magic in the Jupyter notebook, use:

%load_ext RFigure.RFigureMagics

Then you can directly save RFigures using the %%rfig magic function: you specify the name of the file and it will create a RFigure according by taking the instructions of the cell as in the follow example:

In[1]:
> X = np.arange(0,10,.1)
> Y = np.cos(a)

In[2]:
> %%rfig_save "Test"
> # search the variables in the instructions, no comment and save in pdf
> plt.plot(X,Y)

The magic function tries to automatically detect what local variables need to be save (in the example, X and Y).

How the code is organized

• RFigureCore is a direct tool used in the scripts to create the files.
• RFigureGui is a gui interface used to modify a posteriori the instructions
• RFigureConfig: contains the header that will be execute before any instructions. It typically import numpy and matplotlib as the magic function %pyplot does in Jupyter/IPython
• RFigurePickle: handles the coding and decoding of information contained in rfig3 files. Works in the same way as the regular pickle library of python
• REditors: contains the Syntax Highlighters used to display the python code (for the instructions) and the markdown code (for the commentaries).
• RFigureMagics: contains the magic functions that can be used in Jupyter/QtConsole.
• RFigureMisc: various functions

Miscelaneous

• By default, numpy and pyplot are already imported when executing the instructions (similar to the magic function %pyplot does in Jupyter/IPython)
• Local Header: When the program detects a file with the name .RFigureHeaderLocal.py in the same directory as the file, it adds it to the header (can be used to specify the font for all the rfig3 of the directory for instance).
• Format name: the RFigureCore method formatName (or push the button in the gui interface) will format the name of the figure as Figure_YYYYMMDD_foo.rfig3 (where YYYYMMDD stands for the current date).
• Shortcurts in the graphical interface:
  • Ctrl+S will save the file;
  • Ctrl+M or Ctrl+Enter will show the figure.
  • Ctrl+/ will comment/uncomment the block
  • Ctrl+↑ will move line(s) up
  • Ctrl+↓ will move line(s) down
  • Ctrl+Shift+D will duplicate the line(s)
  • Ctrl+Shift+K will delete the line(s)
• SF_INSTRUCTIONS command: (deprecated, use the magic function %%rfig_save instead) when the instructions in input contained at some point the line

#! SF_INSTRUCTIONS

the program considers the instructions begin only at this point. It is useful when using it with a Jupyter notebook:

In[]:
> X = numpy.arange(0,10,0.1)
> d=dict(X=X)
> rf = RFigure3.RFigureCore(i=In[-1],d=d)
> rf.save(filepath='./Test.rfig3')
> #! SF_INSTRUCTIONS
> X=arange(0,10,0.1)
> plot(X,cos(X))

Will save figure whose instructions are the last lines of the cell.

FAQ

• Why there is a 'R' in front of the modules? Because my first name is Renaud
• Why do not use the default pickle library of Python ? Because there is so much problem of compatibilities between the different versions of Python on this module. I better control the data with my own Pickle (the inconvenient is that it only deal with basic types)
• The licenses of the logo and icons are available on here