Plot_o_mate: An easy to use data plotting tool

This is a simple command-line program that allows a user to plot any simple two-column file(s) containing X and Y data, with with optional transformations such as linear fitting and rolling averages. It supports custom labels, axis limits, and styling options.

Features

• Plot data from one or more input files .txt, txt, and any other file format where the data is stored as text separated into columns.)
• Apply rolling averages to smooth data.
• Add linear fits to the data.
• Customize plot titles, axis labels, and styling (colors, line styles, markers).
• Save plots as PDF files.

Installation

1. Clone this repository:
   git clone https://github.com/martinzola/plotly

2. Install dependencies:
   cd plotly
   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. (Optional) Make executable (in macOS and Linux):
   chmod +x plot_o_mate.py
   This will mean that you do not have to prefix the plot_o_mate.py command with the python command

4. (Optional) Add to bin:
   cp plot_o_mate.py path/to/your/bin

Basic Example

To plot data from a file data.txt:
python plot_o_mate.py data.txt

More examples can be found in the /examples directory, with detailed explanations of the different commands and how they are used to customise the plots.

NOTE:For each command, the full command name can be used, or the shorthand for it. For example, the plot title can be specified using:
-pt "plot title"

    or  

    --plot_title "plot title"

Customizing the Plot

Add a title and axis labels: python plot_data.py data.txt --plot_name "My Plot" --x_axis_label "Time (s)" --y_axis_label "Energy (kJ/mol)"

Apply a rolling average with a window size of 5: python plot_data.py data.txt --rolling_average 5

Add a linear fit: python plot_data.py data.txt --fit_type linear

Customize line colors, styles, and markers: python plot_data.py data.txt --line_colors red --line_styles dashed --markers o

Set axis limits: python plot_data.py data.txt --x_axis_low_lim 0 --x_axis_high_lim 10 --y_axis_low_lim -5 --y_axis_high_lim 5

Multiple Files

To plot data from multiple files with custom labels: python plot_data.py data1.txt data2.txt --plot_labels "Dataset 1" "Dataset 2"

Standard Deviation

If your data includes standard deviation values in a specific column (e.g., column 2): python plot_data.py data.txt --stdev 2

Save the Plot

The plot is automatically saved as a PDF file. The default filename is derived from the input file name, but you can specify a custom name: python plot_data.py data.txt --plot_name "My Plot"

Command-Line Arguments

Argument Description

filename Input file(s) containing the data to plot.

--plot_name Custom name for the plot and title.

--plot_labels Custom labels for the plot curves (one per input file).

--rolling_average Window size for rolling average (default: 1, no rolling average).

--x_axis_label Label for the x-axis.

--x_axis_high_lim Upper limit for the x-axis.

--x_axis_low_lim Lower limit for the x-axis.

--y_axis_label Label for the y-axis.

--y_axis_high_lim Upper limit for the y-axis.

--y_axis_low_lim Lower limit for the y-axis.

--factor_conversion Factor to convert y-values by (default: 1).

--x_axis_conversion Factor to scale the x-axis by (default: 1).

--line_colors Colors for the plot curves (one per input file).

--line_styles Line styles for the plot curves (one per input file).

--markers Markers for the plot curves (one per input file).

--fit_type Type of fit to apply (e.g., "linear").

--stdev Index of the column containing standard deviation values

--fontsize Font size for the plot elements.