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<title>ploticus: dist prefab</title>
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  <table cellpadding=2 width=550><tr>
  <td><br><h2>dist prefab</h2></td>
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  <small>
  <a href="../doc/welcome.html"><img src="../doc/ploticus.gif" border=0></a><br>
  Version 2.41 Mar2009
     </small><br><a href="../doc/prefabs.html">Prefabs</a>
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.TH dist_prefab PL "11-MAR-2009   PL ploticus.sourceforge.net"

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<center><a href="prefab_dist_ex.html"><img src="../gallery/prefab_img/dist1thm.gif" border=0>
 <br><b>View the dist prefab examples</a></b><br><br></center>
.>>


.LP
\fBdist\fR is a 
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<a href="prefabs.html">
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\0prefab
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</a>
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that computes and displays a frequency distribution (histogram) on one data field.
The data file does not need to be ordered in any particular way.
The field may contain continuous numeric data, or alphanumeric values.
Continuous numeric data is the default, but
the \fBcats\fR option may be used to produce category distributions 
(each unique value having a bar).
With continuous numeric data, "bins" will be set up and values will
be placed into these bins (any alpha values will be lumped into one
"alpha" category).  
.LP
A user-contributed prefab called
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<a href="prefab_multidist.html">
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\0multidist
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</a>
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is also available; it can do multiple, overlaid frequency distributions.

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.SH Hint
If no bars are appearing, try specifying bar size, eg.
\fCbarwidth=0.1\fR.  This glitch is due to the fact that 
default bar widths are related to data space.

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<br><br><br>
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.SH Parameters

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<table cellpadding=2 bgcolor=A0A0A0 width=600>

<tr bgcolor=FFFFEC align=center><td><b>Prefab<br>parameter<br>name</td><td>Data type</td>
<td>Default</td><td>Description</td>
<td>Examples<br><small>(ignore line wrapping)</td></tr>


<tr bgcolor=FFFFFF>
<td><b><a href="prefab_stdparms.html">Standard parameters</a></td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td colspan=2>Most of the <a href="prefab_stdparms.html">standard prefab parameters</a> may be used.
You <font color=D00000>must specify</font> <b>data</b> (the name of the input data file).
The legend parameters and <b>ptselect</b> aren't available with this prefab.
</td>
</tr>

<tr bgcolor=FFFFFF>
<td><b>x</td>
<td><a href="atypes.html#dfield">data field</a></td>
<td><font color=D00000>must be specified</font></td>
<td>Identifies the data field to be used when computing the distribution. Old name: <b>fld</b> </td>
<td><tt>x=2<br>x=pmb</td>
</tr>

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<td><b>binsize</td>
<td>numeric</td>
<td>based on data</td>
<td>The size of one "bin" for numeric distributions.</td>
<td><tt>binsize=2.5</td>
</tr>

<tr bgcolor=FFFFFF>
<td><b>cats</td>
<td><tt>yes</tt> or <tt>no</tt></td>
<td><tt>no</td>
<td>If <tt>yes</tt>, a category distribution, using alphanumeric data, will be done.</td>
<td><tt>cats=yes</td>
</tr>

<tr bgcolor=FFFFFF>
<td><b>curve</td>
<td><tt>yes</tt><br>or<br><a href="linedetails.html">linedetails</a></td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>If specified, a bspline curve will be fit to the histogram and displayed.</td>
<td><tt>curve=yes</td>
</tr>

<tr bgcolor=FFFFFF>
<td><b>color</td>
<td><a href="color.html">color</a></td>
<td><tt>pink</td>
<td>Color of the histogram bars.</td>
<td><tt>color=orange</td>
</tr>

<tr bgcolor=FFFFFF>
<td><b>barwidth</td>
<td><a href="atypes.html#punits">inches or cm</a></td>
<td>based on data</td>
<td>The width of the bars.</td>
<td><tt>barwidth=0.06</td>
</tr>

<tr bgcolor=FFFFFF>
<td><b>savetbl</td>
<td><tt>yes</tt> | <tt>no</tt></td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>If <tt>yes</tt>, a the computed frequency distribution will be dumped to the diagnostic stream
(usually standard error).</td>
<td><tt>savetbl=yes</td>
</tr>

<tr bgcolor=FFFFFF>
<td><b>order</td>
<td><tt>natural</tt><br>or<br><tt>mag</tt><br>or<br><tt>rev</tt></td>
<td><tt>natural</td>
<td>Controls the order in which bars are drawn from left to right, with <b>cats</b>.
<tt>natural</tt> shows them in alphabetical order,
<tt>mag</tt> based on magnitude from low to high, and <tt>rev</tt> shows them from high to low.</td>
<td><tt>order=mag</td>
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</table>
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.ig >>
<br>
<br>
</td></tr>
<td align=right>
<a href="../doc/welcome.html">
<img src="../doc/ploticus.gif" border=0></a><br><small>data display engine &nbsp; <br>
<a href="../doc/Copyright.html">Copyright Steve Grubb</a>
<br>
<br>
<center>
<img src="../gallery/all.gif"> 
</center>
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<table><tr><td>
Ploticus is hosted at http://ploticus.sourceforge.net</td><td> &nbsp; </td><td>
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/ploticus"><img src="http://sflogo.sourceforge.net/sflogo.php?group_id=38453&type=12" 
width="120" height="30" border="0" 
alt="Get ploticus data display engine at SourceForge.net. Fast, secure and Free Open Source software downloads" /></a>
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