(R-intro.info)Graphics

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12 Graphical procedures
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Graphical facilities are an important and extremely versatile component
of the R environment.  It is possible to use the facilities to display a
wide variety of statistical graphs and also to build entirely new types
of graph.

   The graphics facilities can be used in both interactive and batch
modes, but in most cases, interactive use is more productive.
Interactive use is also easy because at startup time R initiates a
graphics _device driver_ which opens a special _graphics window_ for the
display of interactive graphics.  Although this is done automatically,
it may useful to know that the command used is 'X11()' under UNIX,
'windows()' under Windows and 'quartz()' under macOS. A new device can
always be opened by 'dev.new()'.

   Once the device driver is running, R plotting commands can be used to
produce a variety of graphical displays and to create entirely new kinds
of display.

   Plotting commands are divided into three basic groups:

   * *High-level* plotting functions create a new plot on the graphics
     device, possibly with axes, labels, titles and so on.
   * *Low-level* plotting functions add more information to an existing
     plot, such as extra points, lines and labels.
   * *Interactive* graphics functions allow you interactively add
     information to, or extract information from, an existing plot,
     using a pointing device such as a mouse.

   In addition, R maintains a list of _graphical parameters_ which can
be manipulated to customize your plots.

   This manual only describes what are known as 'base' graphics.  A
separate graphics sub-system in package *grid* coexists with base - it
is more powerful but harder to use.  There is a recommended package
*lattice* (https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=lattice) which builds on
*grid* and provides ways to produce multi-panel plots akin to those in
the _Trellis_ system in S.

High-level plotting commands

Low-level plotting commands

Interacting with graphics

Using graphics parameters

Graphics parameters

Device drivers

Dynamic graphics