Re: Print[Plot] vs Print[text,Plot]?
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg87979] Re: Print[Plot] vs Print[text,Plot]?
- From: Albert Retey <awnl at arcor.net>
- Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:39:55 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <fueep7$bai$1@smc.vnet.net>
AES wrote:
> I've just executed a test cell containing
>
> Print[Plot[---]];
> Print["Some text\n", Plot[---]];
>
> (same simple plot in both lines; objective of 2nd line being to get the
> text and the plot -- eventually several plots -- into the same output
> cell)
>
> Result from first line is expected plot; result from second line is a
> miniaturized plot about 1/4 the size of the first one.
>
> * This is sensible or useful?
the default for ImageSize is Automatic, so I think it is sensible that
the ImageSize is determined automatically, depending on what is to be
shown. Whether or not the size in the second case is too small or not is
a rather useless discussion. If you want a definite size for your plot
use ImageSize to set it.
> * This is what a novice user should expect as consistent
> and reasonable behavior from the above commands?
>
> (Print[Plot] doesn't do the same thing with a given Plot
> as does Print[----, Plot[], ----] ???)
There are plenty of cases where mathematica does things automagically,
so I think it is something that even a novice user will get used to and
probably even appreciates. Just think about the automatic choosing of
plotranges, plotstyles, ... I, for my part, am quite happy that I only
have to mess around with these if the automatisms don't work well enough...
> * This is documented --or better, warned about -- where?
>
> (since it looks like I'll have to, once again, step aside from
> attempting to accomplish anything useful with 6.0 and
> burn up more time digging into its arcane documentation,
> trying to understand this. Apologies for the sarcasm --
> but that's the way it feels.)
From the documentation of ImageSize:
Specifications for both width and height can be any of the following:
* Automatic determined by location or other dimension (default)
* Tiny, Small, Medium, Large pre-defined absolute sizes
...
I have never felt the need to read this in the documetation. Maybe you
should just take the advantage that mathematica lets you work
interactivley: try things out and accept that things are like they are.
If you don't like the program or some of it's features, don't use them.
There are alternatives and the old versions, and what you could do with
them mostly still works with version 6.
hth,
albert