SciTools

Actually SciTools is built with other widely used Python scientific packages, like Matplotlib, NumPy, SciPy, Easyviz, ScientificPython, Numarray, Gnuplot, etc..

SciTools works across multiple OS platforms.

What is new in this release:

• The syntax of Easyviz is extended to become more equal to Matplotlib (Pylab or basic Pyplot) such that one can switch between Easyviz and Matplolib just by the import statement in the top of the file.
• The extended syntax consists of 1) a savefig function, which is just a nickname for hardcopy, 2) the legend function can take a list of curve names, 3) new keywords loc and fancybox for the legend function allows steering where the legends appear in the figure and if a frame is written around the box with curve names.
• One can now write scripts that employ a syntax very close to Matlab where it is not necessary to make a specific choice between matplotlib.pylab or scitools.std import. (This has proved valuable in courses where students are familiar with Matlab, matplotlib.pylab or scitools.std).
• New MovingPlotWindow.py tool for viewing (very) long time series. The tool enables three different types of a moving window.
• A pause (time.sleep) is inserted when plotting many curves with the Gnuplot backend. This should fix the common problems with "thread error" in that backend.
• Changed default settings for hardcopies made by Gnuplot so that the black-and-white figures look better in professional publications. Lines are not thicker, dashes are longer, and fonts are bigger. These new settings make the Gnuplot backend a very good backend when creating figures for scientific papers and thesis.
• Updates for newer version of Gnuplot.
• The Matplotlib backend now employs pyplot instead of pylab, which means that grabbing the backend by get_backend() returns matplotlib.pyplot. This is more in line with the recommendation by Matplotlib developers to use Pyplot and not Pylab.
• Easyviz example files are updated and adjusted.
• New option: scitools rename --no-backup implies no copying of old file before being renamed. Useful when changing names of big files.
• FloatComparison (float_eq, float_lt, etc.): made rtol and atol static attributes such that all FloatComparison objects share the same tolerances.
• The Grace backend in Easyviz now requires pygrace and not only grace_np.
• Turned off the default use of LaTeX in the Matplotlib backend.
• A lot of updates in the Easyviz documentation.
• Switched to Sphinx for documentation.