PLINIT(3plplot)

💖 PLINIT — like, the plplot init era 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the PLplot API manual, page PLINIT(3plplot). this is where the whole plotting saga begins, so pay attention 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

plinit — Initialize PLplot. that's it, that's the whole vibe. it's giving "step one: exist" 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

plinit()

no arguments, no drama, just vibes and zero parameters 🦋

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so initializing the plotting package is the whole assignment here. the program prompts you for the device keyword or number of the output device you want. and listen — hitting RETURN at that prompt is literally the same as selecting the first device. default queen behavior 👑.

now, the iconique part: plinit(3plplot) will issue no prompt if the device was already specified previously, which can happen via:

• a command line flag,
• the plsetopt(3plplot) function, or
• the plsdev(3plplot) function

...or if only one device is enabled when PLplot is installed. like, no choices to make, so no question to ask. makes sense fr fr 🧚

if subpages have been specified, the output device gets divided into nx by ny subpages, and each one may be used independently. little subpage besties, all doing their own thing 🌸

⚠️ heads up: if plinit(3plplot) is called again during a program, the previously opened file will be closed. not a drill, the old file is gone, so don't come crying to me 😭

and the subroutine pladv(3plplot) is what you use to advance from one subpage to the next. that's the subpage-hopping mechanism, iykyk 💫

Redacted form: plinit()

this function is used in all of the examples. every single one. no cap 🔥

✨ AUTHORS ✨

many developers have contributed to PLplot over its long history, and they are credited at http://plplot.sourceforge.net/credits.php — shoutout to the whole dev team, they ate 🫶

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

PLplot documentation at http://plplot.sourceforge.net/documentation.php — go read it, it's literally right there ⭐

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and that's the page bestie 💜 this was PLINIT(3plplot) from the PLplot API, dated August, 2026 — go forth and plot, you're gonna slay 🌈💖