Coyote Graphics Tips

General Information

• What exactly are Coyote Graphics!?
• How do I install the Coyote Graphics Library?
• What should I do if my Coyote Graphics program isn't working?
• Can I find Coyote Graphics documentation on-line?
• Visit the Coyote Graphics Plot Gallery for graphics code and links to additional information.

Where Can I Learn More?

• Coyote's new book, Coyote's Guide to Traditional IDL Graphics, explains the Coyote Graphics System.
• The Table of Contents from Coyote's Guide to Traditional IDL Graphics is available.
• A sample chapter, Creating Contour Plots, from Coyote's Guide to Traditional IDL Graphics is available.

Graphics Commands

• Is there a good replacement for the TV command?
• Is there a good replacement for the Plot command?
• Is there a good replacement for the PlotS command?
• Is there a good replacement for the Oplot command?
• Is there a good replacement for the Contour command?
• Is there a good replacement for the Surface command?
• Is there a good replacement for the Shade_Surf command?
• How do I display a transparent image in IDL?
• Is there a powerful Surface command replacement that works like the Surface command I'm used to?
• Is there a Coyote Graphics routine for producing a bar plot?
• Compare filled contour plots in different graphics systems.
• Can you show me how to create a 2D scatter plot.
• Why do some Coyote Graphics commands appear in black background windows and others don't?
• Why can't I display contour lines on an image with Coyote Graphics routines?
• Can you show me how to use Out-of-Bounds colors with filled contour plots?
• Yikes! Coyote Graphics are as slow as Function Graphics sometimes. How come?
• How do I output a contour plot with a color bar using the Output keyword?
• Can you show me how to create a Taylor Diagram in IDL?
• Can you show me how to work with transparent images and cgImage?
• What's up with the odd direct graphics behavior in IDL 8.3?

File Output

• Why Coyote Graphics routines use ImageMagick to produce high-quality output.
• How do I create PDF files using Coyote Graphics?
• Create PostScript, PDF, and raster files from basic Coyote Graphics commands!
• How does Coyote Graphics output compare with Function Graphics output?
• How can I set the dimensions of raster file output created with Coyote Graphics routines?
• How can I write a KML file to display an IDL image in Google Earth?
• How do I output multiple Coyote Graphics commands to a raster file?
• Why do Coyote Graphics routines always create PostScript output in friggin' Landscape mode?
• Say what!? My Mac won't let me spawn an ImageMagick convert command!

Resizeable Graphics Windows

• How can I display traditional graphics commands in a resizeable graphics window?
• How can I load multiple commands into a Coyote Graphics window?
• Why do I have to run my cgWindow program twice to get my colors right?
• How do I allow adjustable character size in a resizeable graphics window?
• How do I change plot parameters in cgWindow?
• How do I add a legend to a CGS graphics window in IDL?
• How do I use run-time evaluated keywords and parameters in a cgWindow resizeable graphics window?
• Why do Greek characters not show up in cgWindow PostScript output?
• Why are TexToIDL characters incorrect in cgWindow PostScript output?
• Why are symbols sometimes incorrect in cgWindow?
• Why does Convert_Coord throw an error when working with cgWindows?
• How can I make Coyote Graphics commands go into different resizeable windows?

Histogram Display Tips

• How can I make a histogram plot that looks like a histogram plot?
• How can I make a histogram plot with logarithmic bins?
• How can I fit a Gaussian to a histogram plot?
• How can I create overlapping, transparent histogram plots?
• Who don't my overlapping histogram plots line up perfectly?

Colorbar Display Tips

• How can I leave room for colorbars when I display multiple images with cgImage?
• How do I display a colorbar with a log-scaled image?
• How do I add a color bar to my graphics plot?
• How can I annotate cgColorbar with my own labels?
• Your nice cgColorbar program won't display my colors. Why not?
• Can you show me how to display an image with a logarithmic color bar?
• When I use your cgColorbar program how come there is a dark line in the color table representation?
• How can I build a discrete color bar with the labels centered on the colors?
• How do I make cgColorbar to use floating point labels?
• Can you show me how to use Out-of-Bounds colors with filled contour plots?
• How do I change colors in a cgWindow graphics window?
• Where are these extra colors in my color bar coming from?

Legends and Symbols

• How do I add a legend to a graphics window?
• Why does the NASA AL_Legend command display incorrect colors?
• How can I create a greater-than-or-equal-to symbol?
• How can I create a less-than-or-equal-to symbol?
• How can I create a degree symbol?
• How can I create a not-equal-to symbol?
• How can I create a prime symbol?
• How can I create an Angstrom sign?
• Why are symbols sometimes incorrect in cgWindow?
• How can I use Greek characters and other symbols in Coyote Graphics annotations?
• Can I use symbol names to choose graphics symbols?
• How can I use TeXtoIDL with Coyote Graphics routines?

Map Projections and Data

• New Coyote Graphics map projection routines are now available!
• How can I open a GeoTIFF image and have it automatically be georegistered?
• How can I use my own political boundary database (shapefiles) on map projections?
• Are there better options for continental outlines on maps than the built-in database?
• Can you show me how to draw a map with a day/night terminator shown?
• Yikes! Map_Grid doesn't clip map labels if I use hardware or true-type fonts!
• Why can't I set a latitude of true scale in my polar stereographic map projection?
• The UTM map projection produces incorrect results with WGS84 datum.
• Silent substitution affects map projection results.
• Where do the extraneous lines in Map_Grid come from?
• Does Map_Proj_Init calculate incorrect UV ranges?
• Can you show me how to navigate a GOES East or West GeoTiff image?
• Compare filled contour plots in different graphics systems.
• Can I display a Google map in an IDL graphics window?
• How can I display an IDL image as a ground overlay in Google Earth?
• Can you show me how to create polar wind vector plots?

Miscellaneous Tips

• Yikes! What happened to TVImage, FSC_Color, and FSC_Colorbar? Have these programs been renamed?
• How can I make Coyote Graphics routines find ImageMagick on my Mac?
• The IDL NASA Astronomy Library has been updated to use the Coyote Graphics System.
• How can I create a graphics window with a white background?
• Configuring the Z-Graphics Buffer for Coyote Graphics.
• Should I add the Coyote Graphics Library as a project in the IDL Workbench?
• Can you give me tips for converting a program to Coyote Graphics?