Default styles are chosen with the set function style and set data style commands. See plot with for information about how to override the default plotting style for individual functions and data sets.
Syntax:
set function style <style>
set data style <style>
show function style
show data style
The types used for all line and point styles (i.e., solid, dash-dot, color, etc. for lines; circles, squares, crosses, etc. for points) will be either those specified on the plot or splot command or will be chosen sequentially from the types available to the terminal in use. Use the command test to see what is available.
None of the styles requiring more than two columns of information (e.g., errorbars) can be used with splots or function plots. Neither boxes nor any of the steps styles can be used with splots. If an inappropriate style is specified, it will be changed to points.
For 2-d data with more than two columns, gnuplot is picky about the allowed errorbar styles. The using option on the plot command can be used to set up the correct columns for the style you want. (In this discussion, "column" will be used to refer both to a column in the data file and an entry in the using list.)
For three columns, only xerrorbars, yerrorbars (or errorbars), boxes, and boxerrorbars are allowed. If another plot style is used, the style will be changed to yerrorbars. The boxerrorbars style will calculate the boxwidth automatically.
For four columns, only xerrorbars, yerrorbars (or errorbars), xyerrorbars, boxxyerrorbars, and boxerrorbars are allowed. An illegal style will be changed to yerrorbars.
Five-column data allow only the boxerrorbars, financebars, and candlesticks styles. (The last two of these are primarily used for plots of financial prices.) An illegal style will be changed to boxerrorbars before plotting.
Six- and seven-column data only allow the xyerrorbars and boxxyerrorbars styles. Illegal styles will be changed to xyerrorbars before plotting.
For more information about error bars, please see plot errorbars.
boxerrorbars
boxes
boxxyerrorbars
candlesticks
dots
financebars
fsteps
histeps
impulses
lines
linespoints
points
steps
vector
xerrorbars
xyerrorbars
yerrorbars