Multi-page PDF using dev.copy2pdf(filename, onefile=TRUE)?

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Doug,
dev.copy2pdf closes the connection after it's "done", so onefile is
meaningless. To look at each plot before copy to a single pdf, you
could open a pdf(...) but revert between it and your graphic device:
graphics.off()
plot(1:7, 1:7)
x11c<- dev.cur()       # your current graphics device
pdf(file="test.pdf")
dev.set(which=x11c)   # back from pdf
dev.copy()                  # copy
dev.set(which=x11c)    # back to graphic
plot(1:5, 1:5,col=2,pch=2)
dev.copy()
dev.set(which=x11c)
# ...   etc. however many more plots
# don't forget to close the pdf device at the end:
dev.off(which=x11c+1)
# Both plots are in 'test.pdf'

Depending on your application you might be able to simplify things
with dev.next/dev.prev, or wrap this sequence into a little helper
function to be used in a loop.

Enjoy,
Elai
Hi all. I want to generate a sequence of n plots and save them into a single PDF file, one plot per page. From the R docs and other sources I gather the basic way to do this is save plot 1 into a file then append the 2:n plots to the same file.
This code shows my basic approach, but for some reason only the last plot is saved into the pdf. I've tried different variations (e.g. using onefile only in the second call, or only in the first), to no avail. The comments show what I see if I step through the code one line at a time:
scratch<-function() {
graphics.off()
plot(1:7, 1:7) # Opens a graphics window and displays a 7-point plot in it, as expected
dev.copy2pdf(file="test.pdf", onefile=TRUE) # I see the 7-point plot in Adobe reader, as expected
plot(1:5, 1:5) # Overwrites in the graphics window the 7-point plot with a 5-point, as expected
dev.copy2pdf(file="test.pdf", onefile=TRUE) # Overwrites test.pdf so that it contains only the 7-point plot
}
A couple things:
(1) The reason I don't just use something like pdf(filename) plot(...) plot(...) dev.off() is that I also want to see the plots before they're saved (I pause after each plot() command). But according to the docs for dev.copy2pdf(), that function accepts the same args as pdf() does, including onefile.
(2) I wrap my code in a function to be able to use it in the StatEt debugger in Eclipse.
If you know what I'm doing wrong, or know of a different/better way, advise away! Thanks, Doug
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Thanks Elai, that did it! I never considered using any X11 options,  
as I'm on Windows, and in the docs I read it sounded like X11  
options only pertained to the OSX/Linux/.. world. Thanks for your  
help, Doug
You are confused about the difference of a named variable and its  
contents. There is no X11 device in that solution,  just a name for  
the current device which in your case is probably not an X11 device.  
If you looked at the value of `x11c`, you would see it's just a number.

Elai is just switching back and forth between the screen device and  
the file device.
David.

>
> --- On Mon, 2/6/12, ilai <keren at math.montana.edu> wrote:
>
> From: ilai <keren at math.montana.edu>
> Subject: Re: [R] Multi-page PDF using dev.copy2pdf(filename,  
> onefile=TRUE)?
> To: "Doug Hill" <logickle at yahoo.com>
> Cc: r-help at r-project.org
> Date: Monday, February 6, 2012, 12:24 PM
>
> Doug,
> dev.copy2pdf closes the connection after it's "done", so onefile is
> meaningless. To look at each plot before copy to a single pdf, you
> could open a pdf(...) but revert between it and your graphic device:
> graphics.off()
> plot(1:7, 1:7)
> x11c<- dev.cur()       # your current graphics device
> pdf(file="test.pdf")
> dev.set(which=x11c)   # back from pdf
> dev.copy()                  # copy
> dev.set(which=x11c)    # back to graphic
> plot(1:5, 1:5,col=2,pch=2)
> dev.copy()
> dev.set(which=x11c)
> # ...   etc. however many more plots
> # don't forget to close the pdf device at the end:
> dev.off(which=x11c+1)
> # Both plots are in 'test.pdf'
>
> Depending on your application you might be able to simplify things
> with dev.next/dev.prev, or wrap this sequence into a little helper
> function to be used in a loop.
>
> Enjoy,
> Elai
>
>
> On Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 6:44 AM, Doug Hill <logickle at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Hi all. I want to generate a sequence of n plots and save them into  
>> a single PDF file, one plot per page. From the R docs and other  
>> sources I gather the basic way to do this is save plot 1 into a  
>> file then append the 2:n plots to the same file.
>> This code shows my basic approach, but for some reason only the  
>> last plot is saved into the pdf. I've tried different variations  
>> (e.g. using onefile only in the second call, or only in the first),  
>> to no avail. The comments show what I see if I step through the  
>> code one line at a time:
>> scratch<-function() {
>> graphics.off()
>> plot(1:7, 1:7) # Opens a graphics window and displays a 7-point  
>> plot in it, as expected
>> dev.copy2pdf(file="test.pdf", onefile=TRUE) # I see the 7-point  
>> plot in Adobe reader, as expected
>> plot(1:5, 1:5) # Overwrites in the graphics window the 7-point plot  
>> with a 5-point, as expected
>> dev.copy2pdf(file="test.pdf", onefile=TRUE) # Overwrites test.pdf  
>> so that it contains only the 7-point plot
>> }
>> A couple things:
>> (1) The reason I don't just use something like pdf(filename)  
>> plot(...) plot(...) dev.off() is that I also want to see the plots  
>> before they're saved (I pause after each plot() command). But  
>> according to the docs for dev.copy2pdf(), that function accepts the  
>> same args as pdf() does, including onefile.
>> (2) I wrap my code in a function to be able to use it in the StatEt  
>> debugger in Eclipse.
>> If you know what I'm doing wrong, or know of a different/better  
>> way, advise away! Thanks, Doug
>>        [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________
>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>> PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>>
>
> 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.

David Winsemius, MD
West Hartford, CT