View source for LabPlot/FAQ

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

This page attempts to answer the most common questions asked about LabPlot. If you have a question regarding LabPlot, check below first. Then, if you cannot find an answer for your specific question, go to the [https://labplot.kde.org/support Support] section.

== What is the aim of the project? ==
The aim of this project is to develop a '''FREE, open source and cross-platform Data Visualization and Analysis software accessible to everyone'''.

== What are key features of LabPlot? ==

Key features of LabPlot include:

* High-quality interactive data visualization and plotting with the support for scientific color maps, plot templates and themes
* Support for LaTeX and Markdown syntax  
* Reliable, easy and fast data analysis and statistics for quantitative and categorical data
* Extensive data generation, manipulation and sampling tools
* Linear and non-linear regression analysis, probability distributions, curve fitting and smoothing tools
* Baseline subtraction (correction), numerical differentiation and integration, data reduction algorithms
* Fourier transform, Fourier filter and Hilbert transform
* Intuitive and fast computing with interactive Computational Notebooks for multiple programming and statistical languages with an integrated help (e.g. Python, Maxima, Octave, R, Scilab, Sage and more)
* Effortless data extraction from plots (plot digitization) and support for live data
* Smooth data import and export to and from multiple formats (e.g. from CSV, Origin, SAS, Stata, SPSS, MATLAB, SQL, JSON, binary, Excel and more)
* Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and Haiku.

The detailed list of features is available at the [https://labplot.kde.org/features Features] section.

== Is LabPlot an open-source project? ==

LabPlot is an open-source project. It can be easily accessible by anyone to use, modify and distribute according to their need. The source code is available at this link: [https://invent.kde.org/education/labplot Source code].

== What is the cost of LabPlot? ==

LabPlot as an open-source software is available for zero price. And it is free not only to use, both for personal or commercial use, but also to distribute, modify, or even use in a closed-source application.

== Can I donate money to the LabPlot team? ==

'''Of course'''. LabPlot is developed by people volunteering their time, skills and resources to work on it. We provide it free of charge. If you use LabPlot and want to financially support its development, please consider [https://liberapay.com/LabPlot/donate '''Donating money'''] to the LabPlot team.

Business sponsorships typically make a much larger impact on the sustainability of open-source projects than individual donations, but of course we appreciate ''all'' donations.

== How can I get a copy of LabPlot? ==

You can download LabPlot from the [https://labplot.kde.org/download/ Download] section or from several third party websites also listed at that section.

== Will LabPlot work on my system? ==

Currently, there are versions of LabPlot available for Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD.

If you want to know how to install LabPlot on your system, please go to the [https://userbase.kde.org/LabPlot/GettingStarted/Installation Installation] website.

== How to get started using LabPlot? ==

We recommend to start with the [https://userbase.kde.org/LabPlot/GettingStarted/YourFirstDataImportVisualisation Your First Data Import and Visualization] tutorial.

== Is there any documentation for LabPlot? ==

Of course. We offer the [https://userbase.kde.org/LabPlot/UserGuide User Guide] and [https://userbase.kde.org/LabPlot/Tutorials Tutorials] to assist you in your work with LabPlot. Visit the [https://labplot.kde.org/documentation Documentation] section on the LabPlot website to learn more.

We also offer dozens of short video tutorials to speed up your exploration of LabPlot's features. You can watch them on [https://youtube.com/@LabPlot YouTube] or [https://tube.kockatoo.org/c/labplot/videos PeerTube].

== Can I give LabPlot to my co-workers or employees? ==

Sure. You can give any versions of LabPlot to other people, or share it and make it well known.

== Under what license is LabPlot released? ==

LabPlot is licensed under [https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.en.html GNU General Public License, version 2.0] or later, so to put it in a few sentences:

* You are free to use LabPlot, for any purpose
* You are free to distribute LabPlot
* You can study how LabPlot works and change it
* You can distribute changed versions of LabPlot

In the last case you have the obligation to also publish the changed source code as GPL.

== Is my work created in LabPlot also licensed under GPL? ==

Work created in LabPlot is program output and therefore not covered by the GPL. You can consider it your property, and license or sell it freely.

== Can I use it for commercial purposes? ==

Of course. Software released under the GPL-2.0-or-later may be run for all purposes, including commercial purposes.

By using the [https://labplot.kde.org/ LabPlot website], you agree to the use of our benign cookies.

== How can I contribute to the project? ==

We welcome more people to contribute to the project to continuously improve LabPlot. There are many different ways to contribute, even if you are not a programmer. Here are some things you can do apart from contributing code:

* [https://liberapay.com/LabPlot/donate '''Donate money''']
* Share feedback from using LabPlot
* Promote LabPlot and share it with new users
* Assist new users with basic questions such as how to install, how to import or export data, how to make a plot, etc.
* Help writing documentation
* Write user guides, manuals, tutorials or publish video tutorials
* Keep updated third-party websites related to LabPlot like the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LabPlot LabPlot on Wikipedia] article
* Keep third-party software distribution websites updated on the newest versions of LabPlot
* Cite and reference LabPlot in your publications
* Translate the documentation into your own language
* Translate LabPlot's interface into your own language
* Share your examples, templates and themes
* Create proper bugs reports or submit new feature requests
* Like, comment, share and subscribe to our posts on social media channels
* Be a proud member of the LabPlot Community

If you have any further questions, please visit the [https://labplot.kde.org/contribute/ Contribution] section to contact the team.

== How can I get support? ==

Please use the [https://bugs.kde.org KDE Bugtracking System] to report problems and feature requests or use the integrated function “Report Bug” in the application for this.

== How can I contact LabPlot Team? ==

LabPlot team offers multiple channels of communication. You can ask your questions in [https://matrix.to/#/!jDLqWTaTGNKnenBSNA:kde.org?via=kde.org&via=matrix.org LabPlot room on Matrix]. For general support related inquiries please send an E-Mail to: labplot-support@kde.org. You can also follow LabPlot Team on social media:

* [https://youtube.com/@LabPlot YouTube]
* [https://twitter.com/LabPlot Twitter]
* [https://floss.social/@LabPlot Mastodon"]
* [https://tube.kockatoo.org/c/labplot/videos PeerTube]

== How can I cite and reference LabPlot in my work? ==

We have invested a lot of time and effort in creating this project. Please consider citing or referencing LabPlot when using it in your work.

To cite LabPlot in publications use:

''LabPlot Team (2023), LabPlot: A FREE, open source and cross-platform Data Visualization and Analysis software accessible to everyone, (Version 2.10.1) [Computer software]. https://labplot.kde.org.''

== What is the maximum limit of data set size? ==
LabPlot has no practical limits on data size other than the physical constraints of your computer.

== Do you support the visualization of large data sets? ==
Yes, we put much effort to ensure that LabPlot is very fast at real-time viewing and plotting of large data sets.

== Do you support live data? ==
Yes, LabPlot has been designed to read, visualize and analyze live data with the support for Unix/UDP/TCP sockets and a serial port.

== Is it possible to use LabPlot in my own language, not English? ==

The interface is translated into multiple languages by [https://l10n.kde.org KDE localization teams]. If you want to help out, join the team for your language!

== Is scripting possible? ==

Scripting, i.e. controlling LabPlot via APIs, is not possible at the moment but we plan to add this functionality in future. To automate workflows and computations in LabPlot, the notebook interface with the preferred underlying computer algebra system or programming languages has to be used.

== Can I use multiple different Python installations with Computational Notebooks? ==

It is not possible to work with multiple different Python installations and switch between them at runtime yet. LabPlot's notebook interface to Python will only work with the version of Python that was used during the build step of LabPlot. We plan to get rid of this limitation in future.

== Which version of Python do I need to install to work with in in LabPlot? ==

See the previous question. On Linux distributions it usually means LabPlot only works with the version of Python that was used by the build system of your distribution. 

On Windows, for for the current release 2.11, [https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3119/ Python 3.11] is required.

The installer provided by us for Windows for the previous release 2.10.x was created with [https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-31011/ Python 3.10] and you'll need to install this version of Python on your computer and add python's executable to PATH (see also [https://docs.python.org/3/using/windows.html Using Python on Windows]). For the version 2.10 installed from MS Store [https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3119/ Python 3.11] is required. 

For macOS the notebook interface is available starting from LabPlot 2.12.

== LabPlot cannot find my installations of TeXLive, Maxima, Octave, etc. on macOS, when starting from the terminal everything is working. Why? ==

LabPlot is looking for external application in $PATH. GUI-applications started under macOS via Finder or Spotlight have on default only /usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin in the environment and don't see the software installed under /Library, /opt/, /usr/local. To make LabPlot find for example the installation of TeXLive under /Library/ or the software managed by macports under /opt/, execute the following command:

''launchctl setenv PATH /Library/TeX/texbin:/opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin''

== What is the license of the LabPlot website? ==

Unless specified otherwise, the content of the [https://labplot.kde.org LabPlot website] is available to share and use under the [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike] license.

== How can I use the analysis functions available in the plot (differentiation, integration, etc.) directly in the spreadsheet ==
At the moment the analysis functions are not available in the spreadsheet. If you really need to have the results of these functions directly in the spreadsheet and having the visualization of the results in the plot only is not enough, you can use the ''cell'' function in the spreadsheet to express some of them. For example, to calculate the approximation of the derivative of the data you can use e.g. the central difference formula. In the spreadsheet with you ''x'' and ''f(x)'' data, create a new column and generate the data for it from the context menu via the formula

''(cell(i+1; y) - cell(i-1; y))/(cell(i+1; x) - cell(i-1; x))''

Here, the variables ''x'' and ''y'' are assigned to the columns in the spreadsheet with the values for ''x'' and ''f(x)'', respectively. Note, starting with LabPlot 2.11 the semicolon instead of the comma has to be used in the ''cell''-function to separate its parameters.

== What is your Privacy Policy? ==

The LabPlot software is free to be downloaded and used without registration. You can choose to download it from the [https://labplot.kde.org/ LabPlot website] or from several third party websites. Institutions, schools or companies are allowed to distribute the LabPlot binaries internally to staff or students.

== Disclaimer ==

While the text on this page is, to the best of our knowledge, accurate information, all pages here and on the [https://labplot.kde.org LabPlot website] are provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. If you would like legal advice on the GNU GPL or other free/open source software licenses, please consult a lawyer.