Stem plot function similar to matlab for julia winston

When working with Julia, it can be frustrating to not have a built-in stem plot function similar to Matlab’s. However, there are several ways to solve this problem and create a stem plot function in Julia using different approaches. In this article, we will explore three different options and determine which one is the best.

Option 1: Using the Winston package

The Winston package in Julia provides a set of functions for creating plots. To create a stem plot, we can use the winston.stem function. Here is an example code snippet:

using Winston

function stem_plot(x, y)
    winston.stem(x, y)
end

x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [2, 4, 1, 3, 5]

stem_plot(x, y)

This code snippet defines a stem_plot function that takes in two arrays, x and y, and creates a stem plot using the winston.stem function. The x array represents the x-coordinates of the stem plot, and the y array represents the y-coordinates.

Option 2: Using the Plots package

The Plots package in Julia provides a high-level interface for creating plots. To create a stem plot, we can use the plot function with the stem attribute set to true. Here is an example code snippet:

using Plots

function stem_plot(x, y)
    plot(x, y, stem = true)
end

x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [2, 4, 1, 3, 5]

stem_plot(x, y)

This code snippet defines a stem_plot function that takes in two arrays, x and y, and creates a stem plot using the plot function with the stem attribute set to true.

Option 3: Creating a custom stem plot function

If you prefer to create your own custom stem plot function, you can do so by using the scatter function from the Plots package. Here is an example code snippet:

using Plots

function stem_plot(x, y)
    scatter(x, y, marker = :stem)
end

x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [2, 4, 1, 3, 5]

stem_plot(x, y)

This code snippet defines a stem_plot function that takes in two arrays, x and y, and creates a stem plot using the scatter function with the marker attribute set to :stem.

After exploring these three options, it is clear that the best option for creating a stem plot function in Julia is Option 2: Using the Plots package. The Plots package provides a high-level interface and offers more flexibility and customization options compared to the other options. Additionally, the Plots package is widely used and well-maintained, making it a reliable choice for creating plots in Julia.