NPlot C# (How It Works For Developers)

This tutorial is designed for beginners who are keen to explore the integration of two powerful libraries: NPlot and IronPDF. Together, they form a robust toolkit for creating and exporting charts in C# applications.

NPlot is a versatile charting library in the .NET framework, ideal for generating a wide range of graphs and plots. From simple line plots to complex scatter charts, NPlot excels in displaying sample-based data and generating dynamic charts, whether you're working with small datasets or very large datasets.

IronPDF complements NPlot by enabling the conversion of these charts into PDF documents. Whether you're dealing with HTML email content or specific plot classes, IronPDF can render them into high-quality PDFs.

This functionality is particularly useful for applications that require report generation or documentation of analyzed data.

Getting Started with NPlot

Introduction to NPlot in the .NET Framework

NPlot is a dynamic charting library designed for the .NET Framework, catering to a broad range of data visualization needs. Whether you're working on desktop applications or web-based solutions, NPlot offers the functionality to represent data graphically, clearly, and effectively.

Installing NPlot in Your C# Project

To begin using NPlot in your C# project, you need to install it. Here's how you can easily add NPlot to your application:

Using NuGet Package Manager:

1. In Visual Studio, go to 'Tools' > 'NuGet Package Manager' > 'Manage NuGet Packages for Solution...'.
2. Search for 'NPlot' and install it in your project.

First Steps with NPlot

Once NPlot is installed, you can start creating charts. NPlot's ease of use makes it ideal for beginners, allowing for the creation of plots with just a few lines of code.

Creating a Basic Chart

Let's create a simple line plot as our first chart:

Setting Up the Plot Surface: Create a PlotSurface2D object. This acts as the canvas for your plot. Set a few display properties to customize its appearance, such as the background color and title.

Adding Data to the Plot: Use NPlot's LinePlot class to create a line plot. Add data values belonging to one or more categories. These data points will be plotted on the graph.

Displaying the Chart: Add the line plot to the plot surface. Render the plot surface in a form or a user control for display.

using System;
using NPlot;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Create a new bitmap plot surface
        var plotSurface = new NPlot.Bitmap.PlotSurface2D(800, 600);

        // Create a line plot
        var linePlot = new LinePlot
        {
            AbscissaData = new double[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 },
            OrdinateData = new double[] { 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 }
        };

        // Add the line plot to the plot surface
        plotSurface.Add(linePlot);

        // Customize the plot (e.g., titles, labels)
        plotSurface.Title = "Sample Plot";
        plotSurface.XAxis1.Label = "X-Axis";
        plotSurface.YAxis1.Label = "Y-Axis";

        // Refresh the plot to render it
        plotSurface.Refresh();

        // Save the plot as a PNG image
        plotSurface.Bitmap.Save("c://plot.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);

        Console.WriteLine("Plot saved as plot.png");
    }
}

using System;
using NPlot;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Create a new bitmap plot surface
        var plotSurface = new NPlot.Bitmap.PlotSurface2D(800, 600);

        // Create a line plot
        var linePlot = new LinePlot
        {
            AbscissaData = new double[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 },
            OrdinateData = new double[] { 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 }
        };

        // Add the line plot to the plot surface
        plotSurface.Add(linePlot);

        // Customize the plot (e.g., titles, labels)
        plotSurface.Title = "Sample Plot";
        plotSurface.XAxis1.Label = "X-Axis";
        plotSurface.YAxis1.Label = "Y-Axis";

        // Refresh the plot to render it
        plotSurface.Refresh();

        // Save the plot as a PNG image
        plotSurface.Bitmap.Save("c://plot.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);

        Console.WriteLine("Plot saved as plot.png");
    }
}

Imports System
Imports NPlot

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' Create a new bitmap plot surface
		Dim plotSurface = New NPlot.Bitmap.PlotSurface2D(800, 600)

		' Create a line plot
		Dim linePlot As New LinePlot With {
			.AbscissaData = New Double() { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 },
			.OrdinateData = New Double() { 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 }
		}

		' Add the line plot to the plot surface
		plotSurface.Add(linePlot)

		' Customize the plot (e.g., titles, labels)
		plotSurface.Title = "Sample Plot"
		plotSurface.XAxis1.Label = "X-Axis"
		plotSurface.YAxis1.Label = "Y-Axis"

		' Refresh the plot to render it
		plotSurface.Refresh()

		' Save the plot as a PNG image
		plotSurface.Bitmap.Save("c://plot.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png)

		Console.WriteLine("Plot saved as plot.png")
	End Sub
End Class

Here is the output plot image:

Advanced Charting Techniques with NPlot

After mastering basic plots, NPlot offers a range of more complex chart types to enhance your data visualization capabilities. These include bar plots, scatter charts, and step plots, each suited for different kinds of data representation.

Utilizing Bar and Scatter Plots

Bar Plot: Ideal for displaying data values in one or more categories. Each bar represents a data value, with its height indicating the value's magnitude.

Scatter Plot: Perfect for visualizing data sets where each data point is independent. It plots data points on a two-dimensional graph, allowing for the analysis of patterns or trends.

Implementing a Step Plot

Step Plot: Used for data that involves successive abscissa values, such as time-series data. It creates a staircase-like representation, clearly showing changes between successive data points.

Integrating NPlot with IronPDF

The integration of NPlot with IronPDF allows for the seamless conversion of charts into PDF documents. IronPDF is a powerful library that enables the rendering of HTML content and plot classes into high-quality PDF files. This integration is particularly useful for applications that require generating reports or documenting analyzed data.

Get Started with IronPDF

Install IronPDF Library

Install Using NuGet Package Manager

To integrate IronPDF into your NPlot C# project using the NuGet Package manager, follow these steps:

1. Open Visual Studio and in the solution explorer, right-click on your project.
2. Choose “Manage NuGet packages…” from the context menu.
3. Go to the browse tab and search IronPDF.
4. Select the IronPDF library from the search results and click install button.
5. Accept any license agreement prompt.

If you want to include IronPDF in your project via Package manager console, then execute the following command in Package Manager Console:

Install-Package IronPdf

It’ll fetch and install IronPDF into your project.

Install Using NuGet Website

For a detailed overview of IronPDF, including its features, compatibility, and additional download options, visit the IronPDF page on the NuGet website at https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf.

Install Via DLL

Alternatively, you can incorporate IronPDF directly into your project using its dll file. Download the ZIP file containing the DLL from the IronPDF Download Page. Unzip it, and include the DLL in your project.

Generating Dynamic Charts with NPlot

NPlot excels in creating dynamic and visually appealing charts within C# applications. This section will guide you through generating a scatter chart, a typical use case for displaying data with two variables.

Scatter charts are particularly effective in visualizing the relationship between the variables. Follow these steps to create a scatter plot:

1. Initiate Plot Surface: Start by creating a PlotSurface2D instance.
2. Prepare Data: Gather the data values you wish to plot. Scatter charts plot individual points, so you'll need two arrays of values: one for the x-coordinates and another for the y-coordinates. You can add as many plots as you want to the PlotSurface2D.
3. Instantiate a Scatter Plot: Use NPlot's PointPlot or ScatterPlot class to create your chart with your plot objects.
4. Customize the Chart: Apply various customizations like setting the point styles, colors, and axes properties to make the chart informative and appealing.

using NPlot;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var plotSurface = new NPlot.Windows.PlotSurface2D();

        // Prepare data for the scatter plot
        var scatterPlot = new PointPlot
        {
            AbscissaData = new double[] { /* x-coordinates */ },
            OrdinateData = new double[] { /* y-coordinates */ }
        };

        // Add the scatter plot to the plot surface
        plotSurface.Add(scatterPlot);

        // Customize the chart and render the plotSurface
        plotSurface.Refresh();
    }
}

using NPlot;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var plotSurface = new NPlot.Windows.PlotSurface2D();

        // Prepare data for the scatter plot
        var scatterPlot = new PointPlot
        {
            AbscissaData = new double[] { /* x-coordinates */ },
            OrdinateData = new double[] { /* y-coordinates */ }
        };

        // Add the scatter plot to the plot surface
        plotSurface.Add(scatterPlot);

        // Customize the chart and render the plotSurface
        plotSurface.Refresh();
    }
}

Imports NPlot

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		Dim plotSurface = New NPlot.Windows.PlotSurface2D()

		' Prepare data for the scatter plot
		Dim scatterPlot = New PointPlot With {
			.AbscissaData = New Double() { },
			.OrdinateData = New Double() { }
		}

		' Add the scatter plot to the plot surface
		plotSurface.Add(scatterPlot)

		' Customize the chart and render the plotSurface
		plotSurface.Refresh()
	End Sub
End Class

Converting Charts to PDF with IronPDF

Once you have created a chart with NPlot, you can use IronPDF to convert this chart into a PDF document. This process involves rendering the chart as an image and then using IronPDF to embed this image in a PDF. You can follow these steps to convert charts to PDF:

1. Render Chart as Image: First, convert your NPlot chart into an image format. This can be done by drawing the PlotSurface2D onto a bitmap.
2. Create PDF with IronPDF: Use IronPDF's API to create a new PDF document and insert the chart image.

using IronPdf;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Assuming 'chartImagePath' is the path to the Bitmap image of your NPlot chart
        var imageFiles = new string[] { "chartImagePath" };

        // Convert image files to PDF and save the output
        ImageToPdfConverter.ImageToPdf(imageFiles).SaveAs("Chart.pdf");
    }
}

using IronPdf;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Assuming 'chartImagePath' is the path to the Bitmap image of your NPlot chart
        var imageFiles = new string[] { "chartImagePath" };

        // Convert image files to PDF and save the output
        ImageToPdfConverter.ImageToPdf(imageFiles).SaveAs("Chart.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' Assuming 'chartImagePath' is the path to the Bitmap image of your NPlot chart
		Dim imageFiles = New String() { "chartImagePath" }

		' Convert image files to PDF and save the output
		ImageToPdfConverter.ImageToPdf(imageFiles).SaveAs("Chart.pdf")
	End Sub
End Class

Conclusion

Throughout this tutorial, we've explored the integration of two powerful libraries in C#: NPlot for creating dynamic, data-driven charts from data-dependent elements, and IronPDF for converting these charts into PDF documents.

This combination provides a comprehensive toolkit for C# developers, allowing them to visualize data effectively and then seamlessly transition that data into a shareable, archival format.

Start with IronPDF's Free Trial License, available from $749.