$ show plotters-rs/plotters
plotters is a Rust data visualization library that provides a high-level API for creating charts and plots. It supports multiple backends (bitmap, SVG, canvas, WASM) via the `DrawingBackend` trait, allowing output to PNG, SVG, GIF, or interactive Jupyter notebooks. The core crate `plotters` offers chart builders, coordinate systems, drawable elements, series, and styles, while backend crates (`plotters-bitmap`, `plotters-svg`) implement the trait. Key entry points include `ChartBuilder`, `DrawingArea`, and backend constructors like `BitMapBackend::new`. Data flows involve user-provided iterators transformed into drawable elements via series (e.g., `LineSeries`, `Histogram`) and rendered to the chosen backend. External dependencies include `image`, `chrono`, `font-kit`, `ab_glyph`, `gif`, and `serde` (optional). The library is designed for embedding in Rust applications, not as a standalone tool, and is actively maintained with extensive examples, benchmarks, and CI.
The LLM identified 4 files worth highlighting for reuse:
Implements efficient pixel-level drawing of lines, circles, polygons, rectangles, and paths using Bresenham-like algorithms. Self-contained and could be extracted for any Rust graphics project requiring low-level rasterization.
Provides a logarithmic coordinate range combinator that wraps any Ranged type and applies log scaling. Demonstrates functional composition and trait-based design, reusable for any coordinate transformation task.
Implements a type-safe builder for SVG attributes (AttrWriter) with automatic escaping (FormatEscaped trait), preventing injection vulnerabilities. Could be extracted for any SVG generation project requiring safe serialization.
Defines linear colormaps (Viridis, etc.) using a macro and provides interpolation between color stops. Reusable for any visualization or graphics project needing predefined colormaps.