Devices              package:grDevices              R Documentation

List of Graphical Devices

Description:

     The following graphics devices are currently available:

        *  'postscript' Writes PostScript graphics commands to a file

        *  'pdf' Write PDF graphics commands to a file

        *  'pictex' Writes LaTeX/PicTeX graphics commands to a file

        *  'xfig' Device for XFIG graphics file format

        *  'bitmap' bitmap pseudo-device via 'GhostScript' (if
           available).

     The following devices will be functional if R was compiled to use
     them (they exist but will return with a warning on other systems):

        *  'X11' The graphics device for the X11 Window system

        *  'bmp' Windows bitmap device

        *  'jpeg' JPEG bitmap device

        *  'png' PNG bitmap device

        *  'tiff' TIFF bitmap device

        *  'cairo_pdf', 'cairo_ps' PDF and PostScript devices based on
           cairo graphics.

        *  'quartz' The graphics device for the Mac OS X native Quartz
           2d graphics system.  (This is only functional on Mac OS X,
           but unlike R < 2.7.0 can be used from the command line and
           not just from the GUI console.)

Details:

     If no device is open, using a high-level graphics function will
     cause a device to be opened.  Which device is given by
     'options("device")' which is initially set as the most appropriate
     for each platform: a screen device for most interactive use and
     'pdf' (or the setting of 'R_DEFAULT_DEVICE') otherwise.  The
     exception is interactive use under Unix if no screen device is
     known to be available, when 'pdf()'is used.

See Also:

     The individual help files for further information on any of the
     devices listed here; 'X11.options', 'quartz.options', 'ps.options'
     and 'pdf.options' for how to customize devices.

     'dev.interactive', 'dev.cur', 'dev.print', 'graphics.off',
     'image', 'dev2bitmap'.

     'capabilities' to see if 'X11', 'jpeg' 'png' and 'quartz' are
     available.

Examples:

     ## Not run: 
     ## open the default screen device on this platform if no device is
     ## open
     if(dev.cur() == 1) dev.new()
     ## End(Not run)

