[Tex/LaTex] pgfplots: dimension too large when reading data from file

pgfplots

Based on the following data table data.dat

    x    a    b    c    d
    0    284.15    69.18    284.15    70.26
    0.03    284.15    70.20    284.15    70.04
    0.04    318.15    70.20    284.15    70.04
    0.1    318.15    70.20    284.15    70.04
    1    318.15    70.20    284.15    70.04
    5    314.75    70.20    284.13    70.04
    6    314.75    70.20    284.12    70.04
    10    314.75    70.20    284.10    70.05
    15    314.75    70.20    284.08    70.05
    20    284.05    70.20    284.05    70.05
    30    284.00    70.19    284.00    70.06
    50    283.90    70.19    283.90    70.07
    100    283.66    70.18    283.66    70.09
    200    283.60    70.17    283.58    70.12
    300    284.55    70.15    284.50    70.12
    400    286.12    70.11    286.06    70.09
    500    287.87    70.04    287.81    70.03
    600    289.58    69.95    289.53    69.94
    1000    294.97    69.31    294.94    69.32
    1500    298.86    67.98    298.85    68.00
    2000    300.84    66.05    300.84    66.09
    2500    301.64    63.48    301.84    63.53
    3000    301.60    60.19    301.62    60.27
    3500    300.85    56.08    300.88    56.19
    4000    299.45    50.95    299.49    51.10
    4500    297.31    44.46    297.38    44.69
    5000    294.20    35.93    294.33    36.31
    5500    289.36    23.33    289.64    24.14
    5700    286.21    15.29    286.73    16.73
    5710    286.00    14.77    286.55    16.28

I'm trying to plot the third and fith column for x in [0,20]. This is my MWE, that results in an error "dimension too large".

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  \begin{axis}[
    width=0.45\textwidth,
    xmin=-2,
    xmax=20,
    ymin=70,
    ymax=72
]
    \addplot
    table[x index=0, y expr={\thisrowno{2}+1.01325}, header=true] {data.dat};

    \addplot
    table[x index=0, y expr={\thisrowno{4}+1.01325}, header=true] {data.dat};
  \end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

If I crop the data table or use the environment filecontents, no error occurs.
Some choices of width and xmax work, while others don't. In general, a larger width seems to require a larger xmax.

Does anyone know the reason for the error?

Best Answer

This happens because PGFPlots internally plots all the values, even the ones that aren't in the visible range, and only clips the plots to the visible range at the very end. This leads to part of the points lying very far outside the axis, too far for TeX to handle.

You can filter the data using restrict x to domain=-2:20 and restrict y to domain=70:72 to remove the points you aren't interested in from the data stream. The limits can still be set using xmin, xmax, etc.:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{filecontents}
\begin{filecontents*}{data.dat}
    x    a    b    c    d
    0    284.15    69.18    284.15    70.26
    0.03    284.15    70.20    284.15    70.04
    0.04    318.15    70.20    284.15    70.04
    0.1    318.15    70.20    284.15    70.04
    1    318.15    70.20    284.15    70.04
    5    314.75    70.20    284.13    70.04
    6    314.75    70.20    284.12    70.04
    10    314.75    70.20    284.10    70.05
    15    314.75    70.20    284.08    70.05
    20    284.05    70.20    284.05    70.05
    30    284.00    70.19    284.00    70.06
    50    283.90    70.19    283.90    70.07
    100    283.66    70.18    283.66    70.09
    200    283.60    70.17    283.58    70.12
    300    284.55    70.15    284.50    70.12
    400    286.12    70.11    286.06    70.09
    500    287.87    70.04    287.81    70.03
    600    289.58    69.95    289.53    69.94
    1000    294.97    69.31    294.94    69.32
    1500    298.86    67.98    298.85    68.00
    2000    300.84    66.05    300.84    66.09
    2500    301.64    63.48    301.84    63.53
    3000    301.60    60.19    301.62    60.27
    3500    300.85    56.08    300.88    56.19
    4000    299.45    50.95    299.49    51.10
    4500    297.31    44.46    297.38    44.69
    5000    294.20    35.93    294.33    36.31
    5500    289.36    23.33    289.64    24.14
    5700    286.21    15.29    286.73    16.73
    5710    286.00    14.77    286.55    16.28
\end{filecontents*}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  \begin{axis}[
    width=0.45\textwidth,
    xmin=-2,
    xmax=20,
    restrict x to domain=-2:20,
    ymin=70,
    ymax=72,
    restrict y to domain=70:72
]
    \addplot
    table[x index=0, y expr={\thisrowno{2}+1.01325}, header=true] {data.dat};

    \addplot
    table[x index=0, y expr={\thisrowno{4}+1.01325}, header=true] {data.dat};
  \end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] plotting two time series with bounds

This happens because PGFPlots only uses one "stack" per axis: You're stacking the second confidence interval on top of the first. The easiest way to fix this is probably to use the approach described in "Is there an easy way of using line thickness as error indicator in a plot?": After plotting the first confidence interval, stack the upper bound on top again, using stack dir=minus. That way, the stack will be reset to zero, and you can draw the second confidence interval in the same fashion as the first:

\documentclass{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots, tikz}

\usepackage{pgfplotstable}

\pgfplotstableread{
temps   y_h y_h__inf    y_h__sup    y_f y_f__inf    y_f__sup    

1   0.237340    0.135170    0.339511    0.237653    0.135482    0.339823    
2   0.561320    0.422007    0.700633    0.165871    0.026558    0.305184    
3   0.694760    0.534205    0.855314    0.074856    -0.085698   0.235411    
4   0.728306    0.560179    0.896432    0.003361    -0.164765   0.171487    
5   0.711710    0.544944    0.878477    -0.044582   -0.211349   0.122184    
6   0.671241    0.511191    0.831291    -0.073347   -0.233397   0.086703    
7   0.621177    0.471219    0.771135    -0.088418   -0.238376   0.061540    
8   0.569354    0.431826    0.706882    -0.094382   -0.231910   0.043146    
9   0.519973    0.396571    0.643376    -0.094619   -0.218022   0.028783    
10  0.475121    0.366990    0.583251    -0.091467   -0.199598   0.016664    
}{\table}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}

    \begin{axis}
    % y_h confidence interval
    \addplot [stack plots=y, fill=none, draw=none, forget plot]   table [x=temps, y=y_h__inf]   {\table} \closedcycle;
    \addplot [stack plots=y, fill=gray!50, opacity=0.4, draw opacity=0, area legend]   table [x=temps, y expr=\thisrow{y_h__sup}-\thisrow{y_h__inf}]   {\table} \closedcycle;
    % subtract the upper bound so our stack is back at zero
    \addplot [stack plots=y, stack dir=minus, forget plot, draw=none] table [x=temps, y=y_h__sup] {\table};

    % y_f confidence interval
    \addplot [stack plots=y, fill=none, draw=none, forget plot]   table [x=temps, y=y_f__inf]   {\table} \closedcycle;
    \addplot [stack plots=y, fill=gray!50, opacity=0.4, draw opacity=0, area legend]   table [x=temps, y expr=\thisrow{y_f__sup}-\thisrow{y_f__inf}]   {\table} \closedcycle;

    % the line plots (y_h and y_f)    
    \addplot [stack plots=false, very thick,smooth,blue]  table [x=temps, y=y_h]   {\table};
    \addplot [stack plots=false, very thick,smooth,blue]  table [x=temps, y=y_f]   {\table};
    \end{axis}

\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

[Tex/LaTex] PGFPlots error “Dimension too large” when plotting .csv data

Possibly having very little steps in the x coordinates forces pgfplots to the numerical accuracy limits. Instead using the logarithmic axes for y and linear for x works without any problem.

\begin{semilogyaxis}[black,
    width=14cm,
    height=10cm,
    mark=none,
    xlabel=Scaling Factor,
    transpose legend,
    legend style={at={(0.5,-0.15)},anchor=north},
    legend entries={MSE, Accuracy},
    legend style={nodes=right}]

    \addplot[no markers,blue] table [x=a, y=b, col sep=comma,] {
        ./chapter4/refined2b.csv
    };
    \addplot[no markers,red] table [x=a, y=c, col sep=comma,] {
        ./chapter4/refined2b.csv
    };
\end{semilogyaxis}

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] plotting two time series with bounds

[Tex/LaTex] PGFPlots error “Dimension too large” when plotting .csv data

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