Making the fancy graph for Lab 4 in SigmaPlot
PP08
This assumes you have used SigmaPlot before or are quite adventurous on computers. Otherwise draw
by hand or get help. There might be errors (even though I tried it out)—first users are guinea pigs.
1. Open SigmaPlot (on desktop or programs)
2. Label columns by clicking and typing in the gray boxes at the top of each column
1. Water potential (or wat pot or WP—won’t show on final graph)
2. Length
3. Stiffness (expressed as a positive—stiffer or negative—less stiff number)
4. Drop Movement (expressed as a positive—rise or negative—fall number)
(3 & 4 can be switched)
5 & 6 will be added later
3. Enter your data in the appropriate columns (good time to save the file)
4. On the area to the left, click the box with the graph with dots AND lines
5. In the left hand column of boxes that appears, choose the single line
6. In the dialog box, select XY pairs
7. Select the columns for X and Y by clicking the labels for these columns (cols 1 & 2)
8. Finish to get your first line plotted
9. Graph/Add Plot to get 2nd plot
10. Line and scatter
11. Simple straight line
12. XY pair/select X and Y columns (cols 1 & 3)
13. Graph/Add Axis to get axis for 2nd plot
14. Plot 2
15. Y Axis/Right/Finish
16. Graph/Add Plot to get 3rd plot
17. Line and scatter
18. Simple straight line
19. XY pair/select X and Y columns (cols 1 & 4)
20. Graph/Add Axis to get axis for 3rd plot
21. Plot 3
22. Y Axis/Right Offset/Finish (good time to save file)
23. Change your page to landscape by File/Page setup/Page size/Landscape
24. Make your graph page full size (box in upper corner and 100% up top)
25. Double click on the left Y axis (Plot 1) ticks (not the numbers, not the axis)
26. Direction to Inward on left axis/Apply/OK
27. Double click on right Y axis (Plot 2) ticks
28. Direction to Inward on right axis/Apply (don’t OK)
29. Plot tab/Plot 3/Axes tab/Major ticks in upper right (might be set on minor ticks)
30. Inward on right/Apply (don’t OK)
31. Axis to X data/Direction to Inward on both top and bottom/Apply
32. Minor ticks in upper right/Direction to Inward on both top and bottom/Apply/OK
33. Double click on X Data and put in your axis title, a space, then the units in parentheses/OK, not
enter
34. Do the same to all the Y axes, making them all 12 point (use Greek letters and subscripts if you
want) (good time to save file). Do the same for your graph title, too.
35. Make all 3 Y axes so the 0 or no change is at the midpoint. Do this by double clicking on the axis
between ticks (not on ticks)/Scaling/type in –X to X for the start and end, where X is the same #
36. Sometimes you need to do an axis scaling a second time (mystery)
37. Locate the mouse cursor between 2 tick labels on the Plot 3 Y axis, and drag axis (and its label) to
the right edge of the paper
38. Locate the mouse cursor on the title of the Plot 2 Y axis and drag it off to near the Plot 3 axis
39. In columns 5 & 6 put word labels that correspond to the tick marks on the Y axes of Plots 2 & 3
The middle words should be no change or no movement
The words for equivalent positive and negative tick labels (say, 2 and -2) should be equivalent
(say, rise slowly and sink slowly)
Start with the label at the bottom of your Y axis
You might need to put a blank cell at the top of your column (cut/paste data)
40. Double click on any tick label (number) on the Plot 2 Y axis, and for Type select column 5
41. Apply/OK
42. Double click on any tick label (number) on the Plot 3 Y axis, and for Type select column 6
41. Apply/OK (good time to save file)
42. Drag the Plot 2 axis label, then the Plot 3 axis and its label back to a good location
43. Line tool (usually upper right) /Draw line across graph at zero/no change level, from left Y axis to
right Y axis
44. Arrow tool (usually upper right)/Draw vertical arrow from intersection of a plotted line to the X
axis
45. Repeat for other 2 plotted lines
46. Use where the arrow hits the X axis for the estimate of water potential of the potato tissue for each
of the methods (needed just below)
47. Double click on a symbol on one of the plotted lines/Plot 2/square symbol/Apply/Plot
3/triangle/Apply/OK
48. In the legend box, double click on the first set of words/change to Length Water Potential = -0.3
MPa (or whatever the value was)
49. Repeat for the other legend box labels, so you have the estimates of water potential by each of the 3
methods
50. Use the text tool to put your name(s) and the date on the graph page (save and print your graph
now)
Whew, you’re done!