I want to plot a file using gnuplot from within a bash script. For this I used the following command:
gnuplot --persist -e "plot file1.dat"
It shows the plot in a window but I want to look at the data points by zooming in. But this is not allowed. How can I plot the file so that I can zoom in the plot just like while plotting from inside gnuplot.
From GNUPlot manual,
Depending on the terminal type, some mousing operations may still be possible in the persistent window. However operations like zoom/unzoom that require redrawing the plot are not possible because the main program has exited. If you want to leave a plot window open and fully mouseable after creating the plot, for example when running gnuplot from a script file rather than interactively, see pause mouse close.
Reading the "Pause mouse close" section, one finds the answer:
gnuplot --persist -e 'plot "file1.dat"; pause mouse close'
As you already know, you can now use Ctrl-WheelUp and Ctrl-WheelDown to zoom, as well as selecting a rectangular area with the right button, as disclosed in the Scrolling and Zoom sections of the manual.
