python - Store and reload matplotlib.pyplot object

Question

I work in an psudo-operational environment where we make new imagery on receipt of data. Sometimes when new data comes in, we need to re-open an image and update that image in order to create composites, add overlays, etc. In addition to adding to the image, this requires modification of titles, legends, etc.

Is there something built into matplotlib that would let me store and reload my matplotlib.pyplot object for later use? It would need to maintain access to all associated objects including figures, lines, legends, etc. Maybe pickle is what I'm looking for, but I doubt it.

Answer 1

As of 1.2 matplotlib ships with experimental pickling support. If you come across any issues with it, please let us know on the mpl mailing list or by opening an issue on github.com/matplotlib/matplotlib

HTH

EDIT: Added a simple example

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import pickle

ax = plt.subplot(111)
x = np.linspace(0, 10)
y = np.exp(x)
plt.plot(x, y)
pickle.dump(ax, file('myplot.pickle', 'w'))

Then in a separate session:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import pickle

ax = pickle.load(file('myplot.pickle'))
plt.show()