[python] How do I tell matplotlib that I am done with a plot?

The following code plots to two PostScript (.ps) files, but the second one contains both lines.

import matplotlib
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.mlab as mlab

plt.subplot(111)
x = [1,10]
y = [30, 1000]
plt.loglog(x, y, basex=10, basey=10, ls="-")
plt.savefig("first.ps")


plt.subplot(111)
x = [10,100]
y = [10, 10000]
plt.loglog(x, y, basex=10, basey=10, ls="-")
plt.savefig("second.ps")

How can I tell matplotlib to start afresh for the second plot?

Just enter plt.hold(False) before the first plt.plot, and you can stick to your original code.

If you're using Matplotlib interactively, for example in a web application, (e.g. ipython) you maybe looking for

plt.show()

instead of plt.close() or plt.clf().

As stated from David Cournapeau, use figure().

import matplotlib
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.mlab as mlab

plt.figure()
x = [1,10]
y = [30, 1000]
plt.loglog(x, y, basex=10, basey=10, ls="-")
plt.savefig("first.ps")


plt.figure()
x = [10,100]
y = [10, 10000]
plt.loglog(x, y, basex=10, basey=10, ls="-")
plt.savefig("second.ps")

Or subplot(121) / subplot(122) for the same plot, different position.

import matplotlib
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.mlab as mlab

plt.subplot(121)
x = [1,10]
y = [30, 1000]
plt.loglog(x, y, basex=10, basey=10, ls="-")

plt.subplot(122)
x = [10,100]
y = [10, 10000]
plt.loglog(x, y, basex=10, basey=10, ls="-")
plt.savefig("second.ps")

There is a clear figure command, and it should do it for you:

plt.clf()

If you have multiple subplots in the same figure

plt.cla()

clears the current axes.

If none of them are working then check this.. say if you have x and y arrays of data along respective axis. Then check in which cell(jupyter) you have initialized x and y to empty. This is because , maybe you are appending data to x and y without re-initializing them. So plot has old data too. So check that..