# 3.2 Multiplot mode

Pyxplot has two modes in which it can produce graphical output. In singleplot mode, the default, each time the `plot` command is issued, the canvas is wiped clean and the new plot is placed alone on a blank page. In multiplot mode, vector graphics objects accumulate on the canvas. Each time the `plot` command is issued, the new graph is placed on top of any other objects which were already on the canvas, and many plots can be placed side-by-side.

The user can switch between these two modes of operation by issuing the commands `set multiplot` and `set nomultiplot`. The `set origin` command is required for multiplot mode to be useful when placing plots side-by-side: it sets the position on the page of the lower-left corner of the next plot. It takes a comma-separated coordinate pair, which may have units of length, or, if dimensionless, are assumed to be measured in centimetres. The following example plots a graph of to the left of a plot of :

    set multiplot
    set width 8
    plot sin(x)
    set origin 10,0
    plot cos(x)