> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://time-series-features.gitbook.io/hctsa-manual/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://time-series-features.gitbook.io/hctsa-manual/installing-and-using-hctsa/analyzing_visualizing/plotting_the_time_series.md).

# Plotting the time series

The *hctsa* package provides a simple means of plotting time series: the `TS_PlotTimeSeries` function.

## Basic plotting

For example, to plot a set of time series that have not been assigned groups, we can run the following:

```
    whatData = 'norm'; % Get data from HCTSA_N.mat
    plotWhatTimeSeries = 'all'; % plot examples from all time series
    plotHowMany = 10; % how many to plot
    maxLength = 400; % maximum number of samples to plot for each time series
    TS_PlotTimeSeries(whatData,plotHowMany,plotWhatTimeSeries,maxLength);
```

For our assorted set of time series, this produces the following:

![](/files/-LEJvogKsPVfOrUllOs4)

Showing the first 400 samples of 10 selected time series, equally-spaced through the TimeSeries IDs in `HCTSA_N.mat`.

## Freeform plotting

Many more custom plotting options are available by passing an options structure to `TS_PlotTimeSeries`, including the `'plotFreeForm'` option which allows very many time series to be shown in a single plot (without the usual axis borders):

```
    % Plot as a freeform plot without labeling time series:
    plotOptions = struct('plotFreeForm',true,'displayTitles',false);
    TS_PlotTimeSeries('norm',40,'all',300,plotOptions);
```

![](/files/-LEJvogQpOGogjI9jqzn)

producing an overview picture of the first 300 samples of 40 time series (spaced through the rows of the data matrix).

## Dealing with groups of time series

When the time series have been assigned groups (using `TS_LabelGroups`, [here](/hctsa-manual/installing-and-using-hctsa/analyzing_visualizing/grouping.md)), this information is automatically incorporated into `TS_PlotTimeSeries`, which then plots a given number of each time series group, and colors them accordingly:

```
    numPerGroup = 5; % plot this many examples of each group of time series
    plotHow = 'grouped'; % plot examples of each assigned group of time series
    TS_PlotTimeSeries('norm',numPerGroup,plotHow,500);
```

![](/files/-LEJvogVseOycwzTS2Hk)

In this case the two labeled groups of time series are recognized by the function: red (noisy), blue (no noise), and then 5 time series in each group are plotted, showing the first 500 samples of each time series.


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