# Plotting a series of discontinuous lines with PyPlot

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/plotting-a-series-of-discontinuous-lines-with-pyplot/34659>\
**Category:** Visualization\
**Tags:** question, plotting, pyplot\
**Created:** [February 14, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/plotting-a-series-of-discontinuous-lines-with-pyplot/34659 "2020-02-14T22:50:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![totorotoby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@totorotoby](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/totorotoby)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/plotting-a-series-of-discontinuous-lines-with-pyplot/34659/1 "2020-02-14T22:50:14Z")

</div>

I am attempting to use matplotlib’s LineCollection in PyPlot to multiple sets of discontinuous lines in a loop. I started writing my code after reading this: [http://julia-programming-language.2336112.n4.nabble.com/PyPlot-LineCollection-help-needed-td42361.html](http://julia-programming-language.2336112.n4.nabble.com/PyPlot-LineCollection-help-needed-td42361.html)

Here is what I have:

```
using PyPlot

lines = [[[(10,30), (20,70)] [(20,40),(30, 100)]], [[(1,5), (2,7)] [(2,4),(3, 1)]]]

fig = figure()
ax = gca()

for i=1:2
    ls = matplotlib.collections.LineCollection(lines[i])
    ax.clear()
    ax.add_collection(ls)
    axis("image")
    sleep(3)
end

```

This plots 2 lines first on a larger scale then 2 different lines in a smaller domain.  
the call `axis("image")` is what displays the plot, but also sets the limits on the x and y-axis. I would like to set the limits of the x and y axis to the global min and max of all of the lines in `lines` not just for a single set of lines, `lines[i]` for ever iteration of the loop. Assuming I already have those values are `xlims_tuple`, and `ylims_tuple`, I should be able to use `axis(xlim = (xlims_tuple), ylims=(ylims_tuple)` to set them. Although if I do not use `axis("image")` (again I dont want to overide the newly set xlim and ylim) to display the the plot, I cannot find any other way to display it. `show()` does not appear to work. How can I display the plots?