Many functions in the Wolfram Language have options that determine the details of how they work. For example, in making a plot, you can use PlotTheme->"Web" to use a web-oriented visual theme. On a keyboard, the -> is automatically formed if you type -> (i.e. - followed by >).

ListLinePlot[RandomInteger[10,10]]

ListLinePlot[RandomInteger[10,10],PlotTheme->"Web"]

ListLinePlot[RandomInteger[10,10],PlotTheme->"Detailed"]

ListLinePlot[RandomInteger[10,10],PlotTheme-> "Marketing"]

You can add more options. For example, Filling specifies what filling to add to a plot.

ListLinePlot[RandomInteger[10,10],PlotTheme->"Web",Filling->Axis]

Background lets you specify a background color.

ListLinePlot[RandomInteger[10,10],PlotTheme->"Web",Filling->Axis,Background->LightGreen]

If you don’t mention a particular option, the Wolfram Language will use a pre-defined default for that option. Most often that default is Automatic, which means that the language will automatically determine what to do.

One option that’s often useful for graphics is PlotRange, which specifies what range of values to include in a plot. With the default PlotRange->Automatic, the system will try to automatically show the “interesting” part of the plot. PlotRange->All shows all values.

ListLinePlot[{36,16,9,64,1,340,36,0,49,81}]

ListLinePlot[{36,16,9,64,1,340,36,0,49,81},PlotRange->All]

ListLinePlot[{36,16,9,64,1,340,36,0,49,81},PlotRange->30]

ListLinePlot[{36,16,9,64,1,340,36,0,49,81},PlotRange->{20,100}]

You can specify ranges for all types of graphics. In GeoListPlot and GeoGraphics you can use the option GeoRange to specify what part of the world to include in a plot.

GeoListPlot[LinguisticAssistant]

GeoListPlot[LinguisticAssistant,GeoRange->LinguisticAssistant]

GeoListPlot[LinguisticAssistant,GeoRange->All]

There are many other options for GeoListPlot. For example GeoBackground specifies what kind of background should be used. GeoLabels adds labels. Joined makes the points be joined.

GeoListPlot[LinguisticAssistant,GeoRange->LinguisticAssistant,GeoBackground->"ReliefMap"]

GeoListPlot[{LinguisticAssistant,LinguisticAssistant,LinguisticAssistant},GeoLabels->Automatic]

GeoListPlot[{LinguisticAssistant,LinguisticAssistant,LinguisticAssistant},Joined->True]

The function ListLinePlot has 57 different options you can set; GeoListPlot has 54. Some options are common to all graphics functions. For example, AspectRatio determines the overall shape of graphics, specifying the ratio of height to width.

ListLinePlot[RandomInteger[10,10],AspectRatio->1/3]

The option ImageSize specifies the overall size of graphics.

Graphics[Circle[ ],ImageSize->Tiny]

Table[Graphics[Circle[ ],ImageSize->n],{n,5,50,5}]

It’s not just Graphics that allows options. Lots of other functions do too. An example is Style, which supports many options.

Style["text in a different font",20,FontFamily-> "Chalkboard"]

It’s quite common for options to describe details of output, for example in WordCloud.

WordCloud[DeleteStopwords[WikipediaData["computer"]],WordOrientation->"Random"]

Grid has many options. The Frame option controls whether and how a frame is drawn.

Grid[Table[i*j,{i,5},{j,5}],Frame->All]

Grid[Table[i*j,{i,5},{j,5}],Frame->All,Background->LightYellow]

Create a list plot of Range[10] themed for the web. »

Create a list plot of Range[10] with filling to the axis. »

Create a list plot of Range[10] with a yellow background. »

Create a map of the world with Australia highlighted. »

Create a map of the Indian Ocean with Madagascar highlighted. »

Use GeoGraphics to create a map of South America showing topography (relief map). »

Make a map of Europe with France, Finland and Greece highlighted and labeled. »

Make a 12×12 multiplication table as a grid with white type on a black background. »

Make a list of 100 disks with random integer image sizes up to 40. »

Make a list of pictures of regular pentagons with image size 30 and aspect ratios from 1 to 10. »

Make a Manipulate that varies the size of a circle between 5 and 500. »

Create a framed 10×10 grid of random colors. »

Make a line plot of the lengths of Roman numerals up to 100, with a plot range that would be sufficient for all numerals up to 1000. »

Create a list plot of Range[10] with a frame included. »

Create a list plot of Range[10] with a yellow background and a frame. »

Make a list of list plots of Range[10], with sizes ranging from 50 to 150 in steps of 10. »

Make a line plot of the first 20 squares, filling to the axis. »

Create a relief map of the region around Mount Everest, drawing a disk of radius 100 miles.  »

Create a list plot of Range[10] with an aspect ratio of 1. »

Make a Manipulate that varies the aspect ratio of a picture of a regular hexagon from 0.1 to 5. »

Make a plot of the air temperature in Paris over the past week with the plot range restricted between 50 and 80 degrees. »

How can I get a list of the options for a function?

Look at the documentation. Or use for example Options[WordCloud]. Also, whenever you start typing the name of an option, you’ll see a menu of possible completions.

How do I find out the possible settings for an option?

Look at the documentation for that option. Also, when you type ->, you’ll typically get a menu of possible common settings.

What is opt->value internally?

It’s Rule[opt,value]. Rules are used in lots of places in the Wolfram Language. a->b is usually read aloud as “a goes to b” or “a arrow b”.

When are values of options given as strings?

Only a small set of standard option settings (such as Automatic, None and All) are not strings. Specialized settings for particular options are normally strings.

Can one reset the default for an option?

Yes, using SetOptions. Though you have to be careful not to forget that you’ve done it.

Tech Notes