R: Control Multiple Devices

dev.xxx {base} | R Documentation

## Control Multiple Devices

### Description

These functions provide control over multiple graphics devices.

Only one device is the active device. This is the device in which all graphics operations occur.

Devices are associated with a name (e.g., `"X11"` or `"postscript"`) and a number; the `"null device"` is always device 1.

`dev.off` shuts down the specified (by default the current) device. `graphics.off()` shuts down all open graphics devices.

`dev.set` makes the specified device the active device.

A list of the names of the open devices is stored in `.Devices`. The name of the active device is stored in `.Device`.

### Usage

    dev.cur()
    dev.list()
    dev.next(which = dev.cur())
    dev.prev(which = dev.cur())
    dev.off(which = dev.cur())
    dev.set(which = dev.next())
    graphics.off()

### Arguments

`which` | An integer specifying a device number

### Value

`dev.cur` returns the number and name of the active device, or 1, the null device, if none is active.
`dev.list` returns the numbers of all open devices, except device 1, the null device. This is a numeric vector with a names attribute giving the names, or `NULL` is there is no open device.
`dev.next` and `dev.prev` return the number and name of the next / previous device in the list of devices. The list is regarded as a circular list, and `"null device"` will be included only if there are no open devices.
`dev.off` returns the name and number of the new active device (after the specified device has been shut down).
`dev.set` returns the name and number of the new active device.

### See Also

`Devices`, such as `postscript`, etc; `layout` and its links for setting up plotting regions on the current device.

### Examples

    ## Unix-specific example
    x11()
    plot(1:10)
    x11()
    plot(rnorm(10))
    dev.set(dev.prev())
    abline(0,1)# through the 1:10 points
    dev.set(dev.next())
    abline(h=0, col="gray")# for the residual plot
    dev.set(dev.prev())
    dev.off(); dev.off()#- close the two X devices

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