Dear ImPlot - Rust Bindings

High-level Rust bindings for ImPlot, the immediate mode plotting library. This crate provides safe, idiomatic Rust bindings designed to work seamlessly with dear-imgui-rs (which uses cimgui C API) and dear-implot-sys (which uses cimplot C API).

For native build/link options (source, system/prebuilt, remote prebuilt), see extensions/dear-implot-sys/README.md.

Links

• Upstream: https://github.com/epezent/implot
• C API: https://github.com/cimgui/cimplot

Compatibility

See also: docs/COMPATIBILITY.md for the full workspace matrix.

Integration Quickstart

This crate integrates with dear-imgui-rs directly — add both crates, then build plots inside an ImGui window using a PlotContext bound to the current ImGui context.

[dependencies]
dear-imgui-rs = "0.5"
dear-implot = "0.5"

use dear_imgui as imgui;
use dear_implot::*;

fn main() {
    let mut ctx = imgui::Context::create();
    let plot_ctx = PlotContext::create(&ctx);

    // frame loop
    let ui = ctx.frame();
    // Ui extension: obtain PlotUi from Ui + PlotContext
    let plot_ui = ui.implot(&plot_ctx);
    ui.window("Plot Example").build(|| {
        if let Some(token) = plot_ui.begin_plot("Line") {
            let x = [0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0];
            let y = [0.0, 1.0, 4.0, 9.0];
            LinePlot::new("y=x^2", &x, &y).plot();
            token.end();
        }
    });
}

Notes:

• Base ImGui static library linking is handled by dear-imgui-sys; you do not need to link it here.
• Refer to the -sys README for IMPLOT_SYS_* env vars when using prebuilt libraries.

Features

• Safe, idiomatic Rust API - Memory-safe interfaces with proper lifetime management
• Full compatibility with dear-imgui - Uses the same context management patterns
• Builder pattern for plots - Fluent, ergonomic API for creating plots
• Comprehensive plot types - Support for all major plot types including:
  • Line plots and scatter plots
  • Bar charts and histograms (1D and 2D)
  • Heatmaps and pie charts
  • Error bars and shaded plots
  • Stem plots and more
• Advanced features - Subplots, multi-axis plots, and legend management
• Modular design - Each plot type is in its own module for better organization
• Universal plot builder - Unified API for creating any plot type

Quick Start

Add to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
dear-imgui-rs = "0.5"
dear-implot = "0.5"

Basic usage:

use dear_imgui_rs::*;
use dear_implot::*;

fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
    let mut ctx = Context::create();
    let plot_ctx = PlotContext::create(&ctx);

    // In your main loop:
    let ui = ctx.frame();
    // Or via Ui extension:
    let plot_ui = ui.implot(&plot_ctx);

    ui.window("My Plots")
        .size([800.0, 600.0], Condition::FirstUseEver)
        .build(|| {
            if let Some(token) = plot_ui.begin_plot("Line Plot") {
                let x_data = [0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0];
                let y_data = [0.0, 1.0, 4.0, 9.0, 16.0];

                // New modular API
                LinePlot::new("Quadratic", &x_data, &y_data).plot();

                token.end();
            }
        });

    Ok(())
}

Plot Types

Line and Scatter Plots

// Line plot
LinePlot::new("My Line", &x_data, &y_data).plot();

// Scatter plot
ScatterPlot::new("My Points", &x_data, &y_data).plot();

Bar Charts

// Simple bar chart
BarPlot::new("Bars", &values)
    .with_bar_size(0.8)
    .plot();

// Positional bar chart
PositionalBarPlot::new("Positioned Bars", &x_positions, &values)
    .with_bar_size(0.5)
    .plot();

Histograms

// 1D Histogram
HistogramPlot::new("Distribution", &data)
    .with_bins(20)
    .density()
    .cumulative()
    .plot();

// 2D Histogram
Histogram2DPlot::new("2D Distribution", &x_data, &y_data)
    .with_bins(10, 10)
    .plot();

Heatmaps

let data: Vec<f64> = (0..100).map(|i| (i as f64 * 0.1).sin()).collect();

HeatmapPlot::new("Heat", &data, 10, 10)
    .with_scale(-1.0, 1.0)
    .with_bounds(0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 1.0)
    .with_label_format("%.2f")
    .plot();

Pie Charts

let labels = vec!["A", "B", "C", "D"];
let values = [0.25, 0.35, 0.20, 0.20];

PieChartPlot::new(labels, &values, 0.5, 0.5, 0.4)
    .normalize()
    .exploding()
    .with_angle0(90.0)
    .plot();

Error Bars

let errors = [0.1, 0.2, 0.15, 0.3, 0.25];

ErrorBarsPlot::new("Measurements", &x_data, &y_data, &errors)
    .horizontal()
    .plot();

Shaded Plots

// Shaded area plot
ShadedPlot::new("Area", &x_data, &y_data)
    .with_y_ref(0.0)
    .plot();

// Shaded between two curves
ShadedBetweenPlot::new("Between", &x_data, &y1_data, &y2_data)
    .plot();

Advanced Features

Subplots

if let Ok(token) = SubplotGrid::new("My Subplots", 2, 2)
    .with_size([800.0, 600.0])
    .with_flags(SubplotFlags::NONE)
    .begin() {

    // First subplot
    if let Some(plot_token) = plot_ui.begin_plot("") {
        LinePlot::new("Line", &x_data, &y_data).plot();
        plot_token.end();
    }

    // Second subplot
    if let Some(plot_token) = plot_ui.begin_plot("") {
        BarPlot::new("Bars", &values).plot();
        plot_token.end();
    }

    // ... more subplots

    token.end();
}

Multi-Axis Plots

let mut multi_plot = MultiAxisPlot::new("Multi-Axis")
    .add_y_axis(YAxisConfig {
        label: Some("Temperature (°C)"),
        flags: AxisFlags::NONE,
        range: Some((-10.0, 40.0)),
    })
    .add_y_axis(YAxisConfig {
        label: Some("Pressure (hPa)"),
        flags: AxisFlags::NONE,
        range: Some((900.0, 1100.0)),
    });

if let Ok(token) = multi_plot.begin() {
    // Plot on first Y-axis
    token.set_y_axis(0);
    LinePlot::new("Temperature", &time, &temp).plot();

    // Plot on second Y-axis
    token.set_y_axis(1);
    LinePlot::new("Pressure", &time, &pressure).plot();

    token.end();
}

Universal Plot Builder

Axis Setup & Selection

// Inside an active plot (between begin_plot/end)
// Configure axes labels/flags
plot_ui.setup_axes(Some("Time (s)"), Some("Value"), AxisFlags::NO_GRID_LINES, AxisFlags::NONE);

// Set explicit ticks on X1
let tick_pos = [0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0];
let tick_lbl = ["0s", "1s", "2s", "3s"];
plot_ui.setup_x_axis_ticks_positions(XAxis::X1, &tick_pos, Some(&tick_lbl), true);

// Format Y1 ticks
plot_ui.setup_y_axis_format(YAxis::Y1, "%.2f");

// Apply limits
plot_ui.setup_axes_limits(0.0, 3.0, -1.0, 1.0, PlotCond::Once);

// Selection query
if dear_implot::utils::is_plot_selected() {
    if let Some(rect) = dear_implot::utils::get_plot_selection_axes(XAxis::X1, YAxis::Y1) {
        // rect.X.Min/Max, rect.Y.Min/Max
    }
}

Infinite Lines & Image

// Infinite lines
plot_ui.inf_lines_vertical("vlines", &[1.0, 2.0, 3.0])?;
plot_ui.inf_lines_horizontal("hlines", &[0.0])?;

// Image plot (using ImTextureID)
let bounds_min = ImPlotPoint { x: 0.0, y: 0.0 };
let bounds_max = ImPlotPoint { x: 1.0, y: 1.0 };
plot_ui.plot_image("image", my_tex_id, bounds_min, bounds_max)?;

For a more unified API, you can use the PlotBuilder:

// Line plot
PlotBuilder::line("My Line", &x_data, &y_data).build()?;

// Bar plot
PlotBuilder::bar("My Bars", &values).build()?;

// Histogram
PlotBuilder::histogram("Distribution", &data).build()?;

// Heatmap
PlotBuilder::heatmap("Heat", &data, 10, 10).build()?;

Error Handling

All plot functions return Result<(), PlotError> for proper error handling:

match LinePlot::new("My Plot", &x_data, &y_data).validate() {
    Ok(_) => {
        // Plot is valid, proceed
        LinePlot::new("My Plot", &x_data, &y_data).plot();
    }
    Err(PlotError::DataLengthMismatch { expected, actual }) => {
        eprintln!("Data length mismatch: expected {}, got {}", expected, actual);
    }
    Err(PlotError::EmptyData) => {
        eprintln!("Cannot plot empty data");
    }
    Err(e) => {
        eprintln!("Plot error: {}", e);
    }
}

Integration with Dear ImGui

This crate is designed to work seamlessly with the dear-imgui ecosystem:

• Uses the same context management patterns as dear-imgui
• Compatible with dear-imgui's UI tokens and lifetime management
• Shares the same underlying Dear ImGui context
• Follows the same safety and ergonomics principles

Examples

See the examples/ directory for complete working examples:

• plot_gallery.rs - Comprehensive showcase of all plot types
• advanced_features.rs - Subplots and multi-axis examples
• real_time_plotting.rs - Dynamic data visualization

Building

This crate requires:

• Rust 1.70 or later
• C++ compiler (for building ImPlot)
• CMake (for building dependencies)

The build process automatically handles:

• Building ImPlot from source
• Generating C++ wrapper functions
• Linking with dear-imgui

Architecture

This crate follows the same architectural patterns as dear-imgui-rs:

• Context Management: Separate ImPlot context that works alongside Dear ImGui
• Lifetime Safety: Plot tokens ensure proper begin/end pairing
• RAII: Automatic cleanup of resources and style stacks
• Builder Patterns: Fluent APIs for configuration
• Modular Design: Each plot type is in its own module

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.