bbv (bare-bones viewer) is a minimalist data plotter and viewer, designed to facilitate exploratory data analysis directly from the command line. This tool is ideal for quickly visualizing functional relationships within data, making it an essential utility for data scientists and analysts seeking a straightforward approach to data visualization.

Key Features

• Command Line Interface: Utilize bbv in conjunction with other shell commands using a simple pipe format. Example:

  command_1 | command_2 | ... | bbv
  

  This allows for efficient data flow and processing.

• Data Format: Input must be tab-separated. The primary function is to visually represent data in two ways:

  • Line Plot (default): Generates a line plot for each column of data, facilitating quick comparisons across datasets.

    command | bbv
    

  • Scatter Plot: Use the x option to create a scatter plot displaying pairwise (x,y) relationships.

    command | bbv x
    

• SVG Output: bbv produces an SVG file named tmp_bbv.svg, which can be easily edited in vector graphic software like Inkscape. This feature allows for further customization as needed.

• Lightweight Requirements: Written in POSIX shell and awk, bbv operates on any POSIX-compliant system with no additional toolchain dependencies. It supports various lightweight SVG-compatible image viewers, such as:

  • eom (Eye of MATE)
  • feh
  • imv
  • loupe (GNOME Image Viewer)
  • pqiv
  • sxiv | nsxiv
  • viewnior
  • vimiv These viewers support features like zooming and panning using keyboard shortcuts.

Important Considerations

• bbv does not offer real-time plotting for long-term processes; for live data streams, consider alternatives like feedgnuplot.

• While bbv provides a minimalist experience, it lacks advanced plotting options such as titles, annotations, legends, custom axes, or style adjustments, focusing solely on quick data visualization.

Usage Note

To get started, simply run bbv in the terminal for brief usage instructions. This will facilitate the understanding of how to best utilize the tool within your data workflow.

bbv aims to streamline the process of data exploration, making it easier to visualize complex data sets with minimal overhead.