# How to recover a graph without instructions to produce it?

I have an output graph on a saved notebook that I cannot reproduce with my data (I messed up the instructions).

Can I take that graph, insert it in a new notebook and modify it? (I'm thinking about axes, labels, fonts, etc.)

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short answer: yes –  chris Sep 25 '12 at 10:13
–  chris Sep 25 '12 at 10:14
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If you mean "graph" as in "plot of a function", then assign your graph to a variable and then extract/modify its properties. Imagine you have just this:

Then this is an example of "extract/modify its properties":

Show[Graphics[{Red, Thick, pl[[1, 3, 2]]}], Axes -> False, Frame -> True,
BaseStyle -> {12, FontFamily -> "Times", Italic}, AspectRatio -> .6]


If on other hand you have "graph" as a network, then there are many options to go around, because Graph returns an object where all information about Graph is preserved. This is one way to do it:

Show[AdjacencyGraph[AdjacencyMatrix[gr],
AbsoluteOptions[gr, VertexCoordinates], GraphStyle -> "ThickEdge"],
Axes -> False, Frame -> True, FrameTicks -> True,
BaseStyle -> {12, FontFamily -> "Times", Italic}, AspectRatio -> 1]
`

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for clarity, once youve closed the nodebook and quit the kernel, to get the plot back as an object you can modify you need to copy the graphic (right click/copy) and past into an input cell, setting equal to a variable. –  george2079 Sep 25 '12 at 14:55
Just a note: such a solution has been possible only since the day (with Version 6??) that graphics output ceased being merely a side-effect of code and became instead an actual Mathematica object capable of being operated upon like any other object. –  murray Sep 25 '12 at 20:42
Yup, I didnt know this till looking at this question.. I guess it would be worthwhile to read those release notes!! –  george2079 Sep 25 '12 at 21:22