# Why does ListPlot ignore some global options?

Bug introduced in 7.0.1 or earlier and fixed in 8.0.1'

Why does the following plot no use the global PlotMarkers option?

SetOptions[ListPlot, {ImageSize -> Automatic, PlotMarkers -> {"A"}}];
ListPlot[Range[10]]


Checking the global options for ListPlot shows that PlotMarkers is set on a global level:

Options[ListPlot, {PlotMarkers}] -> {PlotMarkers -> {"A"}}


If I just feed the ListPlot function all of it global options it plots correctly, but it defeats the purpose of having globally set defaults.

ListPlot[Range[10], Options[ListPlot]]


To my knowledge ListPlot[Range[10]] and ListPlot[Range[10], Options[ListPlot]] should always return the same result but in this case it does not.

I'm running Mathematica 8.0.0.0 on Mac OS X 10.6.8

In version 7 it appears that ListPlot only uses global Options[] that are acceptable to Graphics (probably via FilterRules). You can work around this manually with explicit declaration:

SetOptions[ListPlot, {PlotMarkers -> {"A"}, Filling -> Axis}];

ListPlot[Range[10], Options[ListPlot]]


If you want to make this fix automatic you can do this:

Unprotect[ListPlot];

ListPlot[args___] :=
Block[{$lpOptsFix = True}, ListPlot[args, Options[ListPlot]] ] /; ! TrueQ[$lpOptsFix]

• Your last suggestion is pretty much going down the same road as I did when constructing the option configuratin manager which I linked to in the comment above. Feb 3, 2012 at 21:06
• I never meant any opposition. Just made a note to link things, because I think there is more value when related discussions or techniques presented in various places are linked together. Totally agree on complementarity. Feb 3, 2012 at 21:38
• Thank I was looking for something like you ListPlot rewrite. Feb 3, 2012 at 21:48
• @Davorak, glad I could help, and thanks for the Accept. Feb 3, 2012 at 21:55

Looks like a bug that has been fixed for V8.0.1.

• Thanks for the heads up about the fix. Feb 5, 2012 at 1:54
• @Brett Champion I just ran into the same problem (I think) in 8.0.4 Oct 21, 2012 at 21:38