How to export a plot into a file?

Question

I am trying to save some graphics into a file, and it seems impossible.

x1 = Round[RandomVariate[NormalDistribution[325, 5], 25], 0.1];
x2 = Round[RandomVariate[NormalDistribution[325.5, 2], 25], 0.1];
x3 = Round[RandomVariate[NormalDistribution[327.5, 7], 25], 0.1];

h1 = Histogram[x1, 6, "Probability", 
   ChartLegends -> {"\!\(\*SubscriptBox[\(x\), \(1\)]\)"}, 
   ChartStyle -> {Directive[Red]}, 
   PlotRange -> {{308, 342}, {0, 0.5}}];
h2 = Histogram[x2, 6, "Probability", 
   ChartLegends -> {"\!\(\*SubscriptBox[\(x\), \(2\)]\)"}, 
   ChartStyle -> {Directive[Blue]}, 
   PlotRange -> {{308, 342}, {0, 0.5}}];
h3 = Histogram[x3, 6, "Probability", 
   ChartLegends -> {"\!\(\*SubscriptBox[\(x\), \(3\)]\)"}, 
   ChartStyle -> {Directive[Green]}, 
   PlotRange -> {{308, 342}, {0, 0.5}}];
   Export["C:\CompareHist.png", GraphicsColumn[{h1, h2, h3}]]

Of course I cannot use save graphics into file option as there is no such option. And by the way: why Export functions always fails? Even when trying to follow tutorial. Is it some known bug?

Answer 1

From my experience, outputting into the desktop is quite handy. Thus, in every notebook I have one initialization cell that selects the output folder

SetDirectory["C:\\Users\\R\\Desktop"]];

Then one that allows me to simply export every plot that I output:

Export["out.png", Out[-1]];

The problem in your exporting function is that you are not setting the directory for the figure correctly. Have a look into the exporting directory information here and, if you want to avoid doing what I suggested above, use FileNameJoin (example).

EDIT: I didn't see this, but @b.gatessucks had suggested FileNameJoin before I did.