def plotArray(self, hitDataParam, filename, plotDir=None, labeledPosD=None,
                  title='', type='png',
                  label_colors = True, colVecL=None, legend_plot = False, legend_filename=None, 
                  control_color='black', numeric_as_int = False,
                  grid=True, max_val=0.3, min_val=0.0, cut_data = True):
        if plotDir is None:
            plotDir = self.plotDir
        full_filename = os.path.join(plotDir, filename)
    
        #hitData = copy.deepcopy(hitDataParam)                
        hitData = hitDataParam
        #nrow = len(hitData)
        #ncol = len(hitData[0])
        nrow = self.nb_row
        ncol = self.nb_col
        
        xL = range(1, self.nb_col + 1)
        yL = range(1, self.nb_row + 1)
        
        rdev = plot_utilities.RDevice(name = full_filename, title=title, plotType=type, 
                                      width=640, height=250)

        if label_colors:
            # in this case, the data is considered to consist of labels
            labelL = []
            for i in range(nrow):
                for j in range(ncol):
                    if hitData[i][j] not in labelL:
                        labelL.append(hitData[i][j]) 
            
            if colVecL is None:
                colVecL = r.rainbow(len(labelL))
            colBreaksL = range(len(colVecL) + 1)

            if legend_plot:
                self.plotLabelLegend(colVecL, plotType=type, filename=legend_filename)
        else:
            # in this case, the data is numeric.
            if cut_data:
                max_rel_cell_count = max_val
                min_rel_cell_count = 0.0
                for i in range(nrow):
                    for j in range(ncol):
                        hitData[i][j] = max(min_rel_cell_count, min(max_rel_cell_count, hitData[i][j])) 
            else:
                max_rel_cell_count = max([max(x) for x in hitData.tolist() ]) 
                min_rel_cell_count = min([min(x) for x in hitData.tolist() ])
            
            if numeric_as_int:
                nb_colors = max_rel_cell_count
            else:
                nb_colors = 500

            if colVecL is None:                    
                pattern = [(0,0,0),(0.7,0,0),(1,1,0),(1,1,1)]
                colVecL = colors.make_colors(pattern, nb_colors)
            colBreaksL = [1.0/ (len(colVecL) - 1) * x * (max_rel_cell_count - min_rel_cell_count) + min_rel_cell_count  for x in range(len(colVecL) + 1)]

            if legend_plot:
                self.plotNumLegend(colVecL, colBreaksL, 16, filename=legend_filename, type=type, int_labels=numeric_as_int, legendDir = plotDir)

        axisSize = .8
        r("par(mar=c(1.6,1.6,0.1,0.1))")
        r.image(xL, yL, r.t(hitData), axes = False, ann=False, cex=1, col=colVecL, breaks=colBreaksL)
        r.box()
        if not labeledPosD is None:
            for label in labeledPosD.keys():
                posL = labeledPosD[label]
                if len(posL) > 0:
                    xlL = [(int(x)-1) % self.nb_col + 1 for x in posL]
                    ylL = [(int(x)-1) / self.nb_col + 1 for x in posL]
                    r.points(xlL, ylL, pch=label, col=control_color, cex=axisSize)
                    print
                    print xlL
                    print ylL
                    print
        # grid
        if grid:
            for i in range(self.nb_col):
                r.abline(h=i+.5, lty=3, lwd=1, col='grey')
            for i in range(self.nb_row):
                r.abline(v=i+.5, lty=3, lwd=1, col='grey')
            
        r.axis(1, at=xL, labels=[str(x) for x in xL], tick=False, line=-1.0, cex_axis=axisSize)
        r.axis(2, at=yL, labels=[str(y) for y in yL], tick=False, line=-1.0, cex_axis=axisSize)
        rdev.close()
        
        return
    def plotBundle(self, bundleD, full_filename, colorsD=None, bundlePointsD=None, legendL=None, title=None, y_max=None):

        if y_max is None:
            y_max = 0.4
            
        if legendL is None:
            legendL = bundleD.keys()
            legendL.sort()
            
        if title is None:
            title = 'data'            

        bundleIdL = bundleD.keys()
        bundleIdL.sort()

        if colorsD is None:            
            colorsL = r.rainbow(len(bundleIdL))
            colorsD = dict(zip(bundleIdL, colorsL))
        
        colorsL = [colorsD[x] for x in bundleIdL]
        
        time_min = min([len(bundleD[x]) for x in bundleD.keys()])
        timeVec = [0.5 * x for x in range(time_min)]

        try:
            r.png(full_filename, width=800, height=600)
            oldPar = r.par(xpd = True, mar = [x + y for (x,y) in zip(r.par()['mar'], [0,0,0,6])])
        
            print 'plot %s' % full_filename
            r.plot(timeVec, timeVec,
                   type='n',
                   main=title, ylim=(0, y_max),
                   xlab="time in hours after transfection", ylab="Relative Cell Counts",
                   pch=20, lwd=1, lty = 1, 
                   cex=1.0, cex_lab=1.2, cex_main=1.5)
        
        
            for bundleId in bundleIdL:
                
                if not bundlePointsD is None:
                    r.points(timeVec, bundlePointsD[bundleId],
                             col=colorsD[bundleId], pch=20,
                             lwd=1)
                    r.lines(timeVec, bundlePointsD[bundleId],
                            col=colorsD[bundleId],
                            lwd=1, lty = 1)

                r.lines(timeVec, bundleD[bundleId],
                        col=colorsD[bundleId],
                        lwd=3, lty = 1)

            r.legend(max(timeVec) * 1.1, y_max, legend=legendL, fill=colorsL, cex=1.0, bg= 'whitesmoke')
            r.par(oldPar)
            r.grid(col="darkgrey")
        
            r.dev_off() 
        except:
            r.dev_off()
            print full_filename + ' has not been printed.'
            

        return