Handling TH1 histograms

Here is the class reference for TH1.

To use TH1D in python, you can either only import a TH1D class:

from ROOT import TH1D
hist = TH1D("hist_name","hist_title",100,0,100)

or all classes:

from ROOT import * # loads all classes, and thus takes longer
hist = TH1D("hist_name","hist_title",100,0,100)

or only the ROOT module:

import ROOT
hist = ROOT.TH1D("hist_name","hist_title",100,0,100)

The examples below also make use of ROOT's gRandom to make some random variables.

Simple enough:

hist = TH1D("hist_name","hist title",100,0,100)
for i in xrange(10000):
    hist.Fill(gRandom.Gauss())

With some weight:

weight = gRandom.Gauss(1,0.1)
hist.Fill(gRandom.Gauss(),weight)

The classic way would be with a simple for loop

hist = TH1D("hist_name","hist title",100,0,100)
for event in tree:
    hist.Fill(tree.px)

But the simplest and most powerful way to draw some variable into a histogram, is with the TTree::Draw function:

hist = TH1D("hist_name","hist title",100,0,100)
tree.Draw("px >> hist_name")

Note that the histogram has been saved into ROOT's working memory and is therefore accessible via its name in the Draw function, “hist_name” in this example.

You can also use mathematical expressions, including boolean expressions (which can take the value 0.0 or 1.0):

tree.Draw("2*sqrt(px*px+py*py) >> hist_name")
tree.Draw("abs(eta) >> hist_name")
tree.Draw("pt1*(eta1<2.4) + pt2*(eta2<2.4) >> hist_name") # boolean expressions

This also includes custom functions, which you can load into ROOT with a C file:

from ROOT import gROOT, ...
gROOT.Macro("myfunctions.C+")
...
tree.Draw("deltaR(eta1,phi1,eta2,phi2) >> hist_name")    # deltaR     function defined in "myfunctions.C+"
tree.Draw("pt1 >> hist_name","(pt>30)*weightEta1(eta1)") # weightEta1 function defined in "myfunctions.C+"

You can apply some selections using variable, available in the tree's branches:

tree.Draw("px >> hist_name","pt>20 && E>20")

You can apply some selections and/or a weight, if a weight variable is available in the tree:

tree.Draw("px >> hist_name","weight")
tree.Draw("px >> hist_name","(pt>20 && E>20)*weight")

An equivalent method is creating the histogram in the Draw method. If you need the TH1F object, you can still get it with gDirectory (see here):

from ROOT import gDirectory
...
tree.Draw("pt >> h(100,0,100)")
hist = gDirectory.Get("h") # will be a TH1F object

It's also possible to pass some draw option you would normally use in “TH1::Draw()”. It is passed as the third string.

tree.Draw("px >> h1(100,0,100)","","E2")
tree.Draw("py >> h2(100,0,100)","","E2 SAME")
 
tree.Draw("px >> h1(100,0,100)","abs(eta)>2","E2")
tree.Draw("px >> h2(100,0,100)","abs(eta)<2","E2 SAME")

Protip: This is very useful for quick drawing and comparing, for example in the ROOT command line.

$ root -l tree.root
[1] tree->Draw("px >> h1(100,0,100)","")
[2] tree->Draw("px >> h1(100,0,100)","pt>20")
[3] tree->Draw("px >> h1(100,0,100)","","E2")
[4] tree->Draw("py >> h2(100,0,100)","","E2 SAME") // compare to px