Saving plots (AxesSubPlot) generated from python pandas with matplotlib's savefig

Question

I'm using pandas to generate a plot from a dataframe, which I would like to save to a file:

dtf = pd.DataFrame.from_records(d,columns=h)
fig = plt.figure()
ax = dtf2.plot()
ax = fig.add_subplot(ax)
fig.savefig('~/Documents/output.png')

It seems like the last line, using matplotlib's savefig, should do the trick. But that code produces the following error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "./testgraph.py", line 76, in <module>
    ax = fig.add_subplot(ax)
  File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matplotlib/figure.py", line 890, in add_subplot
    assert(a.get_figure() is self)
AssertionError

Alternatively, trying to call savefig directly on the plot also errors out:

dtf2.plot().savefig('~/Documents/output.png')


  File "./testgraph.py", line 79, in <module>
    dtf2.plot().savefig('~/Documents/output.png')
AttributeError: 'AxesSubplot' object has no attribute 'savefig'

I think I need to somehow add the subplot returned by plot() to a figure in order to use savefig. I also wonder if perhaps this has to do with the magic behind the AxesSubPlot class.

EDIT:

the following works (raising no error), but leaves me with a blank page image....

fig = plt.figure()
dtf2.plot()
fig.savefig('output.png')

EDIT 2: The below code works fine as well

dtf2.plot().get_figure().savefig('output.png')

Answer 1

The gcf method is depricated in V 0.14, The below code works for me:

plot = dtf.plot()
fig = plot.get_figure()
fig.savefig("output.png")