Workaround : cache the computations,not the plotting itself (which should be fast,and must be made on every table, anyway...) :

#+options: toc:nil author:nil

* Main text

Use of a static table:

#+call: timeit()

#+call: testplot[:file test0.pdf](data=table0)

#+call: timeit()

Use of a slow function:

#+call: timeit()

#+call: testplot[:file test1.pdf](data=table1)

#+call: timeit()

Use of a /cached/ slow function:

#+call: timeit()

#+call: testplot[:file test2.pdf](data=table2)

#+call: timeit()

* Annexes :noexport:

This is not exported, but computes results.

#+name: timeit

#+begin_src emacs-lisp

  (format-time-string "%Hh %Mm %Ss")

#+end_src

#+name: table0

| Val | Square |

|-----+--------|

|   0 |      0 |

|   1 |      1 |

|   2 |      4 |

|   3 |      9 |

|   4 |     16 |

#+TBLFM: $2=$1^2

#+name: table1

#+begin_src emacs-lisp

  (sleep-for 5)

  (setq s ( list (list "x" "x^2") 'hline))

  (dotimes (i 5 s) (setq s (append s (list (cons i (list (* i i)))))))

#+end_src

#+RESULTS[46320b31c46cef901580bad78aee7032d97ffe64]: table1

| x | x^2 |

|---+-----|

| 0 |   0 |

| 1 |   1 |

| 2 |   4 |

| 3 |   9 |

| 4 |  16 |

#+name: table2

#+begin_src emacs-lisp :cache yes

  (sleep-for 5)

  (setq s ( list (list "x" "x^2") 'hline))

  (dotimes (i 5 s) (setq s (append s (list (cons i (list (* i i)))))))

#+end_src

#+name: tf

| festfile.pdf ]

#+RESULTS[46320b31c46cef901580bad78aee7032d97ffe64]: table2

| x | x^2 |

|---+-----|

| 0 |   0 |

| 1 |   1 |

| 2 |   4 |

| 3 |   9 |

| 4 |  16 |

#+name: testplot

#+begin_src gnuplot :var data=table0 :exports results

  reset

  plot data with linespoints

#+end_src

HTH,

Emmanuel Charpentier