Align Matplotlib Axis Labels

Introduction

In data visualization, it is important to have clear and properly aligned labels for the x and y axes. Matplotlib provides several functions to help align these labels properly. In this lab, we will use the align_xlabels and align_ylabels functions to align the labels in our plot.

VM Tips

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Skills Graph

%%%%{init: {'theme':'neutral'}}%%%% flowchart RL python(("`Python`")) -.-> python/BasicConceptsGroup(["`Basic Concepts`"]) matplotlib(("`Matplotlib`")) -.-> matplotlib/BasicConceptsGroup(["`Basic Concepts`"]) matplotlib(("`Matplotlib`")) -.-> matplotlib/PlottingDataGroup(["`Plotting Data`"]) python(("`Python`")) -.-> python/ControlFlowGroup(["`Control Flow`"]) python(("`Python`")) -.-> python/DataStructuresGroup(["`Data Structures`"]) python(("`Python`")) -.-> python/ModulesandPackagesGroup(["`Modules and Packages`"]) python(("`Python`")) -.-> python/DataScienceandMachineLearningGroup(["`Data Science and Machine Learning`"]) python(("`Python`")) -.-> python/FunctionsGroup(["`Functions`"]) python/BasicConceptsGroup -.-> python/comments("`Comments`") matplotlib/BasicConceptsGroup -.-> matplotlib/importing_matplotlib("`Importing Matplotlib`") matplotlib/BasicConceptsGroup -.-> matplotlib/figures_axes("`Understanding Figures and Axes`") matplotlib/PlottingDataGroup -.-> matplotlib/line_plots("`Line Plots`") python/BasicConceptsGroup -.-> python/booleans("`Booleans`") python/ControlFlowGroup -.-> python/conditional_statements("`Conditional Statements`") python/ControlFlowGroup -.-> python/for_loops("`For Loops`") python/DataStructuresGroup -.-> python/lists("`Lists`") python/DataStructuresGroup -.-> python/tuples("`Tuples`") python/ModulesandPackagesGroup -.-> python/importing_modules("`Importing Modules`") python/DataScienceandMachineLearningGroup -.-> python/numerical_computing("`Numerical Computing`") python/DataScienceandMachineLearningGroup -.-> python/data_visualization("`Data Visualization`") python/FunctionsGroup -.-> python/build_in_functions("`Build-in Functions`") subgraph Lab Skills python/comments -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} matplotlib/importing_matplotlib -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} matplotlib/figures_axes -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} matplotlib/line_plots -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} python/booleans -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} python/conditional_statements -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} python/for_loops -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} python/lists -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} python/tuples -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} python/importing_modules -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} python/numerical_computing -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} python/data_visualization -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} python/build_in_functions -.-> lab-48533{{"`Align Matplotlib Axis Labels`"}} end

Import Libraries

We will start by importing the necessary libraries for our plot.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.gridspec as gridspec

Create the Plot

Next, we will create the plot with properly labeled axes.

fig = plt.figure(tight_layout=True)
gs = gridspec.GridSpec(2, 2)

ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[0, :])
ax.plot(np.arange(0, 1e6, 1000))
ax.set_ylabel('YLabel0')
ax.set_xlabel('XLabel0')

for i in range(2):
    ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[1, i])
    ax.plot(np.arange(1., 0., -0.1) * 2000., np.arange(1., 0., -0.1))
    ax.set_ylabel('YLabel1 %d' % i)
    ax.set_xlabel('XLabel1 %d' % i)
    if i == 0:
        ax.tick_params(axis='x', rotation=55)

Align Labels

We will now use the align_xlabels and align_ylabels functions to align the labels properly. Alternatively, we can use the align_labels function to do both at once.

fig.align_labels()  ## same as fig.align_xlabels(); fig.align_ylabels()

Display the Plot

Finally, we will display the plot using the show function.

plt.show()

Summary

In this lab, we learned how to align the labels in a Matplotlib plot using the align_xlabels and align_ylabels functions. We also learned how to use the align_labels function to align both labels at once. Properly aligned labels make our plots easier to read and understand, and are an important aspect of effective data visualization.