Re: [Matplotlib-users] subplots: common x and y labels

[Francesco M. <fra...@gm...>]

2012/11/13 Benjamin Root <ben...@ou...>

>
>
> On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 6:16 AM, Francesco Montesano <
> fra...@gm...> wrote:
>
>> Dear matplolibers,
>>
>> when dealing with multi-axes plot sometimes would be nice to use
>> figure-wide x and y labels.
>> On the web I've found some suggestion on how to do this, but I found
>> no solution valid in the general case and that integrate in the
>> matplotlib ecosystem.
>> The ideal would be to have a "set_xlabel" and "set_ylabel" method in the
>> Figure class, with the same api of the corresponding Axes methods.
>>
>> As a proof of concept I've written a class derived from Figure , which
>> implements the two methods simply adding a horizontal (vertical) text below
>> (left of) the lowest (leftmost) axes.
>> The class together with a short example is attached.
>> I'm aware that the current implementation is really poor (no integration
>> with tight_layout, the padding must be adjusted by hand, a problem in
>> particular for the y label).
>>
>> The best is to use "self.xaxis.set_label_text(xlabel, fontdict,
>> **kwargs)" as in the Axis set_xlabel (as I gather this create a label that
>> is rendered in the correct position accounting for ticklabels, ticks,
>> tight_layout, etc). To do this one would have to create:
>>
>>    - a figure-wide invisible axes that encloses all the other
>>    axes/subplots, and whose dimension has to be updated every time a new
>>    axis/subplot is added (this should be easily done) with only the label
>>    visible. This could also allow to use axis features, like twin axis.
>>    - just the required axis (invisible) that hosts the labels. I think
>>    that this approach is less demanding computationally, but I don't know how
>>    much sense have two axis not attached to axes.
>>
>> Any suggestions/hints on how to implement these methods in a better way
>> is very welcome.
>>
>> If there is no opposition, later in the day I'll submit PR on github with
>> the two new method and see if we can get something out of this idea.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Francesco
>>
>>
> I am not exactly sure if this is the same as what you are thinking, but
> the axes objects have a "label_outer()" method that would turn on and off
> the visibility of various axis components based on their location in a
> subplot grid.  You call it for each axes in a subplot grid.
>
> Cheers!
> Ben Root
>
> Hi Ben,

sorry that I'm not being clear. My scope is to have the a unique x and y
label as in "figure_label.png" instead a x and y label for each outer axes
as in "axes_label.png".
This could be done not writing axes labels and then using a simple text on
the left and bottom, but I think that set_[xy]label method in class Figure
(as the method legend) is much neater.
Besides can improve readability of plots with lots of panels showing the
same quantities.

Is it clearer now?

Francesco