Matplotlib Cheat Sheet
Uploaded by
Bharat KonduruMatplotlib Cheat Sheet
Uploaded by
Bharat KonduruI understand you're looking for anexhaustivelistofallmethods related to Matplotlib, from
basic to advanced, with examples. This is a massive undertaking, as Matplotlib is an incredibly
vast library with hundreds of methods spread across various classes (Figure, Axes, Artist,
pyplot, etc.).
istingevery single methodwith an example for eachwould result in a document thousands
L
of lines long, likely exceeding the practical limits of a single response. It would also be highly
redundant as many methods have similar functionalities or are highly specialized.
owever, I can provide you with astructured and significantlyexpanded cheat sheetthat
H
aims to cover:
1. T he most commonly used and important methodsfrompyplot, Figure, and Axes
objects.
2. More detailed explanations and examplesfor advancedconcepts.
3. A guide on how to explorethe library further to findspecific methods you might need.
his will give you a very strong foundation and cover almost all practical use cases, while also
T
teaching you how to delve deeper into the library's capabilities.
he Comprehensive Matplotlib Cheat Sheet (Basic to
T
Advanced)
atplotlib is vast, but its core revolves around Figure and Axes objects. We'll explore methods
M
associated with these, along with the convenience functions in pyplot.
Core Principle:
● m atplotlib.pyplot (aliased as plt): Provides a state-based interface for quick and simple
plotting. It manages the current figure and axes for you.
● Object-Oriented (OO) Interface:Directly manipulatesFigure objects (fig) and Axes
objects (ax). This is the recommended approach for complex or production-quality plots,
as it offers granular control.
Import Convention:
Python
importmatplotlib.pyplotasplt
importnumpyasnp# Essential for data generation
Part 1: matplotlib.pyplot (plt) - The Quick and Easy Interface
his module provides functions that implicitly create figures and axes and manage the current
T
state. Great for rapid prototyping.
I. Core Plotting Functions
Method Description Examples
plt.plot(x, y, ...) ine Plot:Plots lines and/or
L lt.plot([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 1],
p
markers. The workhorse for label='Series 1') <br>
2D plotting. Accepts plt.plot(x, y, 'r--o',
various keyword arguments label='Red Dashed Circles')
for customization. <br> plt.plot(x, y1, 'b-', x, y2,
'g:')
plt.scatter(x, y, ...) catter Plot:Creates a
S lt.scatter(data_x, data_y,
p
scatter plot of x vs y. s=100, c='red', alpha=0.5)
Markers can be sized (s), <br> plt.scatter(x, y,
colored (c), and have s=sizes, c=colors,
transparency (alpha). cmap='viridis')
plt.bar(x, height, ...) ertical Bar Chart:Plots
V lt.bar(['A', 'B'], [10, 20],
p
bars with x categories and color='skyblue') <br>
height values. plt.bar(index, values,
width=0.8)
plt.barh(y, width, ...) orizontal Bar Chart:
H lt.barh(['X', 'Y'], [5, 15],
p
Plots horizontal bars. color='lightgreen')
plt.hist(x, bins=..., ...) istogram:Plots the
H lt.hist(np.random.randn(1
p
distribution of x. bins 000), bins=20,
controls the number/edges edgecolor='black')
of bins.
plt.boxplot(x, ...) ox Plot:Displays the
B lt.boxplot([data1, data2],
p
distribution of data based labels=['Group 1', 'Group
on quartiles. 2'])
plt.pie(x, labels=..., ...) ie Chart:Creates a
P lt.pie([15, 30, 45],
p
circular chart divided into labels=['Slice A', 'Slice B',
slices representing 'Slice C'],
proportions. autopct='%1.1f%%')
plt.imshow(X, ...) I mage Display:Displays img_data =
data as an image (e.g., 2D np.random.rand(10, 10)
NumPy array). Often used <br> plt.imshow(img_data,
for heatmaps or actual cmap='hot', origin='lower')
image data.
plt.pcolor(X, Y, Z, ...) seudocolor Plot
P lt.pcolor(X_grid, Y_grid,
p
(Rectangular Grid): Z_values, cmap='RdBu_r')
Creates a pseudocolor plot
of a 2D array. More flexible
than imshow for
non-uniform grids.
plt.contour(X, Y, Z, ...) ontour Plot:Draws
C lt.contour(X_grid, Y_grid,
p
contour lines for data on a Z_values, levels=10,
grid. colors='black')
plt.contourf(X, Y, Z, ...) illed Contour Plot:Draws
F lt.contourf(X_grid, Y_grid,
p
filled contours. Z_values, levels=10,
cmap='viridis')
lt.errorbar(x, y, yerr=...,
p rror Bar Plot:Plots x, y
E lt.errorbar(x_data, y_data,
p
xerr=..., ...) with error bars. yerr=y_errors, fmt='-o')
II. Plot Customization Functions
Method Description Examples
plt.title(title_str, ...) ets the title of the current
S lt.title("My Awesome Plot",
p
plot. fontsize=16,
color='darkblue')
plt.xlabel(label_str, ...) ets the label for the
S lt.xlabel("Time (s)",
p
x-axis. labelpad=10)
plt.ylabel(label_str, ...) ets the label for the
S lt.ylabel("Amplitude",
p
y-axis. fontsize=12)
plt.legend(labels=..., ...) isplays a legend. Requires
D lt.legend(loc='upper right',
p
label argument in plotting shadow=True,
functions. fancybox=True)
plt.xlim(xmin, xmax) ets or gets the x-axis
S plt.xlim(0, 10)
limits.
plt.ylim(ymin, ymax) ets or gets the y-axis
S plt.ylim(-1.5, 1.5)
limits.
plt.xticks(ticks, labels, ...) ets or gets the x-axis tick
S lt.xticks([0, 1, 2], ['Zero',
p
locations and labels. 'One', 'Two'], rotation=45)
plt.yticks(ticks, labels, ...) ets or gets the y-axis tick
S lt.yticks(np.arange(-1, 1.1,
p
locations and labels. 0.5))
plt.grid(b=True, ...) Configures the grid lines. lt.grid(True, linestyle='--',
p
alpha=0.6, color='gray')
plt.text(x, y, s, ...) dds text to the plot at
A lt.text(5, 0.8, 'Peak Value',
p
coordinates (x, y). fontsize=10, color='red')
lt.annotate(s, xy, xytext,
p dds an annotation with an
A lt.annotate('Local Max',
p
...) arrow. xy=(np.pi/2, 1), xytext=(2,
0.5),
arrowprops=dict(facecolor
='black', shrink=0.05))
plt.figtext(x, y, s, ...) dds text to the figure
A lt.figtext(0.5, 0.95, 'Overall
p
(normalized coordinates). Figure Title', ha='center',
fontsize=18)
plt.axis('equal') ets equal scaling (e.g., for
S plt.axis('equal')
circles in scatter plots).
plt.autoscale(enable=True, Autoscale axis limits. plt.autoscale(enable=True,
axis='both', tight=None) axis='x', tight=True)
plt.tick_params(axis='x', ...) Configures tick properties. lt.tick_params(axis='x',
p
direction='in', length=6,
colors='r')
III. Figure Management & Layout
Method Description Examples
lt.figure(figsize=(w, h),
p reates a new figure.
C lt.figure(figsize=(8, 6),
p
dpi=..., ...) figsize is in inches. dpi=100,
facecolor='lightgray')
lt.subplot(nrows, ncols,
p reates a single subplot
C lt.subplot(2, 1, 1) (top plot
p
index, ...) within a grid. of 2)
lt.subplots(nrows=1,
p ecommended:Creates a
R g, ax = plt.subplots() <br>
fi
ncols=1, ...) figure and a grid of fig, axs = plt.subplots(2, 2)
subplots (returns fig, axes).
plt.tight_layout() utomatically adjusts
A plt.tight_layout()
subplot parameters for a
tight layout.
plt.show() isplays the current
D plt.show()
figure(s). This call blocks
execution until the plot
window is closed.
lt.savefig(fname, dpi=...,
p aves the current figure to
S lt.savefig('my_plot.pdf',
p
...) a file. dpi=300,
bbox_inches='tight')
plt.clf() Clears the current figure. plt.clf()
plt.cla() Clears the current axes. plt.cla()
plt.close(fig_or_all) loses a specific figure or
C lt.close() (current) <br>
p
all figures. plt.close('all')
Full Example (Pyplot Interface):
Python
importmatplotlib.pyplotasplt
importnumpyasnp
# Data
x = np.linspace(0,2* np.pi,400)
y_sin = np.sin(x)
y_cos = np.cos(x)
y_random = np.random.rand(400) *0.5-0.25# Smallnoise
plt.figure(figsize=(10,6))# Create a figure withcustom size
# Plot Sine wave
plt.plot(x, y_sin, color='blue', linestyle='-', linewidth=2,label='Sine Wave')
# Plot Cosine wave
plt.plot(x, y_cos, color='red', linestyle='--', linewidth=1.5,label='Cosine Wave')
# Add scatter plot (e.g., some measurements with errors)
plt.errorbar(x[::40], y_sin[::40] + y_random[::40],yerr=0.1, fmt='o', color='green', markersize=6,
label='Measurements')
# Customize plot
plt.title("Trigonometric Functions with Random Measurements",fontsize=18, fontweight='bold')
lt.xlabel("Angle (radians)", fontsize=14)
p
plt.ylabel("Amplitude", fontsize=14)
plt.grid(True, linestyle=':', alpha=0.7)
plt.legend(loc='upper right', shadow=True, fontsize=12)
plt.xlim(0,2* np.pi)
plt.ylim(-1.5,1.5)
# Add a text annotation
plt.text(np.pi,1.2,'Key Features', horizontalalignment='center',
bbox=dict(facecolor='white', alpha=0.7, edgecolor='none'))
# Save and Show
plt.savefig('pyplot_example.png', dpi=300, bbox_inches='tight')
plt.show()
Part 2: Object-Oriented (OO) Interface - Figure and Axes Objects
his is the preferred way for more complex or production-ready plots, as it gives you explicit
T
control over every element.
Python
fig, ax = plt.subplots()# Common way to get a figureand axes
I. Figure Object Methods (fig)
The Figure object is the top-level container for all the plot elements.
Method Description Examples
fig.add_subplot(...) dds an Axes to the figure,
A x1 = fig.add_subplot(2, 1,
a
similar to plt.subplot(). 1)
g.add_axes([left, bottom,
fi dds an Axes at an
A x_inset =
a
width, height]) arbitrary position fig.add_axes([0.6, 0.6,
(normalized coordinates 0.25, 0.25])
from 0 to 1).
fig.suptitle(title, ...) dds a super title to the
A g.suptitle('Overall
fi
figure (above all subplots). Experiment Results',
fontsize=20)
g.colorbar(mappable,
fi reates a colorbar.
C bar = fig.colorbar(im,
c
ax=..., ...) mappable is often returned ax=ax, label='Intensity')
by functions like imshow,
scatter.
fig.set_size_inches(w, h) ets the figure size in
S fig.set_size_inches(12, 7)
inches.
fig.savefig(fname, ...) aves the figure. Same
S g.savefig('my_figure.png',
fi
args as plt.savefig(). dpi=300)
fig.canvas.draw() edraws the figure. Useful
R fig.canvas.draw()
for interactive updates.
fig.clf() lears the entire figure,
C fig.clf()
removing all subplots.
II. Axes Object Methods (ax)
he Axes object is where the actual data is plotted. Most plotting and customization happens
T
here.
A. Plotting Methods (Prefix ax.)
hese are the OO equivalents of plt. functions. They return Artist objects (lines, patches, etc.)
T
that can be further customized.
Method Description Examples
ax.plot(x, y, ...) Line plot on this axes. x.plot(x, y, 'b-', label='Data
a
1')
ax.scatter(x, y, ...) Scatter plot on this axes. x.scatter(x, y, s=50,
a
c='red')
ax.bar(x, height, ...) ertical bar chart on this
V ax.bar(categories, values)
axes.
ax.hist(x, ...) Histogram on this axes. ax.hist(data, bins=20)
ax.boxplot(x, ...) Box plot on this axes. ax.boxplot(data)
ax.pie(x, ...) Pie chart on this axes. ax.pie(sizes)
ax.imshow(X, ...) Image display on this axes. ax.imshow(img_data)
ax.pcolor(X, Y, Z, ...) seudocolor plot on this
P x.pcolor(X_grid, Y_grid,
a
axes. Z_values)
ax.contour(X, Y, Z, ...) Contour plot on this axes. x.contour(X_grid, Y_grid,
a
Z_values)
ax.contourf(X, Y, Z, ...) illed contour plot on this
F x.contourf(X_grid, Y_grid,
a
axes. Z_values)
ax.errorbar(x, y, ...) Error bar plot on this axes. x.errorbar(x_data, y_data,
a
yerr=errors)
ax.fill_between(x, y1, y2, ...) ills the area between two
F x.fill_between(x, y_lower,
a
curves. y_upper, alpha=0.3)
ax.fill(x, y, ...) Fills a polygon. x.fill([0,1,1,0], [0,0,1,1],
a
color='cyan')
ax.stem(x, y, ...) reates a stem plot (useful
C x.stem(indices,
a
for discrete signals). amplitudes)
ax.vlines(x, ymin, ymax, ...) Vertical lines. x.vlines([2, 5], 0, 10,
a
colors='grey',
linestyles='--')
ax.hlines(y, xmin, xmax, ...) Horizontal lines. x.hlines([5, 8], 0, 10,
a
colors='red', linestyles=':')
B. Customization Methods (Prefix ax.set_)
These are the OO equivalents for setting titles, labels, limits, etc.
Method Description Examples
ax.set_title(title_str, ...) Sets the title forthisaxes. x.set_title("My Subplot
a
Title")
ax.set_xlabel(label_str, ...) ets the x-axis label forthis
S ax.set_xlabel("Time (s)")
axes.
ax.set_ylabel(label_str, ...) ets the y-axis label forthis
S ax.set_ylabel("Value")
axes.
ax.set_xlim(xmin, xmax) ets the x-axis limits for
S ax.set_xlim(0, 10)
thisaxes.
ax.set_ylim(ymin, ymax) ets the y-axis limits for
S ax.set_ylim(-1, 1)
thisaxes.
ax.set_xticks(ticks) ets the x-axis tick
S x.set_xticks(np.arange(0,
a
locations. 10, 2))
x.set_xticklabels(labels,
a Sets the x-axis tick labels. x.set_xticklabels(['Mon',
a
...) 'Tue', 'Wed'])
ax.set_yticks(ticks) ets the y-axis tick
S ax.set_yticks([-1, 0, 1])
locations.
ax.set_yticklabels(labels, ...) Sets the y-axis tick labels. x.set_yticklabels(['Low',
a
'Mid', 'High'])
ax.set_xscale(value) ets the x-axis scale
S ax.set_xscale('log')
('linear', 'log', 'symlog',
'logit').
ax.set_yscale(value) Sets the y-axis scale. ax.set_yscale('log')
ax.set_aspect(value) ets the aspect ratio of the
S ax.set_aspect('equal')
plot.
ax.set_facecolor(color) ets the background color
S x.set_facecolor('lightgray'
a
of the axes. )
C. Other Customization Methods (Prefix ax.)
Method Description Examples
ax.legend(loc=..., ...) isplays a legend forthis
D x.legend(loc='lower left',
a
axes. frameon=False)
ax.grid(b=True, ...) onfigures grid lines for
C x.grid(True, axis='y',
a
thisaxes. linestyle='--', alpha=0.5)
ax.text(x, y, s, ...) Adds text tothisaxes. x.text(0.5, 0.5, 'Center
a
Text',
transform=ax.transAxes)
(normalized to axes)
ax.annotate(s, xy, ...) dds an annotation with an
A x.annotate('Point of
a
arrow forthisaxes. interest', xy=(x_val, y_val),
...)
ax.tick_params(axis='x', ...) onfigures tick properties
C x.tick_params(axis='both',
a
forthisaxes. which='major',
labelsize=10)
ax.invert_xaxis() Inverts the x-axis. ax.invert_xaxis()
ax.invert_yaxis() Inverts the y-axis. ax.invert_yaxis()
x.spines[position].set_visi
a ontrols visibility of plot
C x.spines['right'].set_visible
a
ble(bool) borders. (False)
x.spines[position].set_col
a Sets color of plot borders. x.spines['left'].set_color('b
a
or(color) lue')
x.tick_params(which='bot
a Control tick mark direction. x.tick_params(which='maj
a
h', direction='inout') or', length=7, width=2)
ax.set_title(..., pad=...) Adjusts title padding. ax.set_title('Title', pad=20)
ax.axvline(x, ...) raws a vertical line across
D x.axvline(x=5, color='gray',
a
the axes. linestyle='--')
ax.axhline(y, ...) raws a horizontal line
D x.axhline(y=0.5,
a
across the axes. color='gray', linestyle=':')
ax.axvspan(xmin, xmax, ...) raws a vertical shaded
D x.axvspan(1, 3,
a
region. color='yellow', alpha=0.3)
ax.axhspan(ymin, ymax, ...) raws a horizontal shaded
D x.axhspan(0.2, 0.8,
a
region. color='cyan', alpha=0.3)
x.set_aspect('auto'/'equal'
a Sets the aspect ratio. x.set_aspect('equal',
a
/'num') adjustable='box')
ax.format_xdata(formatter) et the formatter for x-axis
S x.format_xdata =
a
data (for interactive plt.FuncFormatter(my_x_for
tooltips). matter)
Full Example (Object-Oriented Interface with Subplots):
Python
importmatplotlib.pyplotasplt
importnumpyasnp
# Data
x _common = np.linspace(0,10,100)
y1 = np.sin(x_common)
y2 = np.cos(x_common) *0.5
y3 = x_common + np.random.randn(100) *2
y4_hist = np.random.normal(0,1,1000)
y5_scatter_x = np.random.rand(50) *10
y5_scatter_y = np.random.rand(50) *5
y5_scatter_c = np.random.rand(50)
# Create a figure and a 2x2 grid of subplots
fig, axs = plt.subplots(2,2, figsize=(12,9), layout='constrained')# 'constrained_layout' for tight
layout
# --- Plot 1: Top-Left (Line Plot with Customizations) ---
xs[0,0] .plot(x_common, y1, label='Sine', color='darkblue', linewidth=2)
a
axs[0,0] .plot(x_common, y2, label='Cosine (scaled)',color='green', linestyle=':')
axs[0,0] .set_title('Waveforms', fontsize=14, pad=10)
axs[0,0] .set_xlabel('Time (units)', fontsize=12)
axs[0,0] .set_ylabel('Amplitude', fontsize=12)
axs[0,0] .legend(frameon=True, shadow=True)
axs[0,0] .grid(True, linestyle='--', alpha=0.6)
axs[0,0] .set_ylim(-1.2,1.2)
axs[0,0] .tick_params(axis='both', which='major',labelsize=10, direction='inout')
axs[0,0] .spines['right'].set_visible(False)
axs[0,0] .spines['top'].set_visible(False)
# --- Plot 2: Top-Right (Scatter Plot with Colorbar & TwinX) ---
scatter = axs[0,1] .scatter(y5_scatter_x, y5_scatter_y,c=y5_scatter_c, cmap='viridis', s=80,
lpha=0.8, edgecolor='k')
a
axs[0,1] .set_title('Data Points with Intensity',fontsize=14)
axs[0,1] .set_xlabel('Feature 1')
axs[0,1] .set_ylabel('Feature 2')
fig.colorbar(scatter, ax=axs[0,1], label='IntensityScale', shrink=0.7)
# Add a second y-axis (twinx)
ax_twin = axs[0,1] .twinx()
x_twin.plot(y5_scatter_x, y5_scatter_x *0.1+0.5,color='orange', linestyle='-', label='Trend')
a
ax_twin.set_ylabel('Auxiliary Metric', color='orange')
ax_twin.tick_params(axis='y', labelcolor='orange')
ax_twin.legend(loc='upper left')
# --- Plot 3: Bottom-Left (Histogram with Annotation) ---
n, bins, patches = axs[1,0] .hist(y4_hist, bins=30,color='purple', edgecolor='black', alpha=0.7,
ensity=True)
d
axs[1,0] .set_title('Distribution of Data', fontsize=14)
axs[1,0] .set_xlabel('Value')
axs[1,0] .set_ylabel('Density')
axs[1,0] .text(0.05,0.95,f'Mean:{np.mean(y4_hist):.2f}\nStdDev:{np.std(y4_hist):.2f}',
transform=axs[1,0].transAxes, fontsize=10,verticalalignment='top',
bbox=dict(boxstyle='round,pad=0.5',fc='yellow', alpha=0.5))
# --- Plot 4: Bottom-Right (Line Plot with Fill Between & Inset) ---
line, = axs[1,1].plot(x_common, y3, color='teal',label='Noisy Data')
axs[1,1].fill_between(x_common, y3 -2, y3 +2, color='teal',alpha=0.2, label='Confidence
Interval')
axs[1,1].set_title('Noisy Data with CI', fontsize=14)
axs[1,1].set_xlabel('Index')
xs[1,1].set_ylabel('Measurement')
a
axs[1,1].legend()
# Add an inset plot
inset_ax = axs[1,1].inset_axes([0.6,0.1,0.38,0.38])# [x, y, width, height] in axes coordinates
inset_ax.plot(x_common[0:10], y3[0:1 0],'r-o', markersize=4)
inset_ax.set_title('Zoom In', fontsize=8, pad=0)
inset_ax.set_xlim(0,2)
inset_ax.set_ylim(-5,5)
inset_ax.tick_params(labelsize=6)
inset_ax.set_facecolor('lightyellow')
inset_ax.grid(True, linestyle=':', alpha=0.5)
# Overall Figure Title
fig.suptitle("Comprehensive Matplotlib Example withSubplots", fontsize=22, y=1.03)
Adjust layout for better spacing (already handled by layout='constrained')
#
# plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()
Part 3: Advanced Topics & Concepts
1 . Colormaps (cmap)
Used to map numerical values to colors. Critical for heatmaps, scatter plots with color
dimension, etc.
● Sequential:viridis, plasma, inferno, magma, cividis,Greens, Blues
● Diverging:coolwarm, RdBu, bwr
● Qualitative:tab10, Paired (for categorical data,but typically used with plt.cm.get_cmap
and integer indices)
Usage:Pass cmap='colormap_name' to functions likeimshow, scatter, pcolor, contourf.
. Customizing Artist Objects
2
Most plt. and ax. plotting functions return Artist objects (e.g., Line2D, PathCollection,
Rectangle). You can customize them after creation.
Python
line, = ax.plot(x, y)# Notice the comma to unpackthe list returned by plot
line.set_color('red')
line.set_linewidth(3)
line.set_linestyle('--')
# For scatter plots, the return is a PathCollection
scatter_plot = ax.scatter(x, y, s=50)
s catter_plot.set_alpha(0.6)
scatter_plot.set_edgecolor('blue')
. Text Properties & Math Text
3
Matplotlib supports LaTeX-like math text.
Python
lt.title(r'$\alpha^2 + \beta^2 = \gamma^2$', fontsize=16)# Use r'' for raw string
p
plt.xlabel(r'Time $\Delta t$ (s)')
plt.text(0.5,0.5,r'$E=mc^2$', fontsize=20, color='red')
. Event Handling & Interactivity
4
Matplotlib allows you to respond to user interactions (clicks, key presses, mouse movements).
Python
defonclick(event):
print(f'Button{event.button}clicked at datacoords: ({event.xdata:.2f},{event.ydata:.2f})')
g, ax = plt.subplots()
fi
ax.plot(np.random.rand(10))
fig.canvas.mpl_connect('button_press_event', onclick)# Connect event
plt.show()
● 'button_press_event'
● 'motion_notify_event'
● 'key_press_event'
● 'scroll_event'
. Customizing Ticks and Spines
5
Deep control over axis appearance.
Python
ax.tick_params(axis='both', which='major', direction='in',length=8, width=2, colors='grey',
grid_color='r', grid_alpha=0.5, labelbottom=True,labelleft=True)
x.spines['left'].set_position(('outward',10))#Move spine outwards
a
ax.spines['bottom'].set_linewidth(2)
ax.spines['left'].set_bounds(-1,1)# Set limits forthe visible part of the spine
. Transforms
6
Understanding how data coordinates are transformed to display coordinates.
● ax.transData: Data coordinates.
● ax.transAxes: Axes coordinates (0,0 to 1,1 within the axes bounding box).
● fig.transFigure: Figure coordinates (0,0 to 1,1 within the figure bounding box).
Useful for placing text or annotations relative to the plot or figure.
. Stylesheets (plt.style.use())
7
Quickly change the aesthetic of your plots.
Python
List available styles
#
# print(plt.style.available)
lt.style.use('seaborn-v0_8-darkgrid')# Or 'ggplot','fivethirtyeight', 'dark_background'
p
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot([1,2,3] )
plt.show()
plt.style.use('default')# Reset
. Animations (matplotlib.animation)
8
Create dynamic plots.
Python
frommatplotlib.animationimportFuncAnimation
g, ax = plt.subplots()
fi
x_data, y_data = [], []
line, = ax.plot([], [],'r-')
definit():
x.set_xlim(0,2* np.pi)
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ax.set_ylim(-1.1,1.1)
returnline,
defupdate(frame):
x _data.append(frame)
y_data.append(np.sin(frame))
line.set_data(x_data, y_data)
returnline,
ani = FuncAnimation(fig, update, frames=np.linspace(0,2* np.pi,128),
init_func=init, blit=True)# blit=Truefor faster rendering
# ani.save('sine_wave.gif', writer='pillow', fps=30)
plt.show()
. Custom Colormaps
9
Define your own colormaps using LinearSegmentedColormap.from_list()1 or ListedColormap.
Python
frommatplotlib.colorsimportLinearSegmentedColormap
olors = ["red","orange","yellow","green","blue"]# Define colors
c
my_cmap = LinearSegmentedColormap.from_list("mycmap",colors)
plt.imshow(np.random.rand(10,10), cmap=my_cmap)
plt.colorbar()
plt.show()
How to Discover More Methods
Matplotlib's API is very extensive. Here's how you can explore it further:
1. Use dir() and help():
Python
importmatplotlib.pyplotasplt
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
See all methods/attributes of the Axes object
#
# print(dir(ax))
Get help on a specific method
#
# help(ax.plot)
# help(fig.colorbar)
2. O fficial Documentation:The Matplotlib official documentationis extremely thorough
and well-organized. It's the ultimate resource.
○ Matplotlib Pyplot API
○ Matplotlib Axes API
○ Matplotlib Figure API
○ Matplotlib Tutorials
3. Source Code:For the truly curious, reading the sourcecode can reveal nuances.
his expanded cheat sheet should provide a strong foundation for both basic and advanced
T
Matplotlib usage. Remember that practice is key to mastering this powerful visualization
library!
You're asking for a very comprehensive list of Matplotlib methods, covering basic to advanced
topics! Matplotlib is vast, with many methods belonging to different objects like
matplotlib.pyplot, Figure, Axes, Axis, Line2D, Text, etc.
Instead of an exhaustive, unreadable list ofeverysingle method(which would be thousands
and not practical for a cheat sheet), I'll organize this into common tasks and concepts,
highlighting the most frequently used and important methods for each. I'll focus on the
Object-Oriented (OO) interface, as it provides more control and is generally recommended for
serious plotting.
This will serve as a much more useful and actionable cheat sheet.
Matplotlib Cheat Sheet: Methods & Advanced Topics
Key Objects in Matplotlib's Object-Oriented Interface:
● F igure: The top-level container for all the plot elements.It's like the canvas. You create it
with plt.figure() or implicitly with plt.subplots().
● Axes: The actual plotting area where data is displayed.A Figure can contain multiple
Axes. This is the most frequently interacted-with object for plotting.
● Axis: Represents the x-axis and y-axis (or z-axisin 3D). Each Axes object has xaxis and
yaxis attributes (e.g., ax.xaxis).
● A
rtist: The base class for all objects drawn on a Figure (lines, text, patches, etc.). All of
the above are Artist subclasses.
I. Core Setup & Management (Pyplot & Figure Methods)
Purpose:Creating and managing the overall plot windowand its fundamental properties.
1. Creating Figures and Axes
● p lt.figure(figsize=(width, height), dpi=None, facecolor=None, edgecolor=None,
**kwargs): Creates a new Figure.
○ figsize: Tuple (width, height) in inches.
○ dpi: Dots per inch (resolution).
○ facecolor, edgecolor: Background and border colors of the figure.
● plt.subplots(nrows=1, ncols=1, figsize=None, sharex=False, sharey=False, squeeze=True,
subplot_kw=None, gridspec_kw=None, **fig_kw): The most common way to create a
Figure and a set of subplots (Axes).
○ Returns(fig, ax)for a single subplot, or(fig, axs)whereaxsis a2 NumPy array of Axes
objects for multiple subplots.
○ sharex, sharey: Share x or y axes among subplots.
● fig.add_axes(rect): Adds an Axes to the Figure at a specified position [left, bottom, width,
height] in figure coordinates (0 to 1). Provides precise control over placement.
● fig.add_subplot(nrows, ncols, index, **kwargs): Adds a single subplot to the figure similar
to plt.subplot(). Less flexible than plt.subplots().
● fig.add_gridspec(nrows=1, ncols=1, **kwargs): Returns a GridSpec object, useful for
complex subplot layouts.
Examples:
Python
importmatplotlib.pyplotasplt
importnumpyasnp
# 1. Using plt.figure() and fig.add_subplot() (older style, more manual)
fig1 = plt.figure(figsize=(6,4), facecolor='lightblue')
x1 = fig1.add_subplot(111)# 1 row, 1 col, 1st subplot
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ax1.plot([1,2,3] , [4,5,6])
ax1.set_title("Manual Subplot Creation")
fig1.suptitle("Figure Title for Fig1")
# 2. Using plt.subplots() (recommended for most cases)
fig2, ax2 = plt.subplots(figsize=(7,5) )# Singlesubplot
x2.scatter(np.random.rand(50), np.random.rand(50))
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ax2.set_title("Single Subplot (plt.subplots)")
# 3. Multiple Subplots with plt.subplots()
fig3, axs = plt.subplots(2,2, figsize=(10,8), sharex=True,sharey=True)# 2x2 grid
xs[0,0] .plot(np.sin(np.linspace(0,2* np.pi,50)))
a
axs[0,0] .set_title("Sine Wave")
xs[0,1] .hist(np.random.randn(100), bins=10)
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axs[0,1] .set_title("Histogram")
xs[1,0] .bar(['A','B','C'], [10,20,15])
a
axs[1,0] .set_title("Bar Chart")
xs[1,1].scatter(np.random.rand(20), np.random.rand(20))
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axs[1,1].set_title("Scatter Plot")
g3.suptitle("Grid of Subplots", fontsize=16)
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plt.tight_layout(rect=[0,0,1,0.96])# Adjust layout,leaving space for suptitle
# 4. Using fig.add_axes for arbitrary placement
fig4 = plt.figure(figsize=(8,6))
x_main = fig4.add_axes([0.1,0.1,0.8,0.8])# Mainplot
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ax_inset = fig4.add_axes([0.6,0.6,0.2,0.2])# Insetplot
x_main.plot(np.linspace(0,10,100), np.sin(np.linspace(0,10,100)) +
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np.random.randn(100)*0.1)
ax_main.set_title("Main Plot")
x_inset.plot(np.linspace(0,1,20), np.cos(np.linspace(0,1,20)), color='red')
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ax_inset.set_title("Inset")
ax_inset.set_xticks([])# Remove ticks for cleanerinset
ax_inset.set_yticks([])
plt.show()
2. Displaying and Saving
p
● lt.show(): Displays all open figures. Essential to call at the end of your script.
● plt.savefig(fname, dpi=None, format=None, bbox_inches='tight', pad_inches=0.1,
* *kwargs) or fig.savefig(...): Saves the current (or specified) figure.
○ fname: File path (e.g., 'my_plot.png', 'report.pdf').
○ dpi: Resolution in dots per inch.
○ format: File format (e.g., 'png', 'pdf', 'svg', 'jpeg'). Inferred from fname if not given.
○ bbox_inches='tight': Tries to make the bounding box of the figure tight to the plot
contents.
● plt.close(fig=None): Closes the current figure, or a specific figure if fig is passed.
● plt.close('all'): Closes all figures.
● plt.clf(): Clears the current figure's axes.
● fig.clear(): Clears the entire figure (all artists including axes).
Examples:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots()
fi
ax.plot([1,2,3] , [1,4,9])
ax.set_title("Plot to Save")
plt.savefig('my_line_plot.png', dpi=300, bbox_inches='tight')
plt.savefig('my_line_plot.pdf')
plt.show()# Display after saving if desired
plt.close(fig)# Close this specific figure
3. Figure Titles and Layout
● g.suptitle(t, **kwargs): Adds a centered title to the Figure.
fi
● fig.supxlabel(s, **kwargs): Adds a centered x-label to the Figure.
● fig.supylabel(s, **kwargs): Adds a centered y-label to the Figure.
● plt.tight_layout(pad=1.08, h_pad=None, w_pad=None, rect=None): Automatically adjusts
subplot parameters for a tight layout.
● fig.set_size_inches(width, height): Sets the figure size in inches.
fig.set_dpi(dpi): Sets the figure's resolution.
●
Example:
Python
fig, (ax1, ax2) = plt.subplots(1,2, figsize=(10,4) )
x1.plot([1,2] , [3,4] )
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ax2.plot([5,6], [7,8] )
fig.suptitle('Overall Plot Analysis', fontsize=18,color='darkblue')
ax1.set_title('Left Subplot')
ax2.set_title('Right Subplot')
plt.tight_layout(rect=[0,0,1,0.95])# Adjust rectto leave space for suptitle
plt.show()
II. Basic Plotting (Axes Methods)
urpose:Creating common plot types and setting fundamentalvisual properties within an
P
Axes.
1. Line Plots
● a
x.plot(*args, **kwargs): Plots y versus x as lines and/or markers.
○ color, c: Line color.
○ linestyle, ls: Line style (e.g., '-', '--', ':', '-.').
○ linewidth, lw: Line width.
○ marker: Marker style (e.g., 'o', 's', '^', 'x', '+').
○ markersize, ms: Marker size.
○ alpha: Transparency (0.0 to 1.0).
○ label: Label for the legend.
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots()
fi
x = np.linspace(0,10,100)
y1 = np.sin(x)
y2 = np.cos(x)
ax.plot(x, y1, label='Sine', color='blue', linestyle='-',linewidth=2)
ax.plot(x, y2, label='Cosine', color='red', linestyle='--',marker='o', markersize=4)
ax.set_title("Line Plots with Customization")
ax.set_xlabel("X-axis")
ax.set_ylabel("Y-axis")
ax.legend()
plt.show()
2. Scatter Plots
● a
x.scatter(x, y, s=None, c=None, marker=None, cmap=None, alpha=None,
edgecolors=None, **kwargs): Creates a scatter plot.
○ s: Marker size (can be a single value or an array).
○ c: Marker color (can be a single value or an array for colormapping).
○ cmap: Colormap to use if c is an array.
○ edgecolors: Color of the marker edges.
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots()
fi
np.random.seed(42)
x_data = np.random.rand(50) *10
y_data = np.random.rand(50) *10
sizes = np.random.rand(50) *800+50# Varying sizes
colors = np.random.rand(50)# Varying colors
s catter = ax.scatter(x_data, y_data, s=sizes, c=colors, cmap='viridis', alpha=0.7,
edgecolors='black')
ax.set_title("Customized Scatter Plot")
ax.set_xlabel("Feature X")
ax.set_ylabel("Feature Y")
fig.colorbar(scatter, label="Color Value")
plt.show()
3. Bar Charts
a
● x.bar(x, height, width=0.8, bottom=None, align='center', **kwargs): Vertical bar chart.
● ax.barh(y, width, height=0.8, left=None, align='center', **kwargs): Horizontal bar chart.
○ color: Bar color.
○ edgecolor: Border color of bars.
○ tick_label: Labels for the x-axis ticks (for vertical bars).
○ label: Label for the legend.
Example:
Python
g, (ax1, ax2) = plt.subplots(1,2, figsize=(10,4) )
fi
categories = ['Cat A','Cat B','Cat C','Cat D']
values = [15,28,22,35]
x1.bar(categories, values, color=['skyblue','lightcoral','lightgreen','gold'], edgecolor='gray')
a
ax1.set_title("Vertical Bar Chart")
ax1.set_ylabel("Quantity")
ax1.set_xlabel("Category")
# Stacked Bar Chart
labels_stacked = ['Group 1','Group 2','Group 3']
v al1 = [20,35,30]
val2 = [15,20,25]
ax2.bar(labels_stacked, val1, label='Series 1', color='lightgray')
ax2.bar(labels_stacked, val2, bottom=val1, label='Series2', color='darkgray')# Stack on top of val1
ax2.set_title("Stacked Bar Chart")
ax2.legend()
plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()
4. Histograms
● a
x.hist(x, bins=10, range=None, density=False, cumulative=False, histtype='bar',
align='mid', orientation='vertical', rwidth=None, log=False, **kwargs): Plots a histogram.
○ bins: Number of bins or a sequence defining bin edges.
○ density: If True, normalize to form a probability density.
○ histtype: 'bar', 'barstacked', 'step', 'stepfilled'.
○ edgecolor: Color of bin edges.
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(8,5) )
fi
data = np.random.normal(loc=0, scale=1, size=1000)# Normally distributed data
ax.hist(data, bins=50, color='teal', edgecolor='black',alpha=0.7, density=True)
ax.set_title("Histogram of Normal Distribution")
x.set_xlabel("Value")
a
ax.set_ylabel("Probability Density")
plt.show()
5. Pie Charts
● a
x.pie(x, explode=None, labels=None, colors=None, autopct=None, pctdistance=0.6,
shadow=False, startangle=None, radius=None, wedgeprops=None, textprops=None,
frame=False, center=(0, 0), rotatelabels=False, **kwargs): Creates a pie chart.
○ explode: Sequence to "explode" slices.
○ labels: Labels for each wedge.
○ autopct: Format string for percentage labels (e.g., '%.1f%%').
○ shadow: Add a shadow to the pie chart.
○ startangle: Starting angle for the first wedge.
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(7,7) )
fi
sizes = [15,30,45,10]
labels = ['East','West','North','South']
explode = (0,0.1,0,0) # Explode the 'West' slice
ax.pie(sizes, explode=explode, labels=labels, autopct='%1.1f%%',
shadow=True, startangle=90, colors=['gold','yellowgreen','lightcoral','lightskyblue'])
ax.set_title("Regional Sales Distribution")
ax.axis('equal')# Equal aspect ratio ensures thatpie is drawn as a circle.
plt.show()
III. Plot Customization (Axes & Axis Methods)
Purpose:Adding details, labels, titles, and adjustingthe appearance of the plot.
1. Titles and Labels
● a x.set_title(label, loc='center', fontdict=None, pad=None, **kwargs): Sets the title of the
Axes.
○ loc: Location of the title ('left', 'center', 'right').
● ax.set_xlabel(label, fontdict=None, labelpad=None, **kwargs): Sets the label for the
x -axis.
● ax.set_ylabel(label, fontdict=None, labelpad=None, **kwargs): Sets the label for the
y-axis.
ax.text(x, y, s, fontdict=None, **kwargs): Adds arbitrary text to the Axes at data
●
coordinates (x, y).
● ax.annotate(s, xy, xytext, arrowprops=None, **kwargs): Annotates a point xy with text s.
○ xy: The point (x, y) to annotate.
○ xytext: The position (x, y) to place the text.
○ arrowprops: Dictionary of properties for the arrow.
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(8,6))
fi
x = np.array([1,2,3,4,5])
y = np.array([2,3,5,4,6])
ax.plot(x, y,'bo-')
ax.set_title("Sales Data (2024)", loc='left', fontsize=16,color='darkgreen')
ax.set_xlabel("Month", fontsize=12, color='gray')
ax.set_ylabel("Sales (Units)", fontsize=12, color='gray')
x.text(3,5.5,"Peak Sales!", fontsize=10, color='purple',ha='center')
a
ax.annotate('Highest Point', xy=(5,6), xytext=(4,6.5),
arrowprops=dict(facecolor='black', shrink=0.05,width=1, headwidth=8),
fontsize=10, color='darkred')
plt.show()
2. Legends
● a
x.legend(*args, **kwargs): Places a legend on the Axes.
○ loc: Location (e.g., 'upper right', 'lower left', 'best', (x, y) tuple).
○ fontsize: Font size of legend text.
○ frameon: Whether to draw a frame around the legend.
○ shadow: Add a shadow to the legend box.
○ ncol: Number of columns in the legend.
○ title: Title for the legend.
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots()
fi
x = np.linspace(0,5,20)
ax.plot(x, x**2, label='Quadratic', color='orange')
ax.plot(x, x**3, label='Cubic', color='green', linestyle=':')
ax.legend(loc='upper left', fontsize='small', frameon=True,shadow=True, ncol=1, title='Functions')
plt.show()
3. Axis Limits, Ticks, and Scale
● x.set_xlim(xmin, xmax): Sets the x-axis view limits.
a
● ax.set_ylim(ymin, ymax): Sets the y-axis view limits.
● ax.set_xticks(ticks): Sets the locations of the x-axis ticks.
● ax.set_xticklabels(labels, rotation=None, ha='center', **kwargs): Sets the labels for x-axis
ticks.
● ax.set_yticks(ticks)
● ax.set_yticklabels(labels, rotation=None, va='center', **kwargs)
● ax.tick_params(axis='both', which='major', direction='out', length=6, width=2,
colors='black', labelcolor='blue', labelsize=10, pad=5, labelrotation=0, **kwargs):
Configures tick properties.
○ axis: Which axis to apply to ('x', 'y', 'both').
○ which: Which ticks ('major', 'minor', 'both').
○ direction: Direction of ticks ('in', 'out', 'inout').
● ax.minorticks_on(): Displays minor ticks.
● ax.minorticks_off(): Removes minor ticks.
● ax.set_xscale('linear'/'log'/'symlog'/'logit'): Sets the x-axis scale.
● ax.set_yscale('linear'/'log'/'symlog'/'logit'): Sets the y-axis scale.
● ax.invert_xaxis(): Inverts the x-axis direction.
● ax.invert_yaxis(): Inverts the y-axis direction.
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(8,5) )
fi
x = np.linspace(1,100,50)
= np.log(x)
y
ax.plot(x, y)
ax.set_xscale('log')# Logarithmic x-axis
ax.set_title("Logarithmic Scale Example")
ax.set_xlabel("Values (log scale)")
ax.set_ylabel("Log(Values)")
# Custom ticks and labels
ax.set_xticks([1,10,100])
x.set_xticklabels(['1','10','100'], rotation=45,ha='right')
a
ax.tick_params(axis='y', direction='inout', length=8,colors='red', labelsize=10)
ax.minorticks_on()
plt.show()
4. Grids and Spines
● a x.grid(True, which='major', axis='both', linestyle='--', color='gray', alpha=0.6, **kwargs):
Configures grid lines.
● ax.spines['left'].set_visible(False): Hides a specific spine (plot border).
● ax.spines['bottom'].set_color('blue'): Sets the color of a spine.
● ax.spines['top'].set_linewidth(2): Sets the linewidth of a spine.
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(7,5) )
fi
ax.plot(np.random.rand(10))
ax.grid(True, which='both', axis='both', linestyle=':',color='lightgray', alpha=0.8)# Grid
ax.spines['right'].set_visible(False)# Remove rightspine
ax.spines['top'].set_visible(False) # Remove topspine
ax.spines['left'].set_linewidth(1.5)
ax.spines['bottom'].set_linewidth(1.5)
ax.set_title("Grid and Spines Customization")
plt.show()
5. Background and Facecolor
fi
● g.set_facecolor(color): Sets the background color of the Figure.
● ax.set_facecolor(color): Sets the background color of the Axes (plot area).
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(6,4) )
fi
fig.set_facecolor('#F0F0F0')# Light grey for figure
ax.set_facecolor('#E0F7FA') # Light blue for axes
ax.plot([1,2,3] , [4,5,6], color='darkblue')
ax.set_title("Custom Background Colors")
plt.show()
IV. Advanced Topics & Specialized Plots
urpose:Exploring more complex visualization types,interactive features, and fine-grained
P
control.
1. Colormaps and Colorbars
m
● atplotlib.cm: Module for colormaps.
● plt.cm.get_cmap(name): Get a colormap by name.
● fig.colorbar(mappable, ax=None, shrink=1.0, aspect=20, orientation='vertical',
label=None, **kwargs): Adds a colorbar to the figure.
○ mappable: The plot object (ax.scatter, ax.imshow, ax.pcolormesh, etc.) that the
colorbar represents.
○ ax: The Axes to which the colorbar should be attached.
Example:
Python
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(8,6))
fi
x = np.random.rand(100) *10
y = np.random.rand(100) *10
values = x + y + np.random.randn(100) *5
scatter = ax.scatter(x, y, c=values, cmap='RdYlGn',s=100, alpha=0.8, edgecolors='black')
x.set_title("Scatter Plot with Colorbar")
a
fig.colorbar(scatter, ax=ax, label="Value Scale",orientation='vertical')
plt.show()
2. Heatmaps and Contour Plots
● a x.imshow(Z, cmap='viridis', aspect='auto', interpolation='nearest', origin='upper',
extent=None, **kwargs): Displays data as an image (matrix of values).
○ Z: 2D array of data.
○ interpolation: How to interpolate between pixels ('nearest', 'bilinear', 'bicubic').
● ax.contour(X, Y, Z, levels=None, colors=None, **kwargs): Creates contour lines.
● ax.contourf(X, Y, Z, levels=None, cmap=None, **kwargs): Creates filled contour regions.
○ X, Y: 2D arrays of coordinates (from np.meshgrid).
○ Z: 2D array of values.
○ levels: Number of contour levels or a sequence of levels.
Example:
Python
fromscipy.statsimportmultivariate_normal
fig, (ax1, ax2) = plt.subplots(1,2, figsize=(12,5))
# Generate 2D Gaussian data
x _mesh, y_mesh = np.mgrid[-2:2 :.01, -2:2 :.01]
pos = np.empty(x_mesh.shape + (2,))
pos[:, :,0] = x_mesh; pos[:, :,1] = y_mesh
rv = multivariate_normal([0,0] , [[0.5,0] , [0,0.5]])
z_data = rv.pdf(pos)
# Heatmap
im = ax1.imshow(z_data, cmap='hot', origin='lower',extent=[-2,2, -2,2] )
ax1.set_title("Heatmap")
fig.colorbar(im, ax=ax1)
# Contour Plot
ontour = ax2.contour(x_mesh, y_mesh, z_data, levels=10,colors='black', linewidths=0.8)
c
ax2.contourf(x_mesh, y_mesh, z_data, levels=10, cmap='Blues',alpha=0.7)
ax2.clabel(contour, inline=1, fontsize=8)# Add labelsto contour lines
ax2.set_title("Contour Plot")
lt.tight_layout()
p
plt.show()
3. 3D Plots (mpl_toolkits.mplot3d)
● equires from mpl_toolkits.mplot3d import Axes3D.
R
● fig.add_subplot(projection='3d'): Key to creating a 3D Axes.
● ax.plot_surface(X, Y, Z, cmap='viridis', **kwargs): Plots a 3D surface.
● ax.plot_wireframe(X, Y, Z, **kwargs): Plots a 3D wireframe.
● ax.scatter(xs, ys, zs, **kwargs): Plots points in 3D.
● ax.plot(xs, ys, zs, **kwargs): Plots lines in 3D.
● ax.set_zlabel(label): Sets the z-axis label.
Example:
Python
frommpl_toolkits.mplot3dimportAxes3D
g = plt.figure(figsize=(10,7))
fi
ax = fig.add_subplot(111, projection='3d')
# Create data for 3D plot
X = np.arange(-5,5,0.25)
= np.arange(-5,5,0.25)
Y
X, Y = np.meshgrid(X, Y)
R = np.sqrt(X**2+ Y**2)
Z = np.sin(R)
x.plot_surface(X, Y, Z, cmap='coolwarm', rstride=1,cstride=1, alpha=0.8)
a
ax.set_xlabel('X')
ax.set_ylabel('Y')
ax.set_zlabel('Z')
ax.set_title("3D Surface Plot of a Sombrero Function")
plt.show()
4. Twin Axes
a
● x.twinx(): Creates a twin Axes sharing the x-axis.
● ax.twiny(): Creates a twin Axes sharing the y-axis.
Example:
Python
fig, ax1 = plt.subplots(figsize=(9,5) )
x = np.linspace(0,10,50)
data1 = np.exp(x/2) # Exponential growth
data2 = x *10 # Linear growth
olor1 ='tab:red'
c
ax1.set_xlabel('Time (s)')
ax1.set_ylabel('Temperature (°C)', color=color1)
ax1.plot(x, data1, color=color1, label='Temperature')
ax1.tick_params(axis='y', labelcolor=color1)
x2 = ax1.twinx()# Create a second Axes that sharesthe same x-axis
a
color2 ='tab:blue'
ax2.set_ylabel('Pressure (kPa)', color=color2)
ax2.plot(x, data2, color=color2, linestyle='--', label='Pressure')
ax2.tick_params(axis='y', labelcolor=color2)
fig.suptitle('Temperature and Pressure over Time')
# Combine legends from both axes
lines1, labels1 = ax1.get_legend_handles_labels()
lines2, labels2 = ax2.get_legend_handles_labels()
ax2.legend(lines1 + lines2, labels1 + labels2, loc='upperleft')
lt.tight_layout()
p
plt.show()
5. Animations
● m atplotlib.animation.FuncAnimation: Creates an animation by repeatedly calling a
function.
● matplotlib.animation.ArtistAnimation: Creates an animation using a fixed set of Artist
objects.
Example (Simple Sine Wave Animation):
Python
frommatplotlib.animationimportFuncAnimation
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(7,5) )
fi
xdata, ydata = [], []
ln, = ax.plot([], [],'r-')
definit():
x.set_xlim(0,2* np.pi)
a
ax.set_ylim(-1.1,1.1)
returnln,
defupdate(frame):
x data.append(frame)
ydata.append(np.sin(frame))
ln.set_data(xdata, ydata)
returnln,
# interval: delay between frames in ms, blit: optimize drawing
ani = FuncAnimation(fig, update, frames=np.linspace(0,2* np.pi,128),
init_func=init, blit=True, interval=2 0)
To save the animation:
#
# ani.save('sine_wave.gif', writer='imagemagick', fps=30) # Requires imagemagick
# ani.save('sine_wave.mp4', writer='ffmpeg', fps=30) # Requires ffmpeg
plt.show()
6. Event Handling & Interactivity3
● fi g.canvas.mpl_connect(event, callback_function): Connects to a Matplotlib event (e.g.,
'button_press_event', 'key_press_event', 'motion_notify_event').
● fig.canvas.mpl_disconnect(cid): Disconnects an event.
● plt.ginput(n=1, timeout=30, show_clicks=True, mouse_add=1, mouse_pop=3,
mouse_stop=2): Get mouse input from a figure.
Example (Click to add points):
Python
defonclick(event):
ifevent.xdataisnotNoneandevent.ydataisnotNone:
rint(f"Clicked at: x={event.xdata:.2f}, y={event.ydata:.2f}")
p
ax.plot(event.xdata, event.ydata,'ro', markersize=8)
fig.canvas.draw_idle()# Redraw the figure
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(7,5) )
fi
ax.set_title("Click anywhere to add a red point")
cid = fig.canvas.mpl_connect('button_press_event',onclick)
plt.show()
# To disconnect: fig.canvas.mpl_disconnect(cid)
. Custom Projections
7
Matplotlib allows for custom projections beyond standard 2D and 3D. This is a very advanced
topic, involving creating custom Projection classes. Common examples include polar plots
(which are built-in) and various geographical map projections.
● fig.add_subplot(projection='polar'): Creates a polar plot Axes.
Example (Polar Plot):
Python
g = plt.figure(figsize=(7,7))
fi
ax = fig.add_subplot(111, projection='polar')
r = np.arange(0,2,0.01)
theta =2* np.pi * r
x.plot(theta, r, color='blue', linewidth=2)
a
ax.set_title("Polar Plot", va='bottom')
ax.set_rticks([0.5,1,1.5,2] )# Radial tick marks
ax.grid(True)
plt.show()
. Customizing Matplotlib Defaults (rcParams)
8
You can change the default behavior of Matplotlib globally or for specific plots using
rcParams.
p
● lt.rcParams['key'] = value: Sets a global default.
● plt.rc('key', value): Another way to set defaults.
Example:
Python
# Save current rcParams to restore later
original_rc_params = plt.rcParams.copy()
# Change default line color and linewidth
plt.rcParams['lines.color'] ='green'
lt.rcParams['lines.linewidth'] =3
p
plt.rcParams['font.family'] ='serif'
plt.rcParams['font.serif'] = ['Times New Roman']#Or any other serif font
g, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(6,4) )
fi
ax.plot([1,2,3] , [4,5,6])# This line will begreen and thicker
ax.set_title("Custom RCParams Example")
plt.show()
# Restore original settings
plt.rcParams.update(original_rc_params)
# Plot again, it will revert to default
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(6,4) )
x.plot([1,2,3] , [4,5,6])
a
ax.set_title("Restored RCParams Example")
plt.show()
his extended cheat sheet covers a broad range of Matplotlib methods and advanced topics,
T
focusing on practical usage with examples. Remember that the official Matplotlib
documentation is always the most authoritative and detailed resource for any specific method
or advanced concept. Happy plotting!
ources
S
1.https://github.com/dragontree101/TensorFlow-study-cn
2.https://www.yzktw.com.cn/post/1227619.html
3.http://www.mynw.cn/cloud/15213.html
4.https://github.com/alexdumitriu/AstroStuff
5.https://github.com/ddemetriou21/python-data-handling
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