columnlegend

Creates a legend with a specified number of columns

Description

UPDATED 04/09/2013.
Thanks to comments for bug fixes/improvements.

Creates a legend with a specified number of columns

usage:

       legend_str = [];
       for i=1:10,
            x = 1:i:(10*i);
            plot(x); hold on;
            legend_str = [legend_str; {num2str(i)}];
       end
       columnlegend(3, legend_str, 'Location', 'NorthWest', 'boxon');
         

PRINTING: If you want to print the figure, you'll have to use a command line printer (e.g. export_fig) as the File->Print option embedded in the figure resets the figure properties including the legend

Acknowledgements

This file inspired Grid Legend A Multi Column Format For Legends.

• MATLAB release: MATLAB 7.7 (R2008b)

[Thomine Stolberg-Rohr]

 

[Ligong Han]

very useful

[Mai]

I want to change the fontsize of the legend to 14, is that possible?
The text is to small to see in a document, the way it is.

[Bill]

I found a bug of this program. For example, when you try to change 1_by_2 legends to 2_by_1, this program will not work. Because the numpercolumn is 1, and the col is always -1.

Replace the code
“
if mod(i,numpercolumn)==1,
col = col+1;
end
“
with
“
if numpercolumn>1,
if mod(i,numpercolumn)==1,
col = col+1;
end
else
col=i-1;
end
“
to kill this bug.

[Bill]

 

[Durga Lal Shrestha]

The columnlegend hides the box around the legend as it is not possible to force the box to be smaller than the
original height. The work around to display box is to use annotation.

The following code can be added at the very end of "columnlegend" to show the box around legend:

pos = get(legend_h, 'position');
orgHeight =pos(4);
pos(4) = orgHeight/numlines*numpercolumn;
pos(2)=pos(2)+ orgHeight-pos(4);
annotation('rectangle',pos)

[Javier Pacheco Labrador]

Hi Simon,

I mixed line plots and scatter plots, what a pitty.

Anyhow, the function is great.

Thanks.

Javier

[Simon Henin]

@ Javier

Unfortunately, at this time this script only works for line graphs, such as created via the plot command. You were probably trying to use the script on a bar or other non-typical matlab figure object.

Best,
Simon

[Javier Pacheco Labrador]

Hi,

I am having a problem with one of my graphs:

??? Error using ==> get
There is no 'xdata' property in the 'hggroup' class.

Error in ==> columnlegend at 42
xdata = get(object_h(numlines+1), 'xdata');

I dunno the reason. The function works with the example on http://blogs.mathworks.com/pick/2011/02/11/create-multi-column-plot-legends/

[Sturla Kvamsdal]

Update: The problems probably has nothing to do with subplots (tried it in a simple example). Error message:
??? Index exceeds matrix dimensions.

Error in ==> columnlegend at 77
set(object_h(linenum), 'ydata', [(height-(position-1)*sheight)
(height-(position-1)*sheight)]);

[Sturla Kvamsdal]

Brilliant, just what I need. Have problems with subplots, though.

[Simon Henin]

@Mathias

Please refer to the full file description. To export to vector graphics files, use an advanced figure export (I recommend export_fig, http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/23629).

[Mathias Vanwolleghem]

not compatible with eps format.
So not useful to generate figures to be included in latex documents....

[Aslak Grinsted]

Nice, useful and compact code! It would be nice if i could give it a list of handles to put in the legend.

[Simon Henin]

Thanks for the comment, this has been fixed.

[Amy]

Nice, but doesn't work if you have used markers.

[Martyn Dorey]

Genius