Thread Subject: text labels for x values

Hi all,

I am trying to create a bar graph that has text for x values.

For a (silly) example, let's say I have 4 values representing how
much of each type of fruit is in my fridge:

fruit = [2 5 6 7]

bar(fruit)

makes the bar plot just fine.

But here's what I want and am having trouble with:

Instead of the default x values being numeric (1 through 4)
I want to have x values be text. something like ['apples',
'oranges', 'strawberries', 'pears'].

Tried this and it doesn't work.

For instance if i do:
mylabels =['apples', 'oranges', 'strawberries', 'pears'];

bar(mylabels, fruit)

??? Error using ==> bar at 49
Must supply Y data or X and Y data as first argument(s).

I opened up bar.m and can't see how to edit it for a workaround,
except maybe seriously hacking into parseparams.m and bar.m. I was
hoping someone had an easy way to do this...maybe just adding text
below the x axis?

Didn't see any examples like this anywhere I searched.
So, if anyone out there knows how to do this, I would really
appreciate it.

thanks. jon

On Jun 30, 3:24 pm, Jon <ericksonNOspample...@caltech.edu> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am trying to create a bar graph that has text for x values.
>
> For a (silly) example, let's say I have 4 values representing how
> much of each type of fruit is in my fridge:
>
> fruit = [2 5 6 7]
>
> bar(fruit)
>
> makes the bar plot just fine.
>
> But here's what I want and am having trouble with:
>
> Instead of the default x values being numeric (1 through 4)
> I want to have x values be text. something like ['apples',
> 'oranges', 'strawberries', 'pears'].
>
> Tried this and it doesn't work.
>
> For instance if i do:
> mylabels =['apples', 'oranges', 'strawberries', 'pears'];
>
> bar(mylabels, fruit)
>
> ??? Error using ==> bar at 49
> Must supply Y data or X and Y data as first argument(s).
>
> I opened up bar.m and can't see how to edit it for a workaround,
> except maybe seriously hacking into parseparams.m and bar.m. I was
> hoping someone had an easy way to do this...maybe just adding text
> below the x axis?
>
> Didn't see any examples like this anywhere I searched.
> So, if anyone out there knows how to do this, I would really
> appreciate it.
>
> thanks. jon

Welcome to the wonderful world of handle graphics.
Try this:
bar(fruit)
set(gca,'XTickLabel',{'apples', 'oranges', 'strawberries', 'pears'})

The second line tells Matlab to get the current axis and change the
label on the ticks on the x-axis to what's in the curly brackets.
Notice I used curly brackets, not square brackets - this is a cell
array.

awesome, works perfectly. thanks.
jon
 NZTideMan wrote:
>
>
> On Jun 30, 3:24 pm, Jon <ericksonNOspample...@caltech.edu>
wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I am trying to create a bar graph that has text for x values.
>>
>> For a (silly) example, let's say I have 4 values representing
how
>> much of each type of fruit is in my fridge:
>>
>> fruit = [2 5 6 7]
>>
>> bar(fruit)
>>
>> makes the bar plot just fine.
>>
>> But here's what I want and am having trouble with:
>>
>> Instead of the default x values being numeric (1 through 4)
>> I want to have x values be text. something like ['apples',
>> 'oranges', 'strawberries', 'pears'].
>>
>> Tried this and it doesn't work.
>>
>> For instance if i do:
>> mylabels =['apples', 'oranges', 'strawberries', 'pears'];
>>
>> bar(mylabels, fruit)
>>
>> ??? Error using ==> bar at 49
>> Must supply Y data or X and Y data as first argument(s).
>>
>> I opened up bar.m and can't see how to edit it for a
workaround,
>> except maybe seriously hacking into parseparams.m and bar.m. I
> was
>> hoping someone had an easy way to do this...maybe just adding
> text
>> below the x axis?
>>
>> Didn't see any examples like this anywhere I searched.
>> So, if anyone out there knows how to do this, I would really
>> appreciate it.
>>
>> thanks. jon
>
> Welcome to the wonderful world of handle graphics.
> Try this:
> bar(fruit)
> set(gca,'XTickLabel',{'apples', 'oranges', 'strawberries',
> 'pears'})
>
> The second line tells Matlab to get the current axis and change the
> label on the ticks on the x-axis to what's in the curly brackets.
> Notice I used curly brackets, not square brackets - this is a cell
> array.
>
>

Is it possible to do this, but make the x=axis labes
vertical?

thanks, mike



"jon erickson" <erickson.nospam@caltech.edu> wrote in
message <ef5c22e.1@webcrossing.raydaftYaTP>...
> awesome, works perfectly. thanks.
> jon
> NZTideMan wrote:
> >
> >
> > On Jun 30, 3:24 pm, Jon
<ericksonNOspample...@caltech.edu>
> wrote:
> >> Hi all,
> >>
> >> I am trying to create a bar graph that has text for x
values.
> >>
> >> For a (silly) example, let's say I have 4 values
representing
> how
> >> much of each type of fruit is in my fridge:
> >>
> >> fruit = [2 5 6 7]
> >>
> >> bar(fruit)
> >>
> >> makes the bar plot just fine.
> >>
> >> But here's what I want and am having trouble with:
> >>
> >> Instead of the default x values being numeric (1
through 4)
> >> I want to have x values be text. something like
['apples',
> >> 'oranges', 'strawberries', 'pears'].
> >>
> >> Tried this and it doesn't work.
> >>
> >> For instance if i do:
> >> mylabels =
['apples', 'oranges', 'strawberries', 'pears'];
> >>
> >> bar(mylabels, fruit)
> >>
> >> ??? Error using ==> bar at 49
> >> Must supply Y data or X and Y data as first argument
(s).
> >>
> >> I opened up bar.m and can't see how to edit it for a
> workaround,
> >> except maybe seriously hacking into parseparams.m and
bar.m. I
> > was
> >> hoping someone had an easy way to do this...maybe just
adding
> > text
> >> below the x axis?
> >>
> >> Didn't see any examples like this anywhere I searched.
> >> So, if anyone out there knows how to do this, I would
really
> >> appreciate it.
> >>
> >> thanks. jon
> >
> > Welcome to the wonderful world of handle graphics.
> > Try this:
> > bar(fruit)
> > set(gca,'XTickLabel',
{'apples', 'oranges', 'strawberries',
> > 'pears'})
> >
> > The second line tells Matlab to get the current axis
and change the
> > label on the ticks on the x-axis to what's in the curly
brackets.
> > Notice I used curly brackets, not square brackets -
this is a cell
> > array.
> >
> >