Tiled layout with boxplot and 'Padding', 'none'

When using 'Padding','none' for my tiled layout. The box plots are not centered and are cropped inside the figure.

figure
t = tiledlayout(1,2, 'Padding', 'none');
nexttile;
boxplot(randn(10,5));
nexttile;
boxplot(randn(10,5));

Result:

Why is that and how to solve it?

[Kevin Joshi]

Suggestion: Use tight_subplot

https://in.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/27991-tight_subplot-nh-nw-gap-marg_h-marg_w

[Matt J]

'Padding'='none' is not a documented setting. The choices are either 'loose','compact', or 'tight'.

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/tiledlayout.html#mw_ba9024be-079d-43a6-975d-11138517fddb_sep_mw_6791be77-3100-4984-b2fa-f1d51334efb9

Answer 1

[Adam Danz]

Why this is happening

The boxplot function uses a local function setLabelappdata() to adjust the axes' OuterPosition, PositionConstraint & LooseInset properties after the boxplots are rendered. However, these properties are not editable in axes created by TiledLayout. Matlab throws a warning. Hopefully MathWorks will either address this problem or make the position properties of tiledChartLayout objects editable.

Warning: Unable to set 'Position', 'InnerPosition', 'OuterPosition', or 
'ActivePositionProperty' for objects in a TiledChartLayout 

Workarounds

1. In your case, set padding to compact instead of none (see other updates to Padding options in r2021a).

2. You can turn the warning off (see the answer from this similar thread).

3. Use axes or subplot instead of tiledlayout.

[Matt J]

There are also alternative boxplot routines on the File Exchange that you could try, which do not attempt the property settings that Adam mentions. This one, in particular, seems to work,

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/56121-boxplot-boxplotx-without-toolboxes?s_tid=srchtitle

t = tiledlayout(1,2, 'Padding', 'tight');
nexttile;
boxplotx(randn(10,5));
nexttile;
boxplotx(randn(10,5));