Plots jl horizontal and vertical labels across subplots in grid layout

When working with subplots in a grid layout in Julia, it can be challenging to properly align the horizontal and vertical labels across all the subplots. In this article, we will explore three different ways to solve this problem and determine which option is the best.

Option 1: Using the Plots.jl package

The Plots.jl package provides a convenient way to create and customize plots in Julia. To align the horizontal and vertical labels across subplots in a grid layout, we can use the `plot` function from the Plots.jl package and specify the `layout` parameter.

using Plots

# Create a grid layout with 2 rows and 2 columns
layout = @layout [a b; c d]

# Create subplots
p1 = plot(rand(10), xlabel="X", ylabel="Y")
p2 = plot(rand(10), xlabel="X", ylabel="Y")
p3 = plot(rand(10), xlabel="X", ylabel="Y")
p4 = plot(rand(10), xlabel="X", ylabel="Y")

# Combine subplots into a single plot
plot(p1, p2, p3, p4, layout=layout)

This code snippet creates a grid layout with 2 rows and 2 columns using the `@layout` macro. Then, it creates four subplots with random data and specifies the horizontal and vertical labels using the `xlabel` and `ylabel` parameters. Finally, it combines the subplots into a single plot using the `plot` function and sets the layout using the `layout` parameter.

Option 2: Using the GR.jl backend

If you prefer to use the GR.jl backend for plotting in Julia, you can achieve the same result by using the `gr` function from the GR.jl package and manually adjusting the positions of the labels.

using GR

# Create a grid layout with 2 rows and 2 columns
layout = @layout [a b; c d]

# Create subplots
subplot(2, 2, 1)
plot(rand(10))
xlabel("X")
ylabel("Y")

subplot(2, 2, 2)
plot(rand(10))
xlabel("X")
ylabel("Y")

subplot(2, 2, 3)
plot(rand(10))
xlabel("X")
ylabel("Y")

subplot(2, 2, 4)
plot(rand(10))
xlabel("X")
ylabel("Y")

# Adjust label positions
for i in 1:4
    GR.setattr(GR.text, "halign", 0.5)
    GR.setattr(GR.text, "valign", 0.5)
end

This code snippet creates a grid layout with 2 rows and 2 columns using the `@layout` macro. Then, it creates four subplots using the `subplot` function and specifies the horizontal and vertical labels using the `xlabel` and `ylabel` functions. Finally, it adjusts the positions of the labels using the `setattr` function from the GR.jl package.

Option 3: Using the PyPlot.jl package

If you prefer to use the PyPlot.jl package, which provides a Julia interface to the popular Matplotlib library in Python, you can align the horizontal and vertical labels across subplots in a grid layout by using the `subplots` function and specifying the `sharex` and `sharey` parameters.

using PyPlot

# Create a grid layout with 2 rows and 2 columns
fig, axs = subplots(2, 2, sharex=true, sharey=true)

# Create subplots
axs[1, 1].plot(rand(10))
axs[1, 1].set_xlabel("X")
axs[1, 1].set_ylabel("Y")

axs[1, 2].plot(rand(10))
axs[1, 2].set_xlabel("X")
axs[1, 2].set_ylabel("Y")

axs[2, 1].plot(rand(10))
axs[2, 1].set_xlabel("X")
axs[2, 1].set_ylabel("Y")

axs[2, 2].plot(rand(10))
axs[2, 2].set_xlabel("X")
axs[2, 2].set_ylabel("Y")

This code snippet creates a grid layout with 2 rows and 2 columns using the `subplots` function. Then, it creates four subplots using the `plot` function and specifies the horizontal and vertical labels using the `set_xlabel` and `set_ylabel` methods. By setting the `sharex` and `sharey` parameters to `true`, the horizontal and vertical labels will be aligned across all the subplots.

After exploring these three options, it is clear that using the Plots.jl package provides the most convenient and concise solution for aligning horizontal and vertical labels across subplots in a grid layout. The code is more readable and requires fewer manual adjustments compared to the other options. Therefore, the Plots.jl option is the recommended choice for solving this problem in Julia.