Axes - Axes appearance and behavior - MATLAB (original) (raw)

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Axes Properties

Axes appearance and behavior

Axes properties control the appearance and behavior of an Axes object. By changing property values, you can modify certain aspects of the axes. Use dot notation to query and set properties.

ax = gca; c = ax.Color; ax.Color = 'blue';

Font

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Font name, specified as a supported font name or "FixedWidth". To display and print text properly, you must choose a font that your system supports. The default font depends on your operating system and locale.

To use a fixed-width font that looks good in any locale, use "FixedWidth". The fixed-width font relies on the root FixedWidthFontName property. Setting the root FixedWidthFontName property causes an immediate update of the display to use the new font.

Character thickness, specified as 'normal' or'bold'.

MATLAB® uses the FontWeight property to select a font from those available on your system. Not all fonts have a bold weight. Therefore, specifying a bold font weight can still result in the normal font weight.

FontSize — Font size

scalar numeric value

Font size, specified as a scalar numeric value. The font size affects the title, axis labels, and tick labels. It also affects any legends or colorbars associated with the axes. The default font size depends on the specific operating system and locale. By default, the font size is measured in points. To change the units, set the FontUnits property.

MATLAB automatically scales some of the text to a percentage of the axes font size.

Example: ax.FontSize = 12

FontSizeMode — Selection mode for font size

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the font size, specified as one of these values:

Character slant, specified as 'normal' or'italic'.

Not all fonts have both font styles. Therefore, the italic font might look the same as the normal font.

LabelFontSizeMultiplier — Scale factor for label font size

1.1 (default) | numeric value greater than 0

Scale factor for the label font size, specified as a numeric value greater than 0. The scale factor is applied to the value of theFontSize property to determine the font size for the _x_-axis, _y_-axis, and_z_-axis labels.

Example: ax.LabelFontSizeMultiplier = 1.5

TitleFontSizeMultiplier — Scale factor for title font size

1.1 (default) | numeric value greater than 0

Scale factor for the title font size, specified as a numeric value greater than 0. The scale factor is applied to the value of the FontSize property to determine the font size for the title.

Title character thickness, specified as one of these values:

SubtitleFontWeight — Subtitle character thickness

'normal' (default) | 'bold'

Subtitle character thickness, specified as one of these values:

Font size units, specified as one of these values.

Units Description
'points' Points. One point equals 1/72 inch.
'inches' Inches.
'centimeters' Centimeters.
'normalized' Interpret font size as a fraction of the axes height. If you resize the axes, the font size modifies accordingly. For example, if the FontSize is 0.1 in normalized units, then the text is 1/10 of the height value stored in the axes Position property.
'pixels' Pixels.Starting in R2015b, distances in pixels are independent of your system resolution on Windows® and Macintosh systems. On Windows systems, a pixel is 1/96th of an inch.On Macintosh systems, a pixel is 1/72nd of an inch.On Linux® systems, the size of a pixel is determined by your system resolution.

To set both the font size and the font units in a single function call, you first must set theFontUnits property so that the Axes object correctly interprets the specified font size.

Font smoothing, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent tofalse. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Value Description Result
'on' Use antialiasing to make text appear smoother on the screen.Example: ax.FontSmoothing = 'on' The letter S with font smoothing applied. The edges are smooth.
'off' Do not use antialiasing. Use this setting if the text seems blurry.Example: ax.FontSmoothing = 'off' The letter S without font smoothing. The edges are jagged.

Note

The FontSmoothing property will have no effect in a future release. Font smoothing will be enabled regardless of the value of the property.

Ticks

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XTick, YTick, ZTick — Tick values

[] (default) | vector of increasing values

Tick values, specified as a vector of increasing values. If you do not want tick marks along the axis, then specify an empty vector[]. The tick values are the locations along the axis where the tick marks appear. The tick labels are the labels that you see next to each tick mark. Use the XTickLabels,YTickLabels, and ZTickLabels properties to specify the associated labels.

Example: ax.XTick = [2 4 6 8 10]

Example: ax.YTick = 0:10:100

Alternatively, use the xticks, yticks, and zticks functions to specify the tick values. For an example, see Specify Axis Tick Values and Labels.

Data Types: single | double | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64 | categorical | datetime | duration

XTickMode, YTickMode, ZTickMode — Selection mode for tick values

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the tick values, specified as one of these values:

Example: ax.XTickMode = 'auto'

XTickLabel, YTickLabel, ZTickLabel — Tick labels

'' (default) | cell array of character vectors | string array | categorical array

Tick labels, specified as a cell array of character vectors, string array, or categorical array. If you do not want tick labels to show, then specify an empty cell array {}. If you do not specify enough labels for all the tick values, then the labels repeat.

Tick labels support TeX and LaTeX markup. See the TickLabelInterpreter property for more information.

If you specify this property as a categorical array, MATLAB uses the values in the array, not the categories.

As an alternative to setting this property, you can use the xticklabels, yticklabels, and zticklabels functions. For an example, see Specify Axis Tick Values and Labels.

Example: ax.XTickLabel = {'Jan','Feb','Mar','Apr'}

XTickLabelMode, YTickLabelMode, ZTickLabelMode — Selection mode for tick labels

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the tick labels, specified as one of these values:

Example: ax.XTickLabelMode = 'auto'

Tick label interpreter, specified as one of these values:

TeX Markup

By default, MATLAB supports a subset of TeX markup. Use TeX markup to add superscripts and subscripts, modify the text type and color, and include special characters in the labels.

Modifiers remain in effect until the end of the text. Superscripts and subscripts are an exception because they modify only the next character or the characters within the curly braces. When you set the interpreter to 'tex', the supported modifiers are as follows.

Modifier Description Example
^{ } Superscript 'text^{superscript}'
_{ } Subscript 'text_{subscript}'
\bf Bold font '\bf text'
\it Italic font '\it text'
\sl Oblique font (usually the same as italic font) '\sl text'
\rm Normal font '\rm text'
\fontname{specifier} Font name — Replace_specifier_ with the name of a font family. You can use this in combination with other modifiers. '\fontname{Courier} text'
\fontsize{specifier} Font size —Replace_specifier_ with a numeric scalar value in point units. '\fontsize{15} text'
\color{specifier} Font color — Replace_specifier_ with one of these colors: red, green,yellow, magenta,blue, black,white, gray,darkGreen, orange, orlightBlue. '\color{magenta} text'
\color[rgb]{specifier} Custom font color — Replace_specifier_ with a three-element RGB triplet. '\color[rgb]{0,0.5,0.5} text'

This table lists the supported special characters for the'tex' interpreter.

Character Sequence Symbol Character Sequence Symbol Character Sequence Symbol
\alpha α \upsilon υ \sim ~
\angle \phi ϕ \leq
\ast * \chi χ \infty
\beta β \psi ψ \clubsuit
\gamma γ \omega ω \diamondsuit
\delta δ \Gamma Γ \heartsuit
\epsilon ϵ \Delta Δ \spadesuit
\zeta ζ \Theta Θ \leftrightarrow
\eta η \Lambda Λ \leftarrow
\theta θ \Xi Ξ \Leftarrow
\vartheta ϑ \Pi Π \uparrow
\iota ι \Sigma Σ \rightarrow
\kappa κ \Upsilon ϒ \Rightarrow
\lambda λ \Phi Φ \downarrow
\mu µ \Psi Ψ \circ º
\nu ν \Omega Ω \pm ±
\xi ξ \forall \geq
\pi π \exists \propto
\rho ρ \ni \partial
\sigma σ \cong \bullet
\varsigma ς \approx \div ÷
\tau τ \Re \neq
\equiv \oplus \aleph
\Im \cup \wp
\otimes \subseteq \oslash
\cap \in \supseteq
\supset \lceil \subset
\int \cdot · \o ο
\rfloor \neg ¬ \nabla
\lfloor \times x \ldots ...
\perp \surd \prime ´
\wedge \varpi ϖ \0
\rceil \rangle \mid |
\vee \langle \copyright ©

LaTeX Markup

To use LaTeX markup, set the TickLabelInterpreter property to'latex'. Use dollar symbols around the labels, for example, use'$\int_1^{20} x^2 dx$' for inline mode or '$$\int_1^{20} x^2 dx$$' for display mode.

The displayed text uses the default LaTeX font style. The FontName,FontWeight, and FontAngle properties do not have an effect. To change the font style, use LaTeX markup within the text. The maximum size of the text that you can use with the LaTeX interpreter is 1200 characters. For multiline text, the maximum size of the text reduces by about 10 characters per line.

For examples that use TeX and LaTeX, see Greek Letters and Special Characters in Chart Text. For more information about the LaTeX system, see The LaTeX Project website at https://www.latex-project.org/.

XTickLabelRotation, YTickLabelRotation, ZTickLabelRotation — Tick label rotation

0 (default) | numeric value in degrees

Tick label rotation, specified as a numeric value in degrees. Positive values give counterclockwise rotation. Negative values give clockwise rotation.

Example: ax.XTickLabelRotation = 45

Example: ax.YTickLabelRotation = 90

Alternatively, use the xtickangle, ytickangle, and ztickangle functions.

XTickLabelRotationMode, YTickLabelRotationMode, ZTickLabelRotationMode — Selection mode for tick label rotation

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the tick label rotation, specified as one of these values:

XMinorTick, YMinorTick, ZMinorTick — Minor tick marks

on/off logical value

Minor tick marks, specified as 'on' or'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Example: ax.XMinorTick = 'on'

TickDir — Tick mark direction

'in' (default) | 'out' | 'both' | 'none'

Tick mark direction, specified as one of these values:

Selection mode for the TickDir property, specified as one of these values:

Example: ax.TickDirMode = 'auto'

TickLength — Tick mark length

[0.01 0.025] (default) | two-element vector

Tick mark length, specified as a two-element vector of the form[2Dlength 3Dlength]. The first element is the tick mark length in 2-D views and the second element is the tick mark length in 3-D views. Specify the values in units normalized relative to the longest of the visible _x_-axis, _y_-axis, or_z_-axis lines.

Example: ax.TickLength = [0.02 0.035]

Rulers

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Minimum and maximum limits, specified as a two-element vector of the form[min max], where max is greater thanmin. You can specify the limits as numeric, categorical, datetime, or duration values. However, the type of values that you specify must match the type of values along the axis.

You can specify both limits, or specify one limit and let MATLAB automatically calculate the other. For an automatically calculated minimum or maximum limit, use -inf or inf, respectively. MATLAB uses the 'tight' limit method to calculate the corresponding limit.

Example: ax.XLim = [0 10]

Example: ax.YLim = [-inf 10]

Example: ax.ZLim = [0 inf]

Alternatively, use the xlim, ylim, and zlim functions to set the limits. For an example, see Specify Axis Limits.

Data Types: single | double | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64 | datetime | duration

XLimMode, YLimMode, ZLimMode — Selection mode for axis limits

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the axis limits, specified as one of these values:

Example: ax.XLimMode = 'auto'

XLimitMethod, YLimitMethod, ZLimitMethod — Axis limit selection method

'tickaligned' (default) | 'tight' | 'padded'

Axis limit selection method, specified as a value from the table. The examples in the table show the approximate appearance for different values of the XLimitMethod property. Your results might differ depending on your data, the size of the axes, and the type of plot you create.

Value Description Example (XLimitMethod)
'tickaligned' In general, align the edges of the axes box with the tick marks that are closest to your data without excluding any data. The appearance might vary depending on the type of data you plot and the type of chart you create. Plotted sine wave with XLimitMethod set to 'tickaligned'.
'tight' Fit the axes box tightly around the data by setting the axis limits equal to the range of the data. Plotted sine wave with XLimitMethod set to 'tight'.
'padded' Fit the axes box around the data with a thin margin of padding on each side. The width of the margin is approximately 7% of your data range. Plotted sine wave with XLimitMethod set to 'padded'.

Note

The axis limit method has no effect when the corresponding mode property (XLimMode, YLimMode, or ZLimMode) is set to 'manual'.

XAxis, YAxis, ZAxis — Axis ruler

ruler object

Axis ruler, returned as a ruler object. The ruler controls the appearance and behavior of the _x_-axis,_y_-axis, or _z_-axis. Modify the appearance and behavior of a particular axis by accessing the associated ruler and setting ruler properties. The type of ruler that MATLAB creates for each axis depends on the plotted data. For a list of ruler properties that Axes objects support, see:

For example, access the ruler for the _x_-axis through the XAxis property. Then, change theColor property of the ruler, and thus the color of the _x_-axis, to red. Similarly, change the color of the_y_-axis to green.

ax = gca; ax.XAxis.Color = 'r'; ax.YAxis.Color = 'g';

If the Axes object has two _y_-axes, then theYAxis property stores two ruler objects.

XAxisLocation — _x_-axis location

'bottom' (default) | 'top' | 'origin'

_x_-axis location, specified as one of the values in this table. This property applies only to 2-D views.

Value Description Result
'bottom' Bottom of the axes. Example: ax.XAxisLocation = 'bottom' Empty axes with the x-axis at the bottom.
'top' Top of the axes. Example: ax.XAxisLocation = 'top' Empty axes with the x-axis at the top.
'origin' Through the origin point (0,0). Example: ax.XAxisLocation = 'origin' Empty axes with the x-axis at the origin.

YAxisLocation — _y_-axis location

'left' (default) | 'right' | 'origin'

_y_-axis location, specified as one of the values in this table. This property applies only to 2-D views.

Value Description Result
'left' Left side of the axes. Example: ax.YAxisLocation = 'left' Empty axes with the y-axis on the left.
'right' Right side of the axes. Example: ax.YAxisLocation = 'right' Empty axes with the y-axis on the right.
'origin' Through the origin point (0,0). Example: ax.YAxisLocation = 'origin' Empty axes with the y-axis at the origin.

XColor, YColor, ZColor — Color of axis line, tick values, and labels

[0.15 0.15 0.15] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | 'r' | 'g' | 'b' | ...

Color of the axis line, tick values, and labels in the_x_, y, or_z_ direction, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The color you specify also affects the grid lines, unless you specify the grid line color using the GridColor or MinorGridColor property.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name Short Name RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
"red" "r" [1 0 0] "#FF0000" Sample of the color red
"green" "g" [0 1 0] "#00FF00" Sample of the color green
"blue" "b" [0 0 1] "#0000FF" Sample of the color blue
"cyan" "c" [0 1 1] "#00FFFF" Sample of the color cyan
"magenta" "m" [1 0 1] "#FF00FF" Sample of the color magenta
"yellow" "y" [1 1 0] "#FFFF00" Sample of the color yellow
"black" "k" [0 0 0] "#000000" Sample of the color black
"white" "w" [1 1 1] "#FFFFFF" Sample of the color white
"none" Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410] "#0072BD" Sample of RGB triplet [0 0.4470 0.7410], which appears as dark blue
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980] "#D95319" Sample of RGB triplet [0.8500 0.3250 0.0980], which appears as dark orange
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250] "#EDB120" Sample of RGB triplet [0.9290 0.6940 0.1250], which appears as dark yellow
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560] "#7E2F8E" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4940 0.1840 0.5560], which appears as dark purple
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880] "#77AC30" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4660 0.6740 0.1880], which appears as medium green
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330] "#4DBEEE" Sample of RGB triplet [0.3010 0.7450 0.9330], which appears as light blue
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840] "#A2142F" Sample of RGB triplet [0.6350 0.0780 0.1840], which appears as dark red

Example: ax.XColor = [1 1 0]

Example: ax.YColor = 'y'

Example: ax.ZColor = 'yellow'

Example: ax.ZColor = '#FFFF00'

XColorMode — Property for setting _x_-axis grid color

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Property for setting the _x_-axis grid color, specified as 'auto' or 'manual'. The mode value only affects the _x_-axis grid color. The_x_-axis line, tick values, and labels always use theXColor value, regardless of the mode.

The _x_-axis grid color depends on both theXColorMode property and theGridColorMode property, as shown here.

XColorMode GridColorMode x-Axis Grid Color
'auto' 'auto' GridColor property
'manual' GridColor property
'manual' 'auto' XColor property
'manual' GridColor property

The _x_-axis minor grid color depends on both theXColorMode property and theMinorGridColorMode property, as shown here.

XColorMode MinorGridColorMode x-Axis Minor Grid Color
'auto' 'auto' MinorGridColor property
'manual' MinorGridColor property
'manual' 'auto' XColor property
'manual' MinorGridColor property

YColorMode — Property for setting _y_-axis grid color

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Property for setting the _y_-axis grid color, specified as 'auto' or 'manual'. The mode value only affects the _y_-axis grid color. The_y_-axis line, tick values, and labels always use theYColor value, regardless of the mode.

The _y_-axis grid color depends on both theYColorMode property and theGridColorMode property, as shown here.

YColorMode GridColorMode y-Axis Grid Color
'auto' 'auto' GridColor property
'manual' GridColor property
'manual' 'auto' YColor property
'manual' GridColor property

The _y_-axis minor grid color depends on both theYColorMode property and theMinorGridColorMode property, as shown here.

YColorMode MinorGridColorMode y-Axis Minor Grid Color
'auto' 'auto' MinorGridColor property
'manual' MinorGridColor property
'manual' 'auto' YColor property
'manual' MinorGridColor property

ZColorMode — Property for setting _z_-axis grid color

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Property for setting the _z_-axis grid color, specified as 'auto' or 'manual'. The mode value only affects the _z_-axis grid color. The_z_-axis line, tick values, and labels always use theZColor value, regardless of the mode.

The _z_-axis grid color depends on both theZColorMode property and theGridColorMode property, as shown here.

ZColorMode GridColorMode z-Axis Grid Color
'auto' 'auto' GridColor property
'manual' GridColor property
'manual' 'auto' ZColor property
'manual' GridColor property

The _z_-axis minor grid color depends on both theZColorMode property and theMinorGridColorMode property, as shown here.

ZColorMode MinorGridColorMode z-Axis Minor Grid Color
'auto' 'auto' MinorGridColor property
'manual' MinorGridColor property
'manual' 'auto' ZColor property
'manual' MinorGridColor property

XDir — _x_-axis direction

'normal' (default) | 'reverse'

_x_-axis direction, specified as one of these values.

Value Description Result in 2-D Result in 3-D
'normal' Values increase from left to right.Example: ax.XDir = 'normal' 2-D axes with the x-axis direction set to 'normal'. The tick values for the x-axis increase from left to right. 3-D axes with the x-axis direction set to 'normal'. If you look at the x-y plane, the x-axis tick values increase from left to right.
'reverse' Values increase from right to left.Example: ax.XDir = 'reverse' 2-D axes with the x-axis direction set to 'reverse'. The tick values for the x-axis increase from right to left. 3-D axes with the x-axis direction set to 'reverse'. If you look at the x-y plane, the x-axis tick values increase from right to left.

YDir — _y_-axis direction

'normal' (default) | 'reverse'

_y_-axis direction, specified as one of these values.

Value Description Result in 2-D Result in 3-D
'normal' Values increase from bottom to top (2-D view) or front to back (3-D view).Example: ax.YDir = 'normal' 2-D axes with the y-axis direction set to 'normal'. The tick values for the y-axis increase from bottom to top. 3-D axes with the y-axis direction set to 'normal'. If you look at the x-y plane, the y-axis tick values increase from bottom to top.
'reverse' Values increase from top to bottom (2-D view) or back to front (3-D view).Example: ax.YDir = 'reverse' 2-D axes with the y-axis direction set to 'reverse'. The tick values for the y-axis increase from top to bottom. 3-D axes with the y-axis direction set to 'reverse'. If you look at the x-y plane, the y-axis tick values increase from top to bottom.

ZDir — _z_-axis direction

'normal' (default) | 'reverse'

_z_-axis direction, specified as one of these values.

Value Description Result in 3-D
'normal' Values increase pointing out of the screen (2-D view) or from bottom to top (3-D view).Example: ax.ZDir = 'normal' 3-D axes with the z-axis direction set to 'normal'. If the z-axis is the vertical axis, its tick values increase from bottom to top.
'reverse' Values increase pointing into the screen (2-D view) or from top to bottom (3-D view).Example: ax.ZDir = 'reverse' 3-D axes with the z-axis direction set to 'reverse'. If the z-axis is the vertical axis, its tick values increase from top to bottom.

Axis scale, specified as one of these values.

Value Description Result
'linear' Linear scaleExample: ax.XScale = 'linear' Axis with the scale set to 'linear'. The tick values that start at 0 and increment by adding 100 to the previous value.
'log' Log scaleExample: ax.XScale = 'log' NoteThe axes might exclude coordinates in some cases: If the coordinates include positive and negative values, only the positive values are displayed.If the coordinates are all negative, all of the values are displayed on a log scale with the appropriate sign.Zero values are not displayed. Axis with the scale set to 'log'. The tick values start at 0.10 (10 raised to -1). Each major tick value increases by a factor of 10.

Grids

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XGrid, YGrid, ZGrid — Grid lines

'off' (default) | on/off logical value

Grid lines, specified as 'on' or'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Alternatively, use the grid on or grid off command to set all three properties to'on' or 'off', respectively. For more information, see grid.

Example: ax.XGrid = 'on'

Placement of grid lines and tick marks in relation to graphic objects, specified as one of these values:

This property affects only 2-D views.

Example: ax.Layer = 'top'

Line style for grid lines, specified as one of the line styles in this table.

Line Style Description Resulting Line
"-" Solid line Sample of solid line
"--" Dashed line Sample of dashed line
":" Dotted line Sample of dotted line
"-." Dash-dotted line Sample of dash-dotted line, with alternating dashes and dots
"none" No line No line

To display the grid lines, use the grid on command or set the XGrid, YGrid, orZGrid property to 'on'.

Example: ax.GridLineStyle = '--'

GridLineWidth — Grid line width

0.5 (default) | positive number

Since R2023a

Grid line width, specified as a positive number. Set this property or the MinorGridLineWidth property to control the thickness of the grid lines independently of the box outline and tick marks.

Example

Create vectors x and y, and plot them. Display the grid lines in the axes by calling grid on. Increase the thickness of the grid lines, box outline, and tick marks by setting theLineWidth property of the axes to1.5.

x = linspace(0,10); y = sin(x); plot(x,y) grid on ax = gca; ax.LineWidth = 1.5;

Line plot with a thick box outline, thick tick marks, and thick grid lines

Make the grid lines thinner by setting the grid line width to 0.5.

Updated plot with thin grid lines, but with the same thick box outline and thick tick marks

GridLineWidthMode — How grid line width is set

"auto" (default) | "manual"

Since R2023a

How the grid line width is set, specified as one of these values:

MATLAB sets this property to "manual" when you explicitly set the GridLineWidth property to a value.

GridColor — Color of grid lines

[0.15 0.15 0.15] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | 'r' | 'g' | 'b' | ...

Color of grid lines, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name Short Name RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
"red" "r" [1 0 0] "#FF0000" Sample of the color red
"green" "g" [0 1 0] "#00FF00" Sample of the color green
"blue" "b" [0 0 1] "#0000FF" Sample of the color blue
"cyan" "c" [0 1 1] "#00FFFF" Sample of the color cyan
"magenta" "m" [1 0 1] "#FF00FF" Sample of the color magenta
"yellow" "y" [1 1 0] "#FFFF00" Sample of the color yellow
"black" "k" [0 0 0] "#000000" Sample of the color black
"white" "w" [1 1 1] "#FFFFFF" Sample of the color white
"none" Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410] "#0072BD" Sample of RGB triplet [0 0.4470 0.7410], which appears as dark blue
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980] "#D95319" Sample of RGB triplet [0.8500 0.3250 0.0980], which appears as dark orange
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250] "#EDB120" Sample of RGB triplet [0.9290 0.6940 0.1250], which appears as dark yellow
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560] "#7E2F8E" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4940 0.1840 0.5560], which appears as dark purple
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880] "#77AC30" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4660 0.6740 0.1880], which appears as medium green
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330] "#4DBEEE" Sample of RGB triplet [0.3010 0.7450 0.9330], which appears as light blue
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840] "#A2142F" Sample of RGB triplet [0.6350 0.0780 0.1840], which appears as dark red

To set the colors for the axes box outline, use theXColor, YColor, andZColor properties.

To display the grid lines, use the grid on command or set the XGrid, YGrid, orZGrid property to 'on'.

Example: ax.GridColor = [0 0 1]

Example: ax.GridColor = 'b'

Example: ax.GridColor = 'blue'

Example: ax.GridColor = '#0000FF'

GridColorMode — Property for setting grid color

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Property for setting the grid color, specified as one of these values:

Grid-line transparency, specified as a value in the range [0,1]. A value of 1 means opaque and a value of 0 means completely transparent.

Example: ax.GridAlpha = 0.5

Selection mode for the GridAlpha property, specified as one of these values:

Example: ax.GridAlphaMode = 'auto'

XMinorGrid, YMinorGrid, ZMinorGrid — Minor grid lines

'off' (default) | on/off logical value

Minor grid lines, specified as 'on' or'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Alternatively, use the grid minor command to toggle the visibility of the minor grid lines.

Example: ax.XMinorGrid = 'on'

MinorGridLineStyle — Line style for minor grid lines

':' (default) | '-' | '--' | '-.' | 'none'

Line style for minor grid lines, specified as one of the line styles shown in this table.

Line Style Description Resulting Line
"-" Solid line Sample of solid line
"--" Dashed line Sample of dashed line
":" Dotted line Sample of dotted line
"-." Dash-dotted line Sample of dash-dotted line, with alternating dashes and dots
"none" No line No line

To display minor grid lines, use the grid minor command or set the XMinorGrid, YMinorGrid, or ZMinorGrid property to'on'.

Example: ax.MinorGridLineStyle = '-.'

MinorGridLineWidth — Minor grid line width

0.5 (default) | positive number

Since R2023a

Minor grid line width, specified as a positive number. Set this property or the GridLineWidth property to control the thickness of the grid lines independently of the box outline and tick marks.

Tip

MinorGridLineWidthMode — How minor grid line width is set

"auto" (default) | "manual"

Since R2023a

How the minor grid line width is set, specified as one of these values:

MATLAB sets this property to "manual" when you explicitly set the MinorGridLineWidth property to a value.

MinorGridColor — Color of minor grid lines

[0.1 0.1 0.1] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | 'r' | 'g' | 'b' | ...

Color of minor grid lines, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name Short Name RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
"red" "r" [1 0 0] "#FF0000" Sample of the color red
"green" "g" [0 1 0] "#00FF00" Sample of the color green
"blue" "b" [0 0 1] "#0000FF" Sample of the color blue
"cyan" "c" [0 1 1] "#00FFFF" Sample of the color cyan
"magenta" "m" [1 0 1] "#FF00FF" Sample of the color magenta
"yellow" "y" [1 1 0] "#FFFF00" Sample of the color yellow
"black" "k" [0 0 0] "#000000" Sample of the color black
"white" "w" [1 1 1] "#FFFFFF" Sample of the color white
"none" Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410] "#0072BD" Sample of RGB triplet [0 0.4470 0.7410], which appears as dark blue
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980] "#D95319" Sample of RGB triplet [0.8500 0.3250 0.0980], which appears as dark orange
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250] "#EDB120" Sample of RGB triplet [0.9290 0.6940 0.1250], which appears as dark yellow
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560] "#7E2F8E" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4940 0.1840 0.5560], which appears as dark purple
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880] "#77AC30" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4660 0.6740 0.1880], which appears as medium green
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330] "#4DBEEE" Sample of RGB triplet [0.3010 0.7450 0.9330], which appears as light blue
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840] "#A2142F" Sample of RGB triplet [0.6350 0.0780 0.1840], which appears as dark red

To display minor grid lines, use the grid minor command or set the XMinorGrid, YMinorGrid, or ZMinorGrid property to'on'.

Example: ax.MinorGridColor = [0 0 1]

Example: ax.MinorGridColor = 'b'

Example: ax.MinorGridColor = 'blue'

Example: ax.MinorGridColor = '#0000FF'

MinorGridColorMode — Property for setting minor grid color

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Property for setting the minor grid color, specified as one of these values:

Minor grid line transparency, specified as a value in the range [0,1]. A value of 1 means opaque and a value of 0 means completely transparent.

Example: ax.MinorGridAlpha = 0.5

Selection mode for the MinorGridAlpha property, specified as one of these values:

Example: ax.MinorGridAlphaMode = 'auto'

Labels

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Title — Text object for title

text object

Text object for the axes title. To add a title, set the String property of the text object. To change the title appearance, such as the font style or color, set other properties. For a complete list, see Text Properties.

ax = gca; ax.Title.String = 'My Title'; ax.Title.FontWeight = 'normal';

Alternatively, use the title function to add a title and control the appearance.

title('My Title','FontWeight','normal')

Note

This text object is not contained in the axes Children property, cannot be returned by findobj, and does not use default values defined for text objects.

Subtitle — Text object for subtitle

text object

Text object for the axes subtitle. To add a subtitle, set the String property of the text object. To change its appearance, such as the font angle, set other properties. For a complete list, see Text Properties.

ax = gca; ax.Subtitle.String = 'An Insightful Subtitle'; ax.Subtitle.FontAngle = 'italic';

Alternatively, use the subtitle function to add a subtitle and control the appearance.

subtitle('An Insightful Subtitle','FontAngle','italic')

Or use the title function, and specify two character vector input arguments and two output arguments. Then set properties on the second text object returned by the function.

[t,s] = title('Clever Title','An Insightful Subtitle'); s.FontAngle = 'italic';

Note

This text object is not contained in the axes Children property, cannot be returned by findobj, and does not use default values defined for text objects.

TitleHorizontalAlignment — Title and subtitle horizontal alignment

'center' (default) | 'left' | 'right'

Title and subtitle horizontal alignment with the plot box, specified as one of the values from the table.

TitleHorizontalAlignment Value Description Appearance
'center' The title and subtitle are centered over the plot box. Title and subtitle centered over the plot box.
'left' The title and subtitle are aligned with the left side of the plot box. Title and subtitle aligned with left edge of the plot box.
'right' The title and subtitle are aligned with the right side of the plot box. Title and subtitle aligned with right edge of the plot box.

XLabel, YLabel, ZLabel — Text object for axis label

text object

Text object for axis label. To add an axis label, set theString property of the text object. To change the label appearance, such as the font size, set other properties. For a complete list, see Text Properties.

ax = gca; ax.YLabel.String = 'My y-Axis Label'; ax.YLabel.FontSize = 12;

Alternatively, use the xlabel, ylabel, and zlabel functions to add an axis label and control the appearance.

ylabel('My y-Axis Label','FontSize',12)

Note

These text objects are not contained in the axesChildren property, cannot be returned byfindobj, and do not use default values defined for text objects.

Legend — Legend associated with axes

empty GraphicsPlaceholder (default) | Legend object

This property is read-only.

Legend associated with the Axes object, specified as aLegend object. To add a legend to the axes, use thelegend function. Then, you can use this property to modify the legend. For a complete list of properties, see Legend Properties.

plot(rand(3)) legend({'Line 1','Line 2','Line 3'},'FontSize',12) ax = gca; ax.Legend.TextColor = 'red';

You also can use this property to determine if the axes has a legend.

ax = gca; lgd = ax.Legend if ~isempty(lgd) disp('Legend Exists') end

Multiple Plots

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Color order, specified as a three-column matrix of RGB triplets. This property defines the palette of colors MATLAB uses to create plot objects such as Line,Scatter, and Bar objects. Each row of the array is an RGB triplet. An RGB triplet is a three-element vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of a color. The intensities must be in the range [0, 1]. This table lists the default colors.

This table lists the default colors.

RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410] "#0072BD" Sample of RGB triplet [0 0.4470 0.7410], which appears as dark blue
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980] "#D95319" Sample of RGB triplet [0.8500 0.3250 0.0980], which appears as dark orange
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250] "#EDB120" Sample of RGB triplet [0.9290 0.6940 0.1250], which appears as dark yellow
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560] "#7E2F8E" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4940 0.1840 0.5560], which appears as dark purple
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880] "#77AC30" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4660 0.6740 0.1880], which appears as medium green
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330] "#4DBEEE" Sample of RGB triplet [0.3010 0.7450 0.9330], which appears as light blue
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840] "#A2142F" Sample of RGB triplet [0.6350 0.0780 0.1840], which appears as dark red

MATLAB assigns colors to objects according to their order of creation. For example, when plotting lines, the first line uses the first color, the second line uses the second color, and so on. If there are more lines than colors, then the cycle repeats.

Changing the Color Order Before or After Plotting

You can change the color order in either of the following ways:

Line style order, specified as a character vector, a cell array of character vectors, or a string array. This property lists the line styles that MATLAB uses to display multiple plot lines in the axes. MATLAB assigns styles to lines according to their order of creation. By default, it changes to the next line style only after cycling through all the colors in theColorOrder property with the current line style. Set the LineStyleCyclingMethod property to "withcolor" to cycle through both together or to"beforecolor" to cycle through the line styles first. The defaultLineStyleOrder has only one line style,"-".

To customize the line style order, create a cell array of character vectors or a string array. Specify each element of the array as a line specifier or marker specifier from the following tables. You can combine a line and a marker specifier into a single element, such as "-*".

Line Style Description Resulting Line
"-" Solid line Sample of solid line
"--" Dashed line Sample of dashed line
":" Dotted line Sample of dotted line
"-." Dash-dotted line Sample of dash-dotted line, with alternating dashes and dots
Marker Description Resulting Marker
"o" Circle Sample of circle marker
"+" Plus sign Sample of plus sign marker
"*" Asterisk Sample of asterisk marker
"." Point Sample of point marker
"x" Cross Sample of cross marker
"_" Horizontal line Sample of horizontal line marker
"|" Vertical line Sample of vertical line marker
"square" Square Sample of square marker
"diamond" Diamond Sample of diamond marker
"^" Upward-pointing triangle Sample of upward-pointing triangle marker
"v" Downward-pointing triangle Sample of downward-pointing triangle marker
">" Right-pointing triangle Sample of right-pointing triangle marker
"<" Left-pointing triangle Sample of left-pointing triangle marker
"pentagram" Pentagram Sample of pentagram marker
"hexagram" Hexagram Sample of hexagram marker

Changing Line Style Order Before or After Plotting

You can change the line style order before or after plotting into the axes. When you set the LineStyleOrder property to a new value, MATLAB updates the styles of any lines that are in the axes. If you continue plotting into the axes, your plotting commands continue using the line styles from the updated list.

LineStyleCyclingMethod — How to cycle through line styles

"aftercolor" (default) | "beforecolor" | "withcolor"

Since R2023a

How to cycle through the line styles when there are multiple lines in the axes, specified as one of the values from this table.

The examples in this table were created using the default colors in theColorOrder property and three line styles (["-","-o","--"]) in the LineStyleOrder property.

Value Description Example
"aftercolor" Cycle through the line styles of the LineStyleOrder after the colors of the ColorOrder. Six lines that use the "aftercolor" line style cycling method. Each line is a different color with the same line style.
"beforecolor" Cycle through the line styles of theLineStyleOrder before the colors of theColorOrder. Six lines that use the "beforecolor" line style cycling method. The first three lines use all three line styles with the first color. The last three lines repeat the line styles with the second color.
"withcolor" Cycle through the line styles of theLineStyleOrder with the colors of theColorOrder. Six lines that use the "withcolor" line style cycling method. The first three lines use all three line styles with the first three colors. The last three lines repeat the line styles with the next three colors.

NextSeriesIndexSeriesIndex value for next object

whole number

This property is read-only.

SeriesIndex value for the next plot object added to the axes, returned as a whole number greater than or equal to 0. This property is useful when you want to track how the objects cycle through the colors and line styles. This property maintains a count of the objects in the axes that have a numericSeriesIndex property value. MATLAB uses it to assign a SeriesIndex value to each new object. The count starts at 1 when you create the axes, and it increases by 1 for each additional object. Thus, the count is typically n+1, where n is the number of objects in the axes.

If you manually change the ColorOrderIndex orLineStyleOrderIndex property on the axes, the value of theNextSeriesIndex property changes to 0. As a consequence, objects that have a SeriesIndex property no longer update automatically when you change the ColorOrder orLineStyleOrder properties on the axes.

Properties to reset when adding a new plot to the axes, specified as one of these values:

Note

For Axes objects with only one _y_-axis, the'replace' and 'replaceall' property values are equivalent. For Axes objects with two _y_-axes, the'replace' value affects only the active side while the'replaceall' value affects both sides.

Figures also have a NextPlot property. Alternatively, you can use the newplot function to prepare figures and axes for subsequent graphics commands.

Order for rendering objects, specified as one of these values:

Color order index, specified as a positive integer. This property specifies the next color MATLAB selects from the axes ColorOrder property when it creates the next plot object such as a Line,Scatter, or Bar object.

Line style order index, specified as a positive integer. This property specifies the next line style MATLAB selects from the axes LineStyleOrder property to create the next plot line.

Color and Transparency Maps

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Colormap — Color map

parula (default) | m-by-3 array of RGB triplets

Color map, specified as an m-by-3 array of RGB (red, green, blue) triplets that define m individual colors.

Example: ax.Colormap = [1 0 1; 0 0 1; 1 1 0] sets the color map to three colors: magenta, blue, and yellow.

MATLAB accesses these colors by their row number.

Alternatively, use the colormap function to change the color map.

ColorScale — Scale for color mapping

'linear' (default) | 'log'

Scale for color mapping, specified as one of these values:

CLim — Color limits

[0 1] (default) | two-element vector of the form [cmin cmax]

Color limits for objects in axes that use the colormap, specified as a two-element vector of the form [cmin cmax]. This property determines how data values map to the colors in the colormap where:

The Axes object interpolates data values between cmin and cmax across the colormap. Values outside this range use either the first or last color, whichever is closest.

Selection mode for the CLim property, specified as one of these values:

Alphamap — Transparency map

array of 64 values from 0 to 1 (default) | array of finite alpha values from 0 to 1

Transparency map, specified as an array of finite alpha values that progress linearly from0 to 1. The size of the array can be_m_-by-1 or 1-by-m. MATLAB accesses alpha values by their index in the array. An alphamap can be any length.

AlphaScale — Scale for transparency mapping

'linear' (default) | 'log'

Scale for transparency mapping, specified as one of these values:

ALim — Alpha limits

[0 1] (default) | two-element vector of the form [amin amax]

Alpha limits, specified as a two-element vector of the form [amin amax]. This property affects theAlphaData values of graphics objects, such as surface, image, and patch objects. This property determines how theAlphaData values map to the figure alpha map, where:

The Axes object interpolates data values betweenamin and amax across the figure alpha map. Values outside this range use either the first or last alpha map value, whichever is closest.

The Alphamap property of the figure contains the alpha map. For more information, see thealpha function.

Selection mode for the ALim property, specified as one of these values:

Box Styling

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Color — Background color

[1 1 1] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | 'r' | 'g' | 'b' | ...

Background color, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name Short Name RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
"red" "r" [1 0 0] "#FF0000" Sample of the color red
"green" "g" [0 1 0] "#00FF00" Sample of the color green
"blue" "b" [0 0 1] "#0000FF" Sample of the color blue
"cyan" "c" [0 1 1] "#00FFFF" Sample of the color cyan
"magenta" "m" [1 0 1] "#FF00FF" Sample of the color magenta
"yellow" "y" [1 1 0] "#FFFF00" Sample of the color yellow
"black" "k" [0 0 0] "#000000" Sample of the color black
"white" "w" [1 1 1] "#FFFFFF" Sample of the color white
"none" Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410] "#0072BD" Sample of RGB triplet [0 0.4470 0.7410], which appears as dark blue
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980] "#D95319" Sample of RGB triplet [0.8500 0.3250 0.0980], which appears as dark orange
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250] "#EDB120" Sample of RGB triplet [0.9290 0.6940 0.1250], which appears as dark yellow
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560] "#7E2F8E" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4940 0.1840 0.5560], which appears as dark purple
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880] "#77AC30" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4660 0.6740 0.1880], which appears as medium green
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330] "#4DBEEE" Sample of RGB triplet [0.3010 0.7450 0.9330], which appears as light blue
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840] "#A2142F" Sample of RGB triplet [0.6350 0.0780 0.1840], which appears as dark red

Example: ax.Color = [0 0 1];

Example: ax.Color = 'b';

Example: ax.Color = 'blue';

Example: ax.Color = '#0000FF';

LineWidth — Line width

0.5 (default) | positive numeric value

Line width of axes outline, tick marks, and grid lines, specified as a positive numeric value in point units. One point equals 1/72 inch.

Example: ax.LineWidth = 1.5

Box — Box outline

'off' (default) | on/off logical value

Box outline, specified as 'on' or'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Value Description 2-D Result 3-D Result
'on' Display the box outline around the axes. For 3-D views, use the BoxStyle property to change extent of the outline.Example: ax.Box = 'on' 2-D axes with the box outline on. The axes appears as a closed rectangle. 3-D axes with the box outline on. The axes appears as a closed cube.
'off' Do not display the box outline around the axes.Example: ax.Box = 'off' 2-D axes with the box outline off. The axes appears as an L shape consisting of one horizontal x-axis intersecting with one vertical y-axis. 3-D axes with the box outline off. The x-y plane is an L shape consisting of one x-axis intersecting with one y-axis. The z-axis extends up from a corner of the x-y plane.

The XColor,YColor, and ZColor properties control the color of the outline.

Example: ax.Box = 'on'

BoxStyle — Box outline style

'back' (default) | 'full'

Box outline style, specified as 'back' or'full'. This property affects only 3-D views.

Value Description Result
'back' Outline the back planes of the 3-D box. Example: ax.BoxStyle = 'back' 3-D axes with the box style set to 'back'.
'full' Outline the entire 3-D box. Example: ax.BoxStyle = 'full' 3-D axes with the box style set to 'full'.

Clipping — Clipping of objects to axes limits

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Clipping of objects to the axes limits, specified as'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or0 (false). A value of'on' is equivalent to true, and'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

The clipping behavior of an object within the Axes object depends on both the Clipping property of the Axes object and theClipping property of the individual object. The property value of the Axes object has these effects:

This table lists the results for different combinations ofClipping property values.

Clipping Property for Axes Object Clipping Property for Individual Object Result
'on' 'on' Individual object is clipped. Others might or might not be.
'on' 'off' Individual object is not clipped. Others might or might not be.
'off' 'on' All objects are unclipped.
'off' 'off' All objects are unclipped.

ClippingStyle — Clipping boundaries

'3dbox' (default) | 'rectangle'

Clipping boundaries, specified as one of the values in this table. If a plot contains markers, then as long as the data point lies within the axes limits, MATLAB draws the entire marker.

The ClippingStyle property has no effect if theClipping property is set to'off'.

Value Descriptions Illustration of Boundary Region
'3dbox' Clip plotted objects to the six sides of the axes box defined by the axis limits.Thick lines might display outside the axes limits. 3-D axes containing a plotted surface with the clipping style set to '3dbox'. The surface clips at the boundaries of the plot box.
'rectangle' Clip plotted objects to a rectangular boundary enclosing the axes in any given view.Clip thick lines at the axes limits. 3-D axes containing a plotted surface with the clipping style set to 'rectangle'. The surface extends beyond the plot box boundaries, but it clips to the edges of a rectangle that encloses the plot box.

AmbientLightColor — Background light color

[1 1 1] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | 'r' | 'g' | 'b' | ...

Background light color, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The background light is a directionless light that shines uniformly on all objects in the axes. To add light, use the light function.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name Short Name RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
"red" "r" [1 0 0] "#FF0000" Sample of the color red
"green" "g" [0 1 0] "#00FF00" Sample of the color green
"blue" "b" [0 0 1] "#0000FF" Sample of the color blue
"cyan" "c" [0 1 1] "#00FFFF" Sample of the color cyan
"magenta" "m" [1 0 1] "#FF00FF" Sample of the color magenta
"yellow" "y" [1 1 0] "#FFFF00" Sample of the color yellow
"black" "k" [0 0 0] "#000000" Sample of the color black
"white" "w" [1 1 1] "#FFFFFF" Sample of the color white
"none" Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet Hexadecimal Color Code Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410] "#0072BD" Sample of RGB triplet [0 0.4470 0.7410], which appears as dark blue
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980] "#D95319" Sample of RGB triplet [0.8500 0.3250 0.0980], which appears as dark orange
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250] "#EDB120" Sample of RGB triplet [0.9290 0.6940 0.1250], which appears as dark yellow
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560] "#7E2F8E" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4940 0.1840 0.5560], which appears as dark purple
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880] "#77AC30" Sample of RGB triplet [0.4660 0.6740 0.1880], which appears as medium green
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330] "#4DBEEE" Sample of RGB triplet [0.3010 0.7450 0.9330], which appears as light blue
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840] "#A2142F" Sample of RGB triplet [0.6350 0.0780 0.1840], which appears as dark red

Example: ax.AmbientLightColor = [1 0 1]

Example: ax.AmbientLightColor = 'm'

Example: ax.AmbientLightColor = 'magenta'

Example: ax.AmbientLightColor = '#FF00FF'

Position

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Size and location, including the labels and a margin, specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. By default, MATLAB measures the values in units normalized to the container. To change the units, set the Units property. The default value of [0 0 1 1] includes the whole interior of the container.

These figures show the areas defined by the OuterPosition values (blue) and the Position values (red).

2-D View of Axes 3-D View of Axes
2-D axes with a title and axis labels. The inner position is outlined in red. It encloses the plot box only. The title, axis labels, and tick labels lie outside this rectangle. The outer position is outlined in blue. It encloses the plot box, the title, and the axis labels. 3-D axes with a title and axis labels. The inner position is outlined in red. It encloses the plot box. The title and axis labels lie outside this rectangle. Depending on the orientation of the plot box, some of the tick labels might lie inside or outside of this rectangle. The outer position is outlined in blue. It encloses the plot box, the title, and all of the axis labels.

For more information on the axes position, see Control Axes Layout.

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is aTiledChartLayout object.

InnerPosition — Inner size and location

[0.1300 0.1100 0.7750 0.8150] (default) | four-element vector

Inner size and location, specified as a four-element vector of the form[left bottom width height]. This property is equivalent to the Position property.

Note

Size and location, excluding a margin for the labels, specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. By default, MATLAB measures the values in units normalized to the container. To change the units, set the Units property.

If you want to specify the position and account for the text around the axes, then set theOuterPosition property instead. These figures show the areas defined by theOuterPosition values (blue) and the Position values (red).

2-D View of Axes 3-D View of Axes
2-D axes with a title and axis labels. The inner position is outlined in red. It encloses the plot box only. The title, axis labels, and tick labels lie outside this rectangle. The outer position is outlined in blue. It encloses the plot box, the title, and the axis labels. 3-D axes with a title and axis labels. The inner position is outlined in red. It encloses the plot box. The title and axis labels lie outside this rectangle. Depending on the orientation of the plot box, some of the tick labels might lie inside or outside of this rectangle. The outer position is outlined in blue. It encloses the plot box, the title, and all of the axis labels.

For more information on the axes position, see Control Axes Layout.

Note

TightInset — Margins for text labels

four-element vector of the form [left bottom right top]

This property is read-only.

Margins for the text labels, returned as a four-element vector of the form[left bottom right top]. By default, MATLAB measures the values in units normalized to the container. To change the units, set the Units property.

The elements define the distances between the bounds of thePosition property and the extent of the surrounding text. The Position values combined with theTightInset values define the tightest bounding box that encloses the axes and the surrounding text.

These figures show the areas defined by theOuterPosition values (blue), thePosition values (red), and thePosition expanded by theTightInset values (magenta).

2-D View of Axes 3-D View of Axes
2-D axes with a title and axis labels. The blue outer position rectangle encloses the plot box, title, axis labels, and all tick values with an extra margin of space. The red position rectangle encloses the plot box only. And the magenta tight inset rectangle is tightly cropped to include the plot box, title, axis labels, and tick values with minimal extra space. 3-D axes with a title and axis labels. The blue outer position rectangle encloses the plot box, title, axis labels, and all tick values with an extra margin of space. The red position rectangle encloses the plot box, and potentially some of the tick values depending on the orientation of the plot box. The magenta tight inset rectangle is tightly cropped to include the plot box, title, axis labels, and tick values with minimal extra space.

For more information, see Control Axes Layout.

PositionConstraint — Position to hold constant

"outerposition" | "innerposition"

Position property to hold constant when adding, removing, or changing decorations, specified as one of the following values:

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is aTiledChartLayout object.

Position units, specified as one of these values.

Units Description
"normalized" (default) Normalized with respect to the container, which is typically the figure or a panel. The lower left corner of the container maps to(0,0) and the upper right corner maps to(1,1).
"inches" Inches.
"centimeters" Centimeters.
"characters" Based on the default uicontrol font of the graphics root object: Character width = width of letterx.Character height = distance between the baselines of two lines of text.
"points" Typography points. One point equals 1/72 inch.
"pixels" Pixels.Starting in R2015b, distances in pixels are independent of your system resolution on Windows and Macintosh systems. On Windows systems, a pixel is 1/96th of an inch.On Macintosh systems, a pixel is 1/72nd of an inch.On Linux systems, the size of a pixel is determined by your system resolution.

When specifying the units as a Name,Value pair during object creation, you must set the Units property before specifying the properties that you want to use these units, such as Position.

DataAspectRatio — Relative length of data units

[1 1 1] (default) | three-element vector of the form [dx dy dz]

Relative length of data units along each axis, specified as a three-element vector of the form [dx dy dz]. This vector defines the relative x, y, and_z_ data scale factors. For example, specifying this property as [1 2 1] sets the length of one unit of data in the _x_-direction to be the same length as two units of data in the _y_-direction and one unit of data in the_z_-direction.

Alternatively, use the daspect function to change the data aspect ratio.

Example: ax.DataAspectRatio = [1 1 1]

Data Types: single | double | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64

DataAspectRatioMode — Data aspect ratio mode

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Data aspect ratio mode, specified as one of these values:

PlotBoxAspectRatio — Relative length of each axis

[1 1 1] (default) | three-element vector of the form [px py pz]

Relative length of each axis, specified as a three-element vector of the form [px py pz] defining the relative_x_-axis, _y_-axis, and_z_-axis scale factors. The plot box is a box enclosing the axes data region as defined by the axis limits.

Alternatively, use the pbaspect function to change the plot box aspect ratio.

If you specify the axis limits, data aspect ratio, and plot box aspect ratio, then MATLAB ignores the plot box aspect ratio. It adheres to the axis limits and data aspect ratio.

Example: ax.PlotBoxAspectRatio = [1 0.75 0.75]

Data Types: single | double | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64

PlotBoxAspectRatioMode — Selection mode for PlotBoxAspectRatio

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the PlotBoxAspectRatio property, specified as one of these values:

Layout — Layout options

empty LayoutOptions array (default) | TiledChartLayoutOptions object | GridLayoutOptions object

Layout options, specified as a TiledChartLayoutOptions or aGridLayoutOptions object. This property is useful when the axes object is either in a tiled chart layout or a grid layout.

To position the axes within the grid of a tiled chart layout, set theTile and TileSpan properties on theTiledChartLayoutOptions object. For example, consider a 3-by-3 tiled chart layout. The layout has a grid of tiles in the center, and four tiles along the outer edges. In practice, the grid is invisible and the outer tiles do not take up space until you populate them with axes or charts.

Diagram of a 3-by-3 tiled chart layout.

This code places the axes ax in the third tile of the grid.

To make the axes span multiple tiles, specify the TileSpan property as a two-element vector. For example, this axes spans 2 rows and 3 columns of tiles.

ax.Layout.TileSpan = [2 3];

To place the axes in one of the surrounding tiles, specify theTile property as 'north','south', 'east', or 'west'. For example, setting the value to 'east' places the axes in the tile to the right of the grid.

To place the axes into a layout within an app, specify this property as aGridLayoutOptions object. For more information about working with grid layouts in apps, see uigridlayout.

If the axes is not a child of either a tiled chart layout or a grid layout (for example, if it is a child of a figure or panel) then this property is empty and has no effect.

View

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View — Azimuth and elevation of view

[0 90] (default) | two-element vector of the form [azimuth elevation]

Azimuth and elevation of view, specified as a two-element vector of the form [azimuth elevation] defined in degree units. Alternatively, use the view function to set the view.

Note

Setting the azimuth and elevation angles might reset other camera-related properties. For best results, set the azimuth and elevation angles before setting other camera-related properties.

Example: ax.View = [45 45]

Projection — Type of projection onto 2-D screen

'orthographic' (default) | 'perspective'

Type of projection onto a 2-D screen, specified as one of these values:

CameraPosition — Camera location

three-element vector of the form [x y z]

Camera location, or the viewpoint, specified as a three-element vector of the form [x y z]. This vector defines the axes coordinates of the camera location, which is the point from which you view the axes. The camera is oriented along the view axis, which is a straight line that connects the camera position and the camera target. For an illustration, see Camera Graphics Terminology.

If the Projection property is set to 'perspective', then as you change theCameraPosition setting, the amount of perspective also changes.

Alternatively, use the campos function to set the camera location.

Example: ax.CameraPosition = [0.5 0.5 9]

Data Types: single | double

CameraPositionMode — Selection mode for CameraPosition

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the CameraPosition property, specified as one of these values:

CameraTarget — Camera target point

three-element vector of the form [x y z]

Camera target point, specified as a three-element vector of the form[x y z]. This vector defines the axes coordinates of the point. The camera is oriented along the view axis, which is a straight line that connects the camera position and the camera target. For an illustration, see Camera Graphics Terminology.

Alternatively, use the camtarget function to set the camera target.

Example: ax.CameraTarget = [0.5 0.5 0.5]

Data Types: single | double

CameraTargetMode — Selection mode for CameraTarget

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the CameraTarget property, specified as one of these values:

CameraUpVector — Vector defining upwards direction

three-element direction vector of the form [x y z]

Vector defining upwards direction, specified as a three-element direction vector of the form [x y z]. For 2-D views, the default value is [0 1 0]. For 3-D views, the default value is[0 0 1]. For an illustration, see Camera Graphics Terminology.

Alternatively, use the camup function to set the upwards direction.

Example: ax.CameraUpVector = [sin(45) cos(45) 1]

CameraUpVectorMode — Selection mode for CameraUpVector

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the CameraUpVector property, specified as one of these values:

CameraViewAngle — Field of view

6.6086 (default) | scalar angle in range [0,180)

Field of view, specified as a scalar angle greater than 0 and less than or equal to 180. Changing the camera view angle affects the size of graphics objects displayed in the axes, but does not affect the degree of perspective distortion. The greater the angle, the larger the field of view and the smaller objects appear in the scene. For an illustration, see Camera Graphics Terminology.

Example: ax.CameraViewAngle = 15

Data Types: single | double | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64 | logical

CameraViewAngleMode — Selection mode for CameraViewAngle

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the CameraViewAngle property, specified as one of these values:

Interactivity

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Data exploration toolbar, which is an AxesToolbar object. The toolbar appears at the top-right corner of the axes when you hover over it.

Axes toolbar that includes buttons for exporting content, data brushing, pinning data tips, rotating 3-D views, panning, zooming, and restoring the original view.

The toolbar buttons depend on the contents of the axes, but typically include zooming, panning, rotating, data tips, data brushing, and restoring the original view. You can customize the toolbar buttons using the axtoolbar and axtoolbarbtn functions.

If you do not want the toolbar to appear when you hover over the axes, set the Visible property of the AxesToolbar object to 'off'.

ax = gca; ax.Toolbar.Visible = 'off';

For more information, see AxesToolbar Properties.

Interactions — Interactions

array of interaction objects | []

Interactions, specified as an array of interaction objects or an empty array. The interactions you specify are available within your chart through gestures. You do not have to select any axes toolbar buttons to use them. For example, a panInteraction object enables dragging to pan within a chart. For a list of interaction objects, see Control Chart Interactivity.

The default set of interactions depends on the type of chart you are displaying. You can replace the default set with a new set of interactions, but you cannot access or modify any of the interactions in the default set. For example, this code replaces the default set of interactions with thepanInteraction and zoomInteraction objects.

ax = gca; ax.Interactions = [panInteraction zoomInteraction];

To remove all interactions from the axes, set this property to an empty array. To temporarily disable the current set of interactions, call thedisableDefaultInteractivity function. You can reenable them by calling the enableDefaultInteractivity function.

Visible — State of visibility

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

State of visibility, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Note

When the Visible property is 'off', the axes object is invisible, but child objects such as lines remain visible.

CurrentPoint — Location of mouse pointer

2-by-3 array

This property is read-only.

Location of mouse pointer, returned as a 2-by-3 array. TheCurrentPoint property contains the (x,y,z) coordinates of the mouse pointer with respect to the axes. The returned array is of the form:

[xfront yfront zfront xback yback zback]

The two points indicate the location of the last mouse click. However, if the figure has a WindowButtonMotionFcn callback defined, then the points indicate the last location of the mouse pointer. The figure also has a CurrentPoint property.

The values of the current point when using perspective projection can be different from the same point in orthographic projection because the shape of the axes volume can be different.

Orthogonal Projection

When using orthogonal projection, the values depend on whether the click is within the axes or outside the axes.

Perspective Projection

Clicking outside of the Axes object in perspective projection returns the front point as the current camera position. Only the back point updates with the coordinates of a point that lies on a line extending from the camera position through the pointer and intersecting the camera target at that point.

Context menu, specified as a ContextMenu object. Use this property to display a context menu when you right-click the object. Create the context menu using the uicontextmenu function.

Note

If the PickableParts property is set to'none' or if the HitTest property is set to 'off', then the context menu does not appear.

Selection state, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent tofalse. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Display of selection handles when selected, specified as 'on' or'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Callbacks

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Mouse-click callback, specified as one of these values:

Use this property to execute code when you click the object. If you specify this property using a function handle, then MATLAB passes two arguments to the callback function when executing the callback:

For more information on how to use function handles to define callback functions, see Create Callbacks for Graphics Objects.

Note

If the PickableParts property is set to 'none' or if the HitTest property is set to 'off', then this callback does not execute.

Object creation function, specified as one of these values:

For more information about specifying a callback as a function handle, cell array, or character vector, see Create Callbacks for Graphics Objects.

This property specifies a callback function to execute when MATLAB creates the object. MATLAB initializes all property values before executing the CreateFcn callback. If you do not specify the CreateFcn property, then MATLAB executes a default creation function.

Setting the CreateFcn property on an existing component has no effect.

If you specify this property as a function handle or cell array, you can access the object that is being created using the first argument of the callback function. Otherwise, use the gcbo function to access the object.

Object deletion function, specified as one of these values:

For more information about specifying a callback as a function handle, cell array, or character vector, see Create Callbacks for Graphics Objects.

This property specifies a callback function to execute when MATLAB deletes the object. MATLAB executes the DeleteFcn callback before destroying the properties of the object. If you do not specify the DeleteFcn property, then MATLAB executes a default deletion function.

If you specify this property as a function handle or cell array, you can access the object that is being deleted using the first argument of the callback function. Otherwise, use the gcbo function to access the object.

Callback Execution Control

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Callback interruption, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent tofalse. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

This property determines if a running callback can be interrupted. There are two callback states to consider:

MATLAB determines callback interruption behavior whenever it executes a command that processes the callback queue. These commands include drawnow, figure, uifigure, getframe, waitfor, and pause.

If the running callback does not contain one of these commands, then no interruption occurs. MATLAB first finishes executing the running callback, and later executes the interrupting callback.

If the running callback does contain one of these commands, then theInterruptible property of the object that owns the running callback determines if the interruption occurs:

Note

Callback interruption and execution behave differently in these situations:

Note

When an interruption occurs, MATLAB does not save the state of properties or the display. For example, the object returned by the gca or gcf command might change when another callback executes.

Callback queuing, specified as 'queue' or 'cancel'. The BusyAction property determines how MATLAB handles the execution of interrupting callbacks. There are two callback states to consider:

The BusyAction property determines callback queuing behavior only when both of these conditions are met:

Under these conditions, the BusyAction property of the object that owns the interrupting callback determines how MATLAB handles the interrupting callback. These are possible values of theBusyAction property:

Ability to capture mouse clicks, specified as one of these values:

If you want an object to be clickable when it is underneath other objects that you do not want to be clickable, then set the PickableParts property of the other objects to 'none' so that the click passes through them.

Response to captured mouse clicks, specified as 'on' or'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Note

The PickableParts property determines if the Axes object can capture mouse clicks. If it cannot, then the HitTest property has no effect.

This property is read-only.

Deletion status, returned as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

MATLAB sets the BeingDeleted property to'on' when the DeleteFcn callback begins execution. The BeingDeleted property remains set to'on' until the component object no longer exists.

Check the value of the BeingDeleted property to verify that the object is not about to be deleted before querying or modifying it.

Parent/Child

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Parent — Parent container

Figure object | Panel object | Tab object | TiledChartLayout object | GridLayout object

Parent container, specified as a Figure,Panel, Tab,TiledChartLayout, or GridLayout object.

Children, returned as an array of graphics objects. Use this property to view a list of the children or to reorder the children by setting the property to a permutation of itself.

You cannot add or remove children using the Children property. To add a child to this list, set the Parent property of the child graphics object to the Axes object.

Visibility of the object handle in the Children property of the parent, specified as one of these values:

If the object is not listed in the Children property of the parent, then functions that obtain object handles by searching the object hierarchy or querying handle properties cannot return it. Examples of such functions include theget, findobj, gca, gcf, gco, newplot, cla, clf, and close functions.

Hidden object handles are still valid. Set the root ShowHiddenHandles property to "on" to list all object handles regardless of theirHandleVisibility property setting.

Identifiers

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Type — Type of graphics object

'axes'

This property is read-only.

Type of graphics object returned as 'axes'.

Object identifier, specified as a character vector or string scalar. You can specify a unique Tag value to serve as an identifier for an object. When you need access to the object elsewhere in your code, you can use the findobj function to search for the object based on the Tag value.

User data, specified as any MATLAB array. For example, you can specify a scalar, vector, matrix, cell array, character array, table, or structure. Use this property to store arbitrary data on an object.

If you are working in App Designer, create public or private properties in the app to share data instead of using the UserData property. For more information, see Share Data Within App Designer Apps.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a

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R2023a: Control cycling of line styles using theLineStyleCyclingMethod property

Use the LineStyleCyclingMethod property to control how different lines are distinguished from one another in the axes.

R2023a: Specify grid line thickness using the GridLineWidth and MinorGridLineWidth properties

Change the thickness of grid lines independently of the box outline and tick marks by setting the GridLineWidth andMinorGridLineWidth properties of the axes. Before R2023a, the LineWidth property of the axes was the only property for controlling the grid line width. However, that property controlled the grid lines, box outline, and tick marks together. Now you can control the thickness of the grid lines separately.

R2022a: The FontSmoothing property will have no effect in a future release

The FontSmoothing property will have no effect in a future release. Font smoothing will be enabled regardless of the value of the property.

R2022a: Control tick label rotation using the XTickLabelRotationMode, YTickLabelRotationMode, andZTickLabelRotationMode properties

Now you can control the selection mode for tick label rotation by setting theXTickLabelRotationMode,YTickLabelRotationMode, orZTickLabelRotationMode property.

R2021b: Remove tick marks by setting the TickDir property to "none"

You can remove all the tick marks from the axes by setting theTickDir property to "none".

R2021a: Control axis limits with the XLimitMethod, YLimitMethod, and ZLimitMethod properties

Control the axis limits for your plots by setting theXLimitMethod, YLimitMethod, orZLimitMethod on the axes.

R2020b: Control the alignment of a plot title with the TitleHorizontalAlignment property

You can control the alignment of a plot title by setting theTitleHorizontalAlignment property of the axes to"left", "right", or"center".

R2020b: Create and style subtitles with the Subtitle and SubtitleFontWeight properties

Add a subtitle to your plot by setting the Subtitle property or calling the subtitle function. To control the appearance of the subtitle, set the SubtitleFontWeight property.

R2020a: Preserve inner or outer position with the PositionConstraint property

Set the PositionConstraint property of anAxes object to control the space around the plot box when you add or modify decorations such as titles and axis labels.

Setting or getting ActivePositionProperty is not recommended. Use thePositionConstraint property instead.

There are no plans to remove ActivePositionProperty, but the property is no longer listed when you call the set, get, orproperties functions on the axes.

To update your code, make these changes:

Setting or getting UIContextMenu property is not recommended. Instead, use the ContextMenu property, which accepts the same type of input and behaves the same way as theUIContextMenu property.

There are no plans to remove the UIContextMenu property, but it is no longer listed when you call the set, get, orproperties functions on the Axes object.

R2019b: Position axes within tiled chart layouts using the Layout property

Use the Layout property to position anAxes object within a tiled chart layout.

R2019b: Changing ColorOrder or LineStyleOrder affects existing plots immediately

If you change the axes ColorOrder orLineStyleOrder properties after plotting into the axes, the colors and line styles in your plot update immediately. In R2019a and previous releases, the new colors and line styles affect only subsequent plots, not the existing plots.

To preserve the original behavior, set the axes ColorOrderIndex orLineStyleOrderIndex property to any value (such as its current value) before changing the ColorOrder orLineStyleOrder property.

R2019b: Indexing scheme for ColorOrder and LineStyleOrder might change plot colors and line styles

There is a new indexing scheme that enables you to change the colors and line styles of existing plots by setting the ColorOrder orLineStyleOrder properties. MATLAB applies this indexing scheme to all objects that have aColorMode, FaceColorMode,MarkerFaceColorMode, or CDataMode. As a result, your code might produce plots that cycle though the colors and line styles differently than in previous releases.

In R2019a and earlier releases, MATLAB uses a different indexing scheme which does not allow you to change the colors of existing plots.

To preserve the way your plots cycle through colors and line styles, set the axesColorOrderIndex or LineStyleOrderIndex property to any value (such as its current value) before plotting into the axes.

R2019a: Customize chart interactions using the Interactions property

You can create a customized set of chart interactions by setting theInteractions property of the axes. These interactions are built into the axes and are available without having to select any buttons in the axes toolbar. Some types of interactions are enabled by default, depending on the content of the axes.

R2018a: Add a toolbar to the axes with the Toolbar property

Use the Toolbar property to add a toolbar to the top-right corner of the axes for quick access to data exploration tools.