MATLAB: How to set LineStyle for matrix plotting

linestyleMATLABplot

I have a matrix that I would like to plot, but I would like each column to be plotted using a different LineStyle. To do so I set the Axes LineStyleOrder property to the desired value, then I set the NextPlot property to 'replacechildren', but for some reason all columns get the same (the first value in LineStyleOrder) LineStyle. I works well with ColorOrder, but not with LineStyles.

Anyone knows why, or how I should solve my problem?

Thanks in advance!

Best Answer

It's not very intuitive, but that's the point (from here):

Axes increments the line style only after using all of the colors in the ColorOrder property .

Plus, you need to set hold all:

 set(axes,'LineStyleOrder',{'-','--',':','-.'}')  %create axes with respective LineStyleOrder
 hold all      %Prevent clearing LineStyleOrder 
 plot(1:3,bsxfun(@plus,rand(3,15),0:14)) %use it

(similar information is given in the help of the axes properties, here)

Related Solutions

MATLAB: Setting gca LinestyleOrder but not color order

It doesn't move to the next entry in the LineStyleOrder until it's completed a lap of the ColorOrder. Since you are creating 6 plots and the default ColorOrder has 7 entries, you haven't reached the point where it changes the LineStyle. When you set the ColorOrder, you're setting it to an array which has fewer than 6 entries, so you do increment the LineStyle.

Does that make sense?

MATLAB: Combine LineStyleOrder and ColorOrder?!

You mean that you want to lop through them together, right? The way they actually work is to go through all of the entries in the ColorOrder, increment the LineStyleOrder, and then go through the ColorOrder again.

You can see it in this example:

set(gcf,'DefaultAxesColorOrder',[1 0 0; ...
                                 0 1 0; ...
                                 0 0 1], ...
        'DefaultAxesLineStyleOrder',{'-','--o',':s'})
plot(magic(9))
legend show

As you can see, the first three plots are the three entries in the ColorOrder (red, green, blue) combined with the first entry in the LineStyleOrder ('-'). Next we get the three colors again with the second entry in the LineStyleOrder ('--o'). Then the three colors again with the third entry in the LineStyleOrder (':s'). If you were to continue, it would start over at the beginning.

If you wanted to increment them together, you'd have to manage it yourself. That would look something like this:

set(gcf,'DefaultAxesColorOrder',[1 0 0; ...
                                 0 1 0; ...
                                 0 0 1], ...
        'DefaultAxesLineStyleOrder',{'-','--o',':s'})
ax = gca;    
m = magic(9);
hold on
for i=1:9
  plot(m(i,:))
  ax.LineStyleOrderIndex = ax.ColorOrderIndex;
end
legend show

Best Answer

Related Solutions

MATLAB: Setting gca LinestyleOrder but not color order

MATLAB: Combine LineStyleOrder and ColorOrder?!

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