[Tex/LaTex] Cycle every n plot in pgfplots

legendpgfplots

I have a set of data to plot where I'd like groups of N consecutive plots with the same style. Options I've considered:

I can define a new cycle list by hand
I can use forget plot
I can use the cycle list shift as in plot two lines in the same style

Here's an example, with two groups of 3 plots, that does what I want using this last method:

\documentclass[border=5pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\begin{document}
    \begin{tikzpicture}
            \begin{axis}[
            ]
                    % First group of identical plots
                    \addplot+ [domain=-1:2, samples=10] {1*x+1};
                    \pgfplotsset{cycle list shift=-1}
                    \addplot+ [domain=-1:2, samples=10] {1*x+2};
                    \pgfplotsset{cycle list shift=-2}
                    \addplot+ [domain=-1:2, samples=10] {1*x+3};
                    % Second group of identical plots
                    \addplot+ [domain=-1:2, samples=10] {2*x+1};
                    \pgfplotsset{cycle list shift=-3}
                    \addplot+ [domain=-1:2, samples=10] {2*x+2};
                    \pgfplotsset{cycle list shift=-4}
                    \addplot+ [domain=-1:2, samples=10] {2*x+3};
                    % and so on... I have a dozen of sets of 5 plots. It would get tedious.
            \end{axis}
    \end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

I'd like something cleaner and automated, maybe with this type of syntax:

cycle multi list={%
        color list\nextlist
        [5 of]mark list
}

But I can't figure out how!

Edit: I can't figure out either a proper method for building the legend, with only every N plots too.

Best Answer

As far as I've seen you interpreted the answer from percusse to How can I plot two lines in the same style (using cycle lists) with pgfplots? wrongly. You should not add the plots for one Group and then for the next Group and so on. You should add the first plot of all Groups, then the second and so on:

\addplot 1 from Group 1
\addplot 1 from Group 2
\addplot 1 from Group 3
\addplot 1 from Group 4 ... then
\pgfplotsset{cycle list shift=-<number of Groups>}

But this can be made into an environment, see if this works for you (note that to get the legend right just add legends to the first plots, like below):

\documentclass[border=5pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\newcounter{plotscount}\setcounter{plotscount}{0}
\newcommand*{\nextplots}{\stepplots\pgfplotsset{cycle list shift=-\theplotscount}}
\newenvironment{groupofplots}[1]{\def\stepplots{\addtocounter{plotscount}{#1}}}{\setcounter{plotscount}{0}}
\begin{document}
  \begin{tikzpicture}
    \begin{axis}[domain=-1:2, samples=10]
      % First plot of each group
      \begin{groupofplots}{2}
        \addplot {1*x+1};\addlegendentry{Style 1}
        \addplot {2*x+1};\addlegendentry{Style 2}
        % Second plot of each group
        \nextplots
        \addplot {1*x+2};
        \addplot {2*x+2};
        % Third plot of each group
        \nextplots
        \addplot {1*x+3};
        \addplot {2*x+3};
      \end{groupofplots}
    \end{axis}
  \end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

EDIT

In fact you can use cycle multi list just as you mentioned:

cycle multi list={color\nextlist [N of]mark list}

A drawback of this method is the legends, I couldn't get it to work but with the inputs from Stefan Pinnow in the comments below it's possible to provide empty legends for the plots which have the same style (with the exception of one, of course).

\documentclass[border=5pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\begin{document}
  \begin{tikzpicture}
    \begin{axis}[
        domain=-1:2,
        samples=10,
        cycle multi list={color\nextlist [3 of]mark list}]
        \addplot {1*x+1};
        \addplot {1*x+2};
        \addplot {1*x+3};
        \addplot {2*x+4};
        \addplot {2*x+5};
        \addplot {2*x+6};
        \addplot {3*x+7};
        \addplot {3*x+8};
        \addplot {3*x+9};
        \legend{Style 1,,,Style 2,,,Style 3}
    \end{axis}
  \end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] plotting two time series with bounds

This happens because PGFPlots only uses one "stack" per axis: You're stacking the second confidence interval on top of the first. The easiest way to fix this is probably to use the approach described in "Is there an easy way of using line thickness as error indicator in a plot?": After plotting the first confidence interval, stack the upper bound on top again, using stack dir=minus. That way, the stack will be reset to zero, and you can draw the second confidence interval in the same fashion as the first:

\documentclass{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots, tikz}

\usepackage{pgfplotstable}

\pgfplotstableread{
temps   y_h y_h__inf    y_h__sup    y_f y_f__inf    y_f__sup    

1   0.237340    0.135170    0.339511    0.237653    0.135482    0.339823    
2   0.561320    0.422007    0.700633    0.165871    0.026558    0.305184    
3   0.694760    0.534205    0.855314    0.074856    -0.085698   0.235411    
4   0.728306    0.560179    0.896432    0.003361    -0.164765   0.171487    
5   0.711710    0.544944    0.878477    -0.044582   -0.211349   0.122184    
6   0.671241    0.511191    0.831291    -0.073347   -0.233397   0.086703    
7   0.621177    0.471219    0.771135    -0.088418   -0.238376   0.061540    
8   0.569354    0.431826    0.706882    -0.094382   -0.231910   0.043146    
9   0.519973    0.396571    0.643376    -0.094619   -0.218022   0.028783    
10  0.475121    0.366990    0.583251    -0.091467   -0.199598   0.016664    
}{\table}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}

    \begin{axis}
    % y_h confidence interval
    \addplot [stack plots=y, fill=none, draw=none, forget plot]   table [x=temps, y=y_h__inf]   {\table} \closedcycle;
    \addplot [stack plots=y, fill=gray!50, opacity=0.4, draw opacity=0, area legend]   table [x=temps, y expr=\thisrow{y_h__sup}-\thisrow{y_h__inf}]   {\table} \closedcycle;
    % subtract the upper bound so our stack is back at zero
    \addplot [stack plots=y, stack dir=minus, forget plot, draw=none] table [x=temps, y=y_h__sup] {\table};

    % y_f confidence interval
    \addplot [stack plots=y, fill=none, draw=none, forget plot]   table [x=temps, y=y_f__inf]   {\table} \closedcycle;
    \addplot [stack plots=y, fill=gray!50, opacity=0.4, draw opacity=0, area legend]   table [x=temps, y expr=\thisrow{y_f__sup}-\thisrow{y_f__inf}]   {\table} \closedcycle;

    % the line plots (y_h and y_f)    
    \addplot [stack plots=false, very thick,smooth,blue]  table [x=temps, y=y_h]   {\table};
    \addplot [stack plots=false, very thick,smooth,blue]  table [x=temps, y=y_f]   {\table};
    \end{axis}

\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

[Tex/LaTex] How to hide empty (value 0) ybars with pgfplots

You can use

 y filter/.expression={y==0 ? nan : y}

in the options of \addplot.

\documentclass{article}

% ---------------------------------- tikz
\usepackage{pgfplots}          % to print charts
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.12}

\begin{document}

\begin{figure}
  \centering
  \begin{tikzpicture}
    \begin{axis} [
      % general
      ybar,
      scale only axis,
      height=0.5\textwidth,
      width=1.2\textwidth,
      ylabel={\# Dots},
      nodes near coords,
      xlabel={Variation},
      xticklabel style={
        rotate=90,
        anchor=east,
      },
      %enlarge x limits={abs value={3}},
      ]
      \addplot+[y filter/.expression={y==0 ? nan : y}] table [
        x=grade,
        y=value,
      ] {
grade   value
-11 0
-10 0
-9  0
-8  0
-7  0
-6  0
-5  3
-4  1
-3  2
-2  15
-1  11
0   179
1   8
2   1
3   0
4   1
5   2
6   0
7   0
8   0
9   0
10  0
11  0
      };
    \end{axis}
  \end{tikzpicture}
\end{figure}
\end{document}

Best Answer

EDIT

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] plotting two time series with bounds

[Tex/LaTex] How to hide empty (value 0) ybars with pgfplots

Related Question