[Tex/LaTex] Different marker shape for pgf/TikZ

pgfplots

I have a figure in my paper which compared 6 different cases. The figure needs to be in black and white.

In below is the code I used to create the figure.

\documentclass{standalone}

\usepackage{pgfplots}

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}

        \begin{axis}[%
                width=10cm,
                height=4cm,
                scale only axis,
                xmin=1, xmax=3,
                xtick={1,2,3},
                xticklabels={Step1,Step2,Step3},
                xmajorgrids,
                ymin=0.4, ymax=1.2,
                ylabel={$\xi$},
                ymajorgrids,
                title={Stroke Ratio Comparison},
                axis lines*=left,
                line width=1.0pt,
                mark size=2.0pt,
                legend style={at={(1.03,1)},anchor=north west,draw=black,fill=white,align=left}]


                \addplot [
                color=black,
                solid,
                mark=*,
                mark options={solid},
                smooth
                ]
                coordinates{
                 (1,0.941517254116162)(2,0.833049791172753)(3,0.911012408209885) 
                };
                \addlegendentry{$L/D$=2.5};


                \addplot [
                color=black,
                dotted,
                mark=*,
                mark options={solid},
                smooth
                ]
                coordinates{
                 (1,0.848646925806495)(2,0.889383162622147)(3,0.901265846062356) 
                };
                \addlegendentry{$L/D$=3.5};


                \addplot [
                color=black,
                dash pattern=on 1pt off 3pt on 3pt off 3pt,
                mark=*,
                mark options={solid},
                smooth
                ]
                coordinates{
                 (1,0.773775422607358)(2,0.836291579743709)(3,0.91821563038864) 
                };
                \addlegendentry{$L/D$=4.0};


                \addplot [
                color=black,
                dashed,
                mark=*,
                mark options={solid},
                smooth
                ]
                coordinates{
                 (1,0.846412925696005)(2,0.909313371999676)(3,0.916886900310392) 
                };
                \addlegendentry{$L/D$=4.5};


                \addplot [
                color=black,
                dash pattern=on 3pt off 6pt on 6pt off 6pt,
                mark=*,
                mark options={solid},
                smooth
                ]
                coordinates{
                 (1,0.884302757051131)(2,0.941642806394511)(3,0.995341242858434) 
                };
                \addlegendentry{$L/D$=5.0};


                \addplot [
                color=black,
                dotted,
                mark=*,
                mark options={solid},
                smooth
                ]
                coordinates{
                 (1,0.789821315674376)(2,0.981738703732297)(3,1.04121306622012) 
                };
                \addlegendentry{$L/D$=6.0};

        \end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}%

\end{document}

Here is the result of the compilation.

enter image description here

I would like to have different marker shape such that the figure is easy to understand. Also, as can be seen, the legend does not clearly illustrate the differences between line types. How can I make this more clear to the reader? I would be grateful if I could use other's experiences on creating a professional figure?

Best Answer

I think you need to understand differences between \addplot, \addplot[] and \addplot+[] commands. According to pgfplots manual:

The distinction is as follows: \addplot ... (without options) lets pgfplots select colors, markers and linestyles automatically (using cycle list). The variant \addplot+[<option>] ... will use the same automatically determined styles, but in addition it uses <options>. Finally, \addplot[<options>] (without the +) uses only the manually provided <options>.

You use \addplot[...], so you are setting the style for every plot, avoiding predefined styles. You can do this, no problem, but don't use same style (line, color and marker) for every plot. If you look at manual, you'll find how to change markers (square, triangle, star, ...).

But I'd prefer \addplot or \addplot+[] because this way, all predefined styles are used and you don't have to worry about selecting them. The is a predefined cycle list for black and white plots. You can select it with cycle list name=black white.

In next code I've also made some other changes (mainly x and y margins) which can easily forget.

\documentclass{standalone}

\usepackage{pgfplots}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}

\begin{axis}[
    width=10cm,
   height=4cm,
   scale only axis,
   xmin=0.8, xmax=3.2,
   xtick={1,2,3},
   xticklabels={Step1,Step2,Step3},
   xmajorgrids,
   ymin=0.7, ymax=1.1,
   ylabel={$\xi$},
   ymajorgrids,
   title={Stroke Ratio Comparison},
   axis lines*=left,
%  line width=1.0pt,
%  mark size=2.0pt,
   legend style ={ at={(1.03,1)}, 
        anchor=north west, draw=black, 
        fill=white,align=left},
    cycle list name=black white,
    smooth
]

    \addplot coordinates{
        (1,0.941517254116162)
        (2,0.833049791172753)
        (3,0.911012408209885) 
   };
   \addlegendentry{$L/D$=2.5};

   \addplot coordinates{
      (1,0.848646925806495)
        (2,0.889383162622147)
        (3,0.901265846062356) 
   };
   \addlegendentry{$L/D$=3.5};

   \addplot coordinates{
      (1,0.773775422607358)
        (2,0.836291579743709)
        (3,0.91821563038864) 
   };
   \addlegendentry{$L/D$=4.0};

   \addplot coordinates{
      (1,0.846412925696005)
        (2,0.909313371999676)
        (3,0.916886900310392) 
    };
    \addlegendentry{$L/D$=4.5};

   \addplot coordinates{
        (1,0.884302757051131)
        (2,0.941642806394511)
        (3,0.995341242858434) 
    };
    \addlegendentry{$L/D$=5.0};

    \addplot coordinates{
        (1,0.789821315674376)
        (2,0.981738703732297)
        (3,1.04121306622012) 
    };
    \addlegendentry{$L/D$=6.0};

   \end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}%
\end{document}

enter image description here

black white cycle list changes marks but only uses solid and dashed lines. If you prefer to use a different line and mark, it's possible to define your own cycle list which it's only a list with line and mark styles. Using next cycle list

\pgfplotscreateplotcyclelist{my black white}{%
solid, every mark/.append style={solid, fill=gray}, mark=*\\%
dotted, every mark/.append style={solid, fill=gray}, mark=square*\\%
densely dotted, every mark/.append style={solid, fill=gray}, mark=otimes*\\%
loosely dotted, every mark/.append style={solid, fill=gray}, mark=triangle*\\%
dashed, every mark/.append style={solid, fill=gray},mark=diamond*\\%
loosely dashed, every mark/.append style={solid, fill=gray},mark=*\\%
densely dashed, every mark/.append style={solid, fill=gray},mark=square*\\%
dashdotted, every mark/.append style={solid, fill=gray},mark=otimes*\\%
dashdotdotted, every mark/.append style={solid},mark=star\\%
densely dashdotted,every mark/.append style={solid, fill=gray},mark=diamond*\\%
}

you will get:

enter image description here

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] Multiple different meta for marker color and marker size

You can use the visualization depends on=<expr>\as<macro> key for to make another variable available. If you set visualization depends on=\thisrow{w2}\as\wtwo, the content of the w2 column will be available as a macro called \wtwo:

\begin{filecontents*}{temp.dat}
x y w1 w2
1 1 2 4
2 2 1 3
3 3 4 2
4 4 3 1
\end{filecontents*}

\documentclass[10pt,a4paper]{report}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[]
\addplot[
    scatter,
    only marks,
    scatter src=explicit,
    visualization depends on=\thisrow{w2}\as\wtwo,
    scatter/@pre marker code/.append style={
        /tikz/mark size=\wtwo
    }
]
table[x=x,y=y,meta=w1]{temp.dat};
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

Best Answer

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[Tex/LaTex] plotting two time series with bounds

[Tex/LaTex] Multiple different meta for marker color and marker size

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