[Tex/LaTex] How to access the size of a tikzpicture’s bounding box outside the tikzpicture

tikz-pgf

I'm trying to calculate the size of a tikzpicture using the current bounding box, but every time I try to extract the coordinates I get 0pt (for everything).

enter image description here

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}

\newlength{\mywidth}
\newlength{\myheight}

% computes width and height of tikzpicture

\newcommand{\pgfsize}[2]{ % #1 = width, #2 = height
 \pgfextractx{#1}{\pgfpointdiff{\pgfpointanchor{current bounding box}{south west}}
 {\pgfpointanchor{current bounding box}{north east}}}
 \pgfextracty{#2}{\pgfpointdiff{\pgfpointanchor{current bounding box}{south west}}
 {\pgfpointanchor{current bounding box}{north east}}}
}

\begin{document}

\noindent
\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw node[rotate=90]{
 \framebox{
 \begin{tabular}{c|c}
 first column & second column\\
 \hline
 1 & A\\
 2 & B\\
 $\vdots$ & $\vdots$
 \end{tabular}
}};
\draw[color=red] (current bounding box.south west) -- (current bounding box.north east);
\pgfsize{\mywidth}{\myheight}
\end{tikzpicture}

\noindent
Width = \the\mywidth \\
Height = \the\myheight
\end{document}

As you can see, one can draw a line across the bounding box, so it exists and is non-trivial. I'm thinking I may have to use \pgfgettransformentries, but when?

Best Answer

A. Ellet's comment is correct: it is a scope problem. Yes, \mywidth and \myheight are assigned a nonzero value within the scope of the tikzpicture environment, but, because those assignments are local, their value remains 0pt outside the scope of that environment.

You can fix the problem by making the assignments of \pgfsize's arguments global (rather than local) in the definition of that macro; see below. This post by Andrew Swan should also be of interest.

enter image description here

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\show\pgfextractx

\newlength{\mywidth}
\newlength{\myheight}

% computes width and height of tikzpicture
\makeatletter
\newcommand{\pgfsize}[2]{ % #1 = width, #2 = height
 \pgfextractx{\@tempdima}{\pgfpointdiff{\pgfpointanchor{current bounding box}{south west}}
 {\pgfpointanchor{current bounding box}{north east}}}
 \global#1=\@tempdima
 \pgfextracty{\@tempdima}{\pgfpointdiff{\pgfpointanchor{current bounding box}{south west}}
 {\pgfpointanchor{current bounding box}{north east}}}
 \global#2=\@tempdima
}
\makeatother

\begin{document}

\noindent
\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw node[rotate=90]{
 \framebox{
 \begin{tabular}{c|c}
 first column & second column\\
 \hline
 1 & A\\
 2 & B\\
 $\vdots$ & $\vdots$
 \end{tabular}
}};
\draw[color=red] (current bounding box.south west) -- (current bounding box.north east);
\pgfsize{\mywidth}{\myheight}
\end{tikzpicture}

\noindent
Width = \the\mywidth \\
Height = \the\myheight
\end{document}
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