matplotlib.pyplot format string kwarg?

Question

I'm reading the matplotlib docs. I'm struggling to find the keyword argument for the 'format string'. Or it is a positional arg only?

Trenton McKinney · Accepted Answer · 2023-09-04 20:03:10Z

5

This is a specific pyplot argument (sort of a remnant of the older pylab). In 'ro', r means red, and 'o' means a round marker.

The arguments can be set like this instead:

color='r'
marker='.'
linestyle='-'  # if you need the dots connected by a line

Scroll down to see the matplotlib.pyplot.plot: Format Strings section. '[marker][line][color]'

plt.plot(range(1, 5), range(1, 17, 4), 'o-r')

# is equivalent to
plt.plot(range(1, 5), range(1, 17, 4), marker='o', linestyle='-', color='red')

Trenton McKinney

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answered Nov 28, 2017 at 7:34

Reblochon Masque

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2 Comments

So if you want to use keyword arguments. The format string needs to be pulled apart and supplied as individual components?

Ok, ta. That's it!

Ben Usman · Accepted Answer · 2021-06-26 01:02:23Z

1

Here is a proof from the matplotlib documentation that there is no such named argument - see "This argument cannot be passed as keyword.".

answered Jun 26, 2021 at 1:02

Ben Usman

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