How to insert a unique legend with subplot? (2024)

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Armando MAROZZI on 3 May 2021

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Commented: Armando MAROZZI on 3 May 2021

Accepted Answer: DGM

Open in MATLAB Online

I have the following plot:

y1 = [2,2,2,2];

y2 = [2.15, 2.115, 2.08, 2.07];

y3 = [0.08532, 0.071189, 0.05391, 0.06123];

y11 = [2,2,2,2];

y22 = [2.19,2.13,2.09,2.07];

y33= [0.1134, 0.1233,0.1122,0.1202];

y111 = [2,2,2,2];

y222 = [2.19,2.15,2.09,2.1];

y333= [0.1834, 0.1433,0.1622,0.1802];

x = [1:4];

h = figure;

subplot(1,3,1)

plot(x,y1,'*-r', 'LineWidth', 1)

hold on

plot(x, y2, '*-k', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(x, y3, '*-b', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(4.5, 2.08,'r.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

plot(4.5, 2.03,'k.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

plot(4.5, 0.0146331392,'b.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

box on

hold on

xticklabels({'Jan 7','Jan 14','Jan 21','Jan 28'})

xtickangle(45)

%ylim([-0.05 0.15])

title('January 2005')

set(gca,'Units','normalized')

titleHandle = get( gca ,'Title' );

pos = get(titleHandle , 'position' );

pos1 = pos + [0 0.005 0]

set(titleHandle , 'position' , pos1);

legend('EONIA', 'EU Shadow Rate', 'Textual', 'Actual EONIA', 'Actual Shadow', 'Actual Textual','Orientation', 'horizontal', 'Location', 'southoutside', 'NumColumns',2)

subplot(1,3,2)

plot(x,y11,'*-r', 'LineWidth', 1)

hold on

plot(x, y22, '*-k', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(x, y33, '*-b', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(4.5,2.08,'r.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

plot(4.5,2.05,'k.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

plot(4.5,0.0938280876,'b.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

box on

hold on

xticklabels({'April 7','April 14','April 21','April 28'})

xtickangle(45)

title('April 2005')

set(gca,'Units','normalized')

titleHandle = get( gca ,'Title' );

pos = get(titleHandle , 'position' );

pos1 = pos + [0 0.005 0]

set(titleHandle , 'position' , pos1);

legend('EONIA', 'EU Shadow Rate', 'Textual', 'Actual EONIA', 'Actual Shadow', 'Actual Textual', 'Orientation', 'horizontal', 'Location', 'southoutside', 'NumColumns',2)

subplot(1,3,3)

plot(x,y111,'*-r', 'LineWidth', 1)

hold on

plot(x, y222, '*-k', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(x, y333, '*-b', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

line1 = plot(4.5,2.08,'r.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

line2 =plot(4.5,1.98,'k.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

line3 =plot(4.5,0.2170966370,'b.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

box on

hold on

xticklabels({'Aug 7','Aug 14','Aug 21','Aug 28'})

xtickangle(45)

title('August 2005')

set(gca,'Units','normalized')

titleHandle = get( gca ,'Title' );

pos = get(titleHandle , 'position' );

pos1 = pos + [0 0.005 0]

set(titleHandle , 'position' , pos1);

legend('EONIA', 'EU Shadow Rate', 'Textual', 'Actual EONIA', 'Actual Shadow', 'Actual Textual', 'Orientation', 'horizontal', 'Location', 'southoutside', 'NumColumns',2)

In the plot, I have 3 legends for each plot which are identical. I would like to have one unique legend below and outside (centred) the plots. I have read suggestions around but I couldn't make it work.

Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks!

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Accepted Answer

DGM on 3 May 2021

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Direct link to this answer

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/820170-how-to-insert-a-unique-legend-with-subplot#answer_690510

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Direct link to this answer

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/820170-how-to-insert-a-unique-legend-with-subplot#answer_690510

Open in MATLAB Online

This is kind of roundabout, but maybe it helps:

subplot(1,3,1)

plot(x,y1,'*-r', 'LineWidth', 1)

hold on

plot(x, y2, '*-k', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(x, y3, '*-b', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(4.5, 2.08,'r.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

plot(4.5, 2.03,'k.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

plot(4.5, 0.0146331392,'b.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

box on

hold on

xticklabels({'Jan 7','Jan 14','Jan 21','Jan 28'})

xtickangle(45)

%ylim([-0.05 0.15])

title('January 2005')

set(gca,'Units','normalized')

titleHandle = get( gca ,'Title' );

pos = get(titleHandle , 'position' );

pos1 = pos + [0 0.005 0]

set(titleHandle , 'position' , pos1);

% when the legend is placed, it automatically resizes gca to a size we want

lh=legend('EONIA', 'EU Shadow Rate', 'Textual', 'Actual EONIA', 'Actual Shadow', 'Actual Textual','Orientation', 'horizontal', 'Location', 'southoutside', 'NumColumns',2);

% store this size so we can use it later so that all axes leave room

axpos1 = get(gca,'outerposition');

% moving the legend changes the size of gca again

lh.Position(1) = 0.5-lh.Position(3)/2;

set(gca,'outerposition',axpos1) % so change it back

subplot(1,3,2)

plot(x,y11,'*-r', 'LineWidth', 1)

hold on

plot(x, y22, '*-k', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(x, y33, '*-b', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(4.5,2.08,'r.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

plot(4.5,2.05,'k.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

plot(4.5,0.0938280876,'b.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

box on

hold on

xticklabels({'April 7','April 14','April 21','April 28'})

xtickangle(45)

title('April 2005')

set(gca,'Units','normalized')

titleHandle = get( gca ,'Title' );

pos = get(titleHandle , 'position' );

pos1 = pos + [0 0.005 0]

set(titleHandle , 'position' , pos1);

% change this axes to make room for legend

axpos2 = get(gca,'outerposition');

set(gca,'outerposition',[axpos2(1) axpos1(2) axpos2(3) axpos1(4)])

subplot(1,3,3)

plot(x,y111,'*-r', 'LineWidth', 1)

hold on

plot(x, y222, '*-k', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

plot(x, y333, '*-b', 'LineWidth',1)

hold on

line1 = plot(4.5,2.08,'r.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

line2 =plot(4.5,1.98,'k.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

hold on

line3 =plot(4.5,0.2170966370,'b.', 'MarkerSize', 20)

box on

hold on

xticklabels({'Aug 7','Aug 14','Aug 21','Aug 28'})

xtickangle(45)

title('August 2005')

set(gca,'Units','normalized')

titleHandle = get( gca ,'Title' );

pos = get(titleHandle , 'position' );

pos1 = pos + [0 0.005 0]

set(titleHandle , 'position' , pos1);

% change this axes to make room for legend

axpos3 = get(gca,'outerposition');

set(gca,'outerposition',[axpos3(1) axpos1(2) axpos3(3) axpos1(4)])

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Armando MAROZZI on 3 May 2021

Direct link to this comment

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/820170-how-to-insert-a-unique-legend-with-subplot#comment_1497510

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Direct link to this comment

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/820170-how-to-insert-a-unique-legend-with-subplot#comment_1497510

quite helpful indeed! Thanks a lot!

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