xlim

Set or query x-axis limits

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Syntax

xlim(limits)
xl = xlim
xlim auto
xlim manual
m = xlim('mode')
___ = xlim(target,___)

Description

example

xlim(limits) sets the x-axis limits for the current axes or chart. Specify limits as a two-element vector of the form [xmin xmax], where xmax is greater than xmin.

example

xl = xlim returns the current limits as a two-element vector.

xlim auto sets an automatic mode, enabling the axes to determine the x-axis limits. The limits span the range of the plotted data. Use this option if you change the limits and then want to set them back to the default values. This command sets the XLimMode property for the axes to 'auto'.

example

xlim manual sets a manual mode, freezing the limits at the current values. Use this option if you want to retain the current limits when adding new data to the axes using the hold on command. This command sets the XLimMode property for the axes to 'manual'.

m = xlim('mode') returns the current x-axis limits mode, which is either 'auto' or 'manual'. By default, the mode is automatic unless you specify limits or set the mode to manual.

example

___ = xlim(target,___) uses the axes or chart specified by target instead of the current axes. Specify target as the first input argument for any of the previous syntaxes. You can include an output argument if the original syntax supports an output argument. Use single quotes around the mode inputs, for example, xlim(target,'auto').

Examples

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Open Live Script

Plot a line and set the x-axis limits to range from 0 to 5.

x = linspace(0,10);
y = sin(x);
plot(x,y)
xlim([0 5])

Open Live Script

Create a surface plot and show only x values greater than 0. Specify the minimum x-axis limit as 0 and let MATLAB choose the maximum limit. 

[X,Y,Z] = peaks;
surf(X,Y,Z)
xlim([0 inf])

Open Live Script

Create a stem chart with dates along the x-axis. Set the x-axis limits to range from June 1, 2014 to June 5, 2014.

t = datetime(2014,06,1) + caldays(0:10);
y = rand(11,1);
stem(t,y,'filled')

tstart = datetime(2014,06,1);
tend = datetime(2014,06,5);
xlim([tstart tend])

Open Live Script

Starting in R2019b, you can display a tiling of plots using the tiledlayout and nexttile functions. Call the tiledlayout function to create a 2-by-1 tiled chart layout. Call the nexttile function to create the axes objects ax1 and ax2. Plot data into each axes. Then set the x-axis limits for the bottom plot by specifying ax2 as the first input argument to xlim.

tiledlayout(2,1)
x = linspace(0,5,1000);
y = sin(100*x)./exp(x);
ax1 = nexttile;
plot(ax1,x,y)

ax2 = nexttile;
plot(ax2,x,y)
xlim(ax2,[0 1])

Open Live Script

Use manual mode to maintain the current x-axis limits when you add more plots to the axes.

First, plot a line.

x = linspace(0,10);
y = sin(x);
plot(x,y);

Set the x-axis limits mode to manual so that the limits do not change. Use hold on to add a second plot to the axes.

xlim manual
hold on
plot(2*x,2*y)
hold off

The x-axis limits do not update to incorporate the new plot.

Switch back to automatically updated limits by resetting the mode to automatic.

xlim auto

Open Live Script

Create a scatter plot of random data. Return the values of the x-axis limits.

x = randn(50,1);
y = randn(50,1);
scatter(x,y)

xl = xlim
xl = 1×2

    -3     4

Input Arguments

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Minimum and maximum limits, specified as a two-element vector of the form [xmin xmax], where xmax is greater than xmin. You can specify the limits as numeric, categorical, datetime, or duration values. However, the type of values that you specify must match the type of values along the x-axis.

You can specify both limits, or specify one limit and let MATLAB® automatically calculate the other. For an automatically calculated minimum or maximum limit, use -inf or inf, respectively.

Example: xlim([0 1])

Example: xlim([-inf 1])

Example: xlim([0 inf])

Data Types: single | double | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64 | categorical | datetime | duration

Target axes or chart, specified as one of the following:

  • An Axes object.

  • A chart object that has an XLimits property, such as a HeatmapChart object.

  • An array of axes or chart objects that belong to the same class. To determine the class, use the class function.

If you do not specify this argument, then xlim sets the limits on the graphics object returned by the gca command.

Output Arguments

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Current limits, returned as a two-element vector of the form [xmin xmax].

Querying the limits returns the XLim or XLimits property value for corresponding Axes or graphics object.

Current limits mode, returned as one of these values:

  • 'auto' — Automatically determine the limits.

  • 'manual' — Use manually specified limits that do not update to reflect changes in the data.

Querying the x-axis limits mode returns XLimMode property value for the corresponding Axes object.

Algorithms

The xlim function sets and queries several axes properties related to the x-axis limits.

  • XLim — Property that stores the x-axis limits.

  • XLimMode — Property that stores the x-axis limits mode. When you set the x-axis limits, this property changes to 'manual'.

See Also

Functions

Properties

Topics

Introduced before R2006a

MATLAB Documentation

Support