text
Add text descriptions to data points
Description
text(___, specifies Name,Value)Text object
properties using one or more name-value pairs. For example, 'FontSize',14 sets
the font size to 14 points. You can specify text properties with any
of the input argument combinations in the previous syntaxes. If you
specify the Position and String properties
as name-value pairs, then you do not need to specify the x, y, z,
and txt inputs.
text( creates the text in the
Cartesian, polar, or geographic axes specified by ax,___)ax instead
of in the current axes (gca). The option
ax can precede any of the input argument combinations in
the previous syntaxes.
t = text(___)t to modify properties
of the text objects after they are created. For a list of properties
and descriptions, see Text Properties.
You can specify an output with any of the previous syntaxes.
Examples
Add Text Description to Data Point
Plot a sine curve. At the point , add the text description . Use the TeX markup \pi for the Greek letter . Use \leftarrow to display a left-pointing arrow.
x = 0:pi/20:2*pi;
y = sin(x);
plot(x,y)
text(pi,0,'\leftarrow sin(\pi)')
For a list of Greek characters and other TeX markup, see the Interpreter property description.
Add Text to Multiple Data Points
Plot a line. Add the same text to two points along the line.
x = linspace(-5,5);
y = x.^3-12*x;
plot(x,y)
xt = [-2 2];
yt = [16 -16];
str = 'dy/dx = 0';
text(xt,yt,str)
Add different text to each point by specifying str as a cell array.
x = linspace(-5,5);
y = x.^3-12*x;
plot(x,y)
xt = [-2 2];
yt = [16 -16];
str = {'local max','local min'};
text(xt,yt,str)
Display Multiline Text
Create a line plot and add one text description to the axes. Display multiline text by specifying str as a cell array.
plot(1:10)
str = {'A simple plot','from 1 to 10'};
text(2,7,str)
Create a line plot and add two text descriptions to the axes. When adding multiple text descriptions to the axes, display multiline text by specifying nested cell arrays.
plot(1:10)
str = {{'A simple plot','from 1 to 10'},'y = x'};
text([2 8],[7 7],str)
Specify Text Size and Color
Create a line plot and add a text description to the axes. Use red, size 14 font.
plot(1:10) text(2,8,'A Simple Plot','Color','red','FontSize',14)
Modify Existing Text
Create a line plot and add two text descriptions along the line. Return the text objects, t.
x = linspace(-5,5);
y = x.^3-12*x;
plot(x,y)
t = text([-2 2],[16 -16],'dy/dx = 0')
t = 2x1 Text array: Text (dy/dx = 0) Text (dy/dx = 0)
The text function creates one text object for each text description. Thus, t contains two text objects.
Change the color and font size for the first text object using t(1). Use dot notation to set properties. If you are using an earlier release, use the set function instead.
t(1).Color = 'red';
t(1).FontSize = 14;
Input Arguments
x — First coordinate
scalar | vector
First coordinate, specified in one of these forms:
Scalar — Add text to a single point.
Vector — Add text to multiple points.
The interpretation of the first coordinate depends on the type of axes:
For Cartesian axes, the first coordinate is x-axis position in data units. To change units, set the
Unitsproperty for theTextobject.For polar axes, the first coordinate is the polar angle θ in radians.
For geographic axes, the first coordinate is latitude in degrees.
x and y must be equal
sizes.
To control the placement of the text with relation to the specified point,
use the HorizontalAlignment, VerticalAlignment, and Extent properties of
the Text object.
Data Types: double | categorical | datetime | duration
y — Second coordinate
scalar | vector
Second coordinate, specified in one of these forms:
Scalar — Add text to a single point.
Vector — Add text to multiple points.
The interpretation of the second coordinate depends on the type of axes:
For Cartesian axes, the second coordinate is y-axis position in data units. To change units, set the
Unitsproperty for theTextobject.For polar axes, the second coordinate is the radius in data units.
For geographic axes, the second coordinate is longitude in degrees.
x and y must be equal
sizes.
To control the placement of the text with relation to the specified point,
use the HorizontalAlignment, VerticalAlignment, and Extent properties of
the Text object.
Data Types: double | categorical | datetime | duration
z — Third coordinate
0 (default) | scalar | vector
Third coordinate, specified in one of these forms:
Scalar — Add text to a single point.
Vector — Add text to multiple points.
The interpretation of the third coordinate depends on the type of axes:
For Cartesian axes, the third coordinate is z-axis position in data units. To change units, set the
Unitsproperty for theTextobject.For polar and geographic axes, the third coordinate affects the layering of text on the axes.
x, y, and
z must be equal sizes.
To control the placement of the text with relation to the specified point,
use the HorizontalAlignment, VerticalAlignment, and Extent properties of
the Text object.
Data Types: double | categorical | datetime | duration
txt — Text to display
character vector | string scalar | character array | string array | cell array | categorical array
Text to display, specified as a character vector, string scalar, character array, string array, cell array, or categorical array.
Text for Single Data Point
To add text to a single point, specify txt as a character vector or string
scalar. For example, text(.5,.5,'my text').
For multiline text:
Use a cell array, where each cell contains a line of text. For example,
text(.5,.5,{'first','second'}).Use a string array, where each element is a line of text. For example,
text(.5,.5,["first","second"]).Use a character array with multiple rows, where each row contains the same number of characters. For example,
text(.5,.5,['first '; 'second']).Use
sprintfto create a new line character. For example,text(.5,.5,sprintf('first \nsecond')).
If you specify the text as a categorical array, MATLAB® uses the values in the array, not the categories.
Text for Multiple Data Points
To display the same text at each location, specify txt as a character
vector or string. For example, text([0 1],[0 1],'my
text').
To display different text at each location, use a cell array.
For example, text([0 1],[0 1],{'first','second'}).
For multiline text, use nested cell arrays. For example, text([0 1],[0 1],{{'first','new line'},'second'}).
Greek Letters, Special Characters, and Numeric Variables
To include special characters, such as superscripts, subscripts,
Greek letters, or mathematical symbols, use TeX markup. For a list
of supported markup, see the Interpreter property.
To include numeric variables in the text, use the num2str function.
v = 42;
txt = ['The value is ',num2str(v)];ax — Target axes
Axes object | PolarAxes object | GeographicAxes object
Target axes, specified as an Axes object, a
PolarAxes object, or a
GeographicAxes object. If you do not specify the
axes, then text uses the current axes.
Name-Value Pair Arguments
Specify optional
comma-separated pairs of Name,Value arguments. Name is
the argument name and Value is the corresponding value.
Name must appear inside quotes. You can specify several name and value
pair arguments in any order as
Name1,Value1,...,NameN,ValueN.
text(.5,.5,'my text','FontSize',14,'Color','red')Note
The properties listed here are only a subset. For a full list, see Text Properties.
Text color, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short
name. The default value of [0 0 0] corresponds to black.
For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.
An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range
[0,1]; for example,[0.4 0.6 0.7].A hexadecimal color code is a character vector or a string scalar that starts with a hash symbol (
#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from0toF. The values are not case sensitive. Thus, the color codes'#FF8800','#ff8800','#F80', and'#f80'are equivalent.
Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.
| Color Name | Short Name | RGB Triplet | Hexadecimal Color Code | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
'red' | 'r' | [1 0 0] | '#FF0000' |
|
'green' | 'g' | [0 1 0] | '#00FF00' |
|
'blue' | 'b' | [0 0 1] | '#0000FF' |
|
'cyan'
| 'c' | [0 1 1] | '#00FFFF' |
|
'magenta' | 'm' | [1 0 1] | '#FF00FF' |
|
'yellow' | 'y' | [1 1 0] | '#FFFF00' |
|
'black' | 'k' | [0 0 0] | '#000000' |
|
'white' | 'w' | [1 1 1] | '#FFFFFF' |
|
'none' | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | No color |
Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.
| RGB Triplet | Hexadecimal Color Code | Appearance |
|---|---|---|
[0 0.4470 0.7410] | '#0072BD' |
|
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980] | '#D95319' |
|
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250] | '#EDB120' |
|
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560] | '#7E2F8E' |
|
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880] | '#77AC30' |
|
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330] | '#4DBEEE' |
|
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840] | '#A2142F' |
|
Example: 'blue'
Example: [0
0 1]
Example: '#0000FF'
Horizontal alignment of the text with respect to the x value
in the Position property, specified as one of the
values in this table. The vertical line indicates where the x value
lies in relation to the text.
| Value | Result |
|---|---|
'left' (default) |
|
'center' |
|
'right' |
|
Text interpreter, specified as one of these values:
'tex'— Interpret characters using a subset of TeX markup.'latex'— Interpret characters using LaTeX markup.'none'— Display literal characters.
TeX Markup
By default, MATLAB supports a subset of TeX markup. Use TeX markup to add superscripts and subscripts, modify the font type and color, and include special characters in the text.
Modifiers remain in effect until the end of the text.
Superscripts and subscripts are an exception because they modify only the next character or the
characters within the curly braces. When you set the interpreter to 'tex',
the supported modifiers are as follows.
| Modifier | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
^{ } | Superscript | 'text^{superscript}' |
_{ } | Subscript | 'text_{subscript}' |
\bf | Bold font | '\bf text' |
\it | Italic font | '\it text' |
\sl | Oblique font (usually the same as italic font) | '\sl text' |
\rm | Normal font | '\rm text' |
\fontname{ | Font name — Replace
| '\fontname{Courier} text' |
\fontsize{ | Font size —Replace
| '\fontsize{15} text' |
\color{ | Font color — Replace
red, green,
yellow, magenta,
blue, black,
white, gray,
darkGreen, orange, or
lightBlue. | '\color{magenta} text' |
\color[rgb]{specifier} | Custom font color — Replace
| '\color[rgb]{0,0.5,0.5} text' |
This table lists the supported special characters for the
'tex' interpreter.
| Character Sequence | Symbol | Character Sequence | Symbol | Character Sequence | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| α |
| υ |
| ~ |
| ∠ |
|
|
| ≤ |
|
|
| χ |
| ∞ |
| β |
| ψ |
| ♣ |
| γ |
| ω |
| ♦ |
| δ |
| Γ |
| ♥ |
| ϵ |
| Δ |
| ♠ |
| ζ |
| Θ |
| ↔ |
| η |
| Λ |
| ← |
| θ |
| Ξ |
| ⇐ |
| ϑ |
| Π |
| ↑ |
| ι |
| Σ |
| → |
| κ |
| ϒ |
| ⇒ |
| λ |
| Φ |
| ↓ |
| µ |
| Ψ |
| º |
| ν |
| Ω |
| ± |
| ξ |
| ∀ |
| ≥ |
| π |
| ∃ |
| ∝ |
| ρ |
| ∍ |
| ∂ |
| σ |
| ≅ |
| • |
| ς |
| ≈ |
| ÷ |
| τ |
| ℜ |
| ≠ |
| ≡ |
| ⊕ |
| ℵ |
| ℑ |
| ∪ |
| ℘ |
| ⊗ |
| ⊆ |
| ∅ |
| ∩ |
| ∈ |
| ⊇ |
| ⊃ |
| ⌈ |
| ⊂ |
| ∫ |
| · |
| ο |
| ⌋ |
| ¬ |
| ∇ |
| ⌊ |
| x |
| ... |
| ⊥ |
| √ |
| ´ |
| ∧ |
| ϖ |
| ∅ |
| ⌉ |
| 〉 |
| | |
| ∨ |
| 〈 |
| © |
LaTeX Markup
To use LaTeX markup, set the interpreter to 'latex'. Use dollar
symbols around the text, for example, use '$\int_1^{20} x^2 dx$'
for inline mode or '$$\int_1^{20} x^2 dx$$' for display
mode.
The displayed text uses the default LaTeX font style. The
FontName, FontWeight, and
FontAngle properties do not have an effect. To change the
font style, use LaTeX markup.
The maximum size of the text that you can use with the LaTeX interpreter is 1200 characters. For multiline text, this reduces by about 10 characters per line.
For more information about the LaTeX system, see The LaTeX Project website at https://www.latex-project.org/.
Output Arguments
Tips
By default, the
Clippingproperty for text objects is set to'off'so the text might appear outside the axes. To clip the text to the axes boundaries, set the property to'on'.