Basic plots Scales API Tick locators API Animation API

plot([X], Y, [fmt], …) API ax.set_[xy]scale(scale, …) from matplotlib import ticker import [Link] as mpla
ax.[xy]axis.set_[minor|major]_locator(locator)
Cheat sheet Version 3.7.4 X, Y, fmt, color, marker, linestyle linear log
any values values > 0 T = [Link](0, 2*[Link], 100)
S = [Link](T)
Quick start API scatter(X, Y, …) API symlog logit line, = [Link](T, S)
X, Y, [s]izes, [c]olors, marker, cmap any values 0 < values < 1 def animate(i):
import numpy as np line.set_ydata([Link](T+i/50))
import matplotlib as mpl anim = [Link](
import [Link] as plt bar[h](x, height, …) API
x, height, width, bottom, align, color
Projections API [Link](), animate, interval=5)
[Link]()
subplot(…, projection=p)
X = [Link](0, 2*[Link], 100) p=’polar’ p=’3d’ API
Y = [Link](X) imshow(Z, …) API Styles API
Z, cmap, interpolation, extent, origin
fig, ax = [Link]() [Link](style)
[Link](X, Y, color=’green’) contour[f]([X], [Y], Z, …) API p=[Link]() API
X, Y, Z, levels, colors, extent, origin import [Link] as ccrs
[Link](“[Link]”) Tick formatters API
[Link]()
pcolormesh([X], [Y], Z, …) API from matplotlib import ticker
ax.[xy]axis.set_[minor|major]_formatter(formatter)
Anatomy of a figure X, Y, Z, vmin, vmax, cmap
Lines API

quiver([X], [Y], U, V, …) API

X, Y, U, V, C, units, angles

pie(X, …) API
Z, explode, labels, colors, radius
Quick reminder
Markers API
text(x, y, text, …) API [Link]()
x, y, text, va, ha, size, weight, transform ax.set_[xy]lim(vmin, vmax)
ax.set_[xy]label(label)
ax.set_[xy]ticks(ticks, [labels])
fill[_between][x](…) API ax.set_[xy]ticklabels(labels)
X, Y1, Y2, color, where Ornaments ax.set_title(title)
ax.tick_params(width=10, …)
[Link](…) API ax.set_axis_[on|off]()
handles, labels, loc, title, frameon
Advanced plots [Link](title)
title
fig.tight_layout()
step(X, Y, [fmt], …) API
Colors API
Legend label [Link](), [Link]()
X, Y, fmt, color, marker, where handletextpad handle
handlelength
markerfacecolor (mfc)
[Link](’axes’, linewidth=1, …)
’Cn’ Label 1 Label 3 [fig|ax].patch.set_alpha(0)
Subplots layout API ’x’ labelspacing
text=r’$\frac{-e^{i\pi}}{2^n}$’
boxplot(X, …) API
markeredgecolor (mec)

X, notch, sym, bootstrap, widths

’name’ Label 2 Label 4
subplot[s](rows, cols, …) API (R,G,B[,A]) borderpad columnspacing numpoints or scatterpoints
fig, axs = [Link](3, 3) ’#RRGGBB[AA]’
borderaxespad
Keyboard shortcuts API
’x.y’
errorbar(X,Y,xerr,yerr, …) API
ctrl + s Save ctrl + w Close plot
G = gridspec(rows,cols, …) API X, Y, xerr, yerr, fmt [Link](…) API
ax = G[0, :] Colormaps API mappable, ax, cax, orientation r Reset view f Fullscreen 0/1
f View forward b View back
hist(X, bins, …) API plt.get_cmap(name) p Pan view o Zoom to rect
ax.inset_axes(extent) API X, bins, range, density, weights
Uniform x X pan/zoom y Y pan/zoom
viridis g Minor grid 0/1 G Major grid 0/1
violinplot(D, …) API magma
[Link](…) API
plasma l X axis log/linear L Y axis log/linear
d=make_axes_locatable(ax) API D, positions, widths, vert text, xy, xytext, xycoords, textcoords, arrowprops
ax = d.new_horizontal(’10%’) Sequential
Greys Ten simple rules READ
barbs([X], [Y], U, V, …) API YlOrBr
X, Y, U, V, C, length, pivot, sizes Wistia 1. Know your audience
Getting help Diverging 2. Identify your message
Spectral 3. Adapt the figure
[Link] eventplot(positions, …) API coolwarm 4. Captions are not optional
positions, orientation, lineoffsets RdGy
Event handling API
[Link]/matplotlib/matplotlib/issues 5. Do not trust the defaults
[Link] Qualitative fig, ax = [Link]() 6. Use color effectively
[Link]/questions/tagged/matplotlib hexbin(X, Y, C, …) API
tab10 def on_click(event): 7. Do not mislead the reader
[Link] tab20 print(event) 8. Avoid “chartjunk”
X, Y, C, gridsize, bins
[Link]/matplotlib Cyclic [Link].mpl_connect( 9. Message trumps beauty
Matplotlib users mailing list twilight ’button_press_event’, on_click) 10. Get the right tool
Axes adjustments API Uniform colormaps Color names API Legend placement How do I …
plt.subplots_adjust( … ) … resize a figure?
viridis
→ fig.set_size_inches(w, h)
plasma … save a figure?
inferno → [Link](”[Link]”)
magma … save a transparent figure?
cividis → [Link](”[Link]”, transparent=True)
… clear a figure/an axes?
→ [Link]() → [Link]()
Sequential colormaps
… close all figures?
→ [Link](”all”)
Greys
… remove ticks?
Purples
→ ax.set_[xy]ticks([])
Blues … remove tick labels ?
Greens → ax.set_[xy]ticklabels([])
Oranges … rotate tick labels ?
Reds → ax.tick_params(axis=”x”, rotation=90)
YlOrBr … hide top spine?
YlOrRd → [Link][’top’].set_visible(False)
OrRd … hide legend border?
PuRd → [Link](frameon=False)
Extent & origin API
RdPu
[Link](loc=”string”, bbox_to_anchor=(x, y)) … show error as shaded region?
BuPu 2: upper left 9: upper center 1: upper right → ax.fill_between(X, Y+error, Y‐error)
[Link]( extent=…, origin=… )
GnBu 6: center left 10: center 7: center right … draw a rectangle?
PuBu 3: lower left 8: lower center 4: lower right → ax.add_patch([Link]((0, 0), 1, 1)
YlGnBu
… draw a vertical line?
A: upper right / (-0.1, 0.9) B: center right / (-0.1, 0.5) → [Link](x=0.5)
PuBuGn
C: lower right / (-0.1, 0.1) D: upper left / (0.1, -0.1) … draw outside frame?
BuGn E: upper center / (0.5, -0.1) F: upper right / (0.9, -0.1) → [Link](…, clip_on=False)
YlGn G: lower left / (1.1, 0.1) H: center left / (1.1, 0.5) … use transparency?
I: upper left / (1.1, 0.9) J: lower right / (0.9, 1.1) → [Link](…, alpha=0.25)
Image interpolation API K: lower center / (0.5, 1.1) L: lower left / (0.1, 1.1)
Diverging colormaps … convert an RGB image into a gray image?
→ gray = 0.2989*R + 0.5870*G + 0.1140*B
PiYG … set figure background color?
PRGn Annotation connection styles API → [Link].set_facecolor(“grey”)
BrBG
… get a reversed colormap?
→ plt.get_cmap(“viridis_r”)
PuOr
… get a discrete colormap?
RdGy
Text alignments API
RdBu
→ plt.get_cmap(“viridis”, 10)
… show a figure for one second?
RdYlBu
[Link]( …, ha=… , va=…, …) → [Link](block=False), [Link](1)
RdYlGn
Spectral
coolwarm
Performance tips
bwr
scatter(X, Y) slow
seismic plot(X, Y, marker=”o”, ls=””) fast
for i in range(n): plot(i, X[i], ”o”) slow
Qualitative colormaps plot(X, marker=”o”, ls=””) fast

Text parameters API cla(); imshow(…); [Link]() slow

Pastel1 im.set_data(…); [Link]() fast
[Link](…, family=…, size=…, weight=…) Pastel2
[Link](…, fontproperties=…) Paired Beyond Matplotlib
Accent
Dark2 Seaborn: Statistical data visualization
Set1 Cartopy: Geospatial data processing
Set2 yt: Volumetric data visualization
Set3 mpld3: Bringing Matplotlib to the browser
Annotation arrow styles API
Datashader: Large data processing pipeline
tab10
tab20 plotnine: A grammar of graphics for Python
tab20b
tab20c
Matplotlib Cheatsheets
Copyright (c) 2021 Matplotlib Development Team
Miscellaneous colormaps Released under a CC‐BY 4.0 International License

terrain
ocean
cubehelix
rainbow
twilight