pylab_examples example code: legend_demo.py

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#!/usr/bin/env python
# Thanks to Charles Twardy for this example
#
#See http://matplotlib.sf.net/examples/legend_demo2.py for an example
#controlling which lines the legend uses and the order

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

a = np.arange(0,3,.02)
b = np.arange(0,3,.02)
c = np.exp(a)
d = c[::-1]

ax = plt.subplot(111)
plt.plot(a,c,'k--',a,d,'k:',a,c+d,'k')
plt.legend(('Model length', 'Data length', 'Total message length'),
           'upper center', shadow=True, fancybox=True)
plt.ylim([-1,20])
plt.grid(False)
plt.xlabel('Model complexity --->')
plt.ylabel('Message length --->')
plt.title('Minimum Message Length')

plt.setp(plt.gca(), 'yticklabels', [])
plt.setp(plt.gca(), 'xticklabels', [])

# set some legend properties.  All the code below is optional.  The
# defaults are usually sensible but if you need more control, this
# shows you how
leg = plt.gca().get_legend()
ltext  = leg.get_texts()  # all the text.Text instance in the legend
llines = leg.get_lines()  # all the lines.Line2D instance in the legend
frame  = leg.get_frame()  # the patch.Rectangle instance surrounding the legend

# see text.Text, lines.Line2D, and patches.Rectangle for more info on
# the settable properties of lines, text, and rectangles
frame.set_facecolor('0.80')      # set the frame face color to light gray
plt.setp(ltext, fontsize='small')    # the legend text fontsize
plt.setp(llines, linewidth=1.5)      # the legend linewidth
#leg.draw_frame(False)           # don't draw the legend frame
plt.show()

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