.. only:: html

    .. note::
        :class: sphx-glr-download-link-note

        Click :ref:`here <sphx_glr_download_gallery_subplots_axes_and_figures_subfigures.py>`     to download the full example code
    .. rst-class:: sphx-glr-example-title

    .. _sphx_glr_gallery_subplots_axes_and_figures_subfigures.py:


=================
Figure subfigures
=================

Sometimes it is desirable to have a figure with two different layouts in it.
This can be achieved with
:doc:`nested gridspecs</gallery/subplots_axes_and_figures/gridspec_nested>`,
but having a virtual figure with its own artists is helpful, so
Matplotlib also has "subfigures", accessed by calling
`matplotlib.figure.Figure.add_subfigure` in a way that is analogous to
`matplotlib.figure.Figure.add_subplot`, or
`matplotlib.figure.Figure.subfigures` to make an array of subfigures.  Note
that subfigures can also have their own child subfigures.

.. note::
    ``subfigure`` is new in v3.4, and the API is still provisional.


.. code-block:: default

    import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
    import numpy as np


    def example_plot(ax, fontsize=12, hide_labels=False):
        pc = ax.pcolormesh(np.random.randn(30, 30), vmin=-2.5, vmax=2.5)
        if not hide_labels:
            ax.set_xlabel('x-label', fontsize=fontsize)
            ax.set_ylabel('y-label', fontsize=fontsize)
            ax.set_title('Title', fontsize=fontsize)
        return pc

    np.random.seed(19680808)
    # gridspec inside gridspec
    fig = plt.figure(constrained_layout=True, figsize=(10, 4))
    subfigs = fig.subfigures(1, 2, wspace=0.07)

    axsLeft = subfigs[0].subplots(1, 2, sharey=True)
    subfigs[0].set_facecolor('0.75')
    for ax in axsLeft:
        pc = example_plot(ax)
    subfigs[0].suptitle('Left plots', fontsize='x-large')
    subfigs[0].colorbar(pc, shrink=0.6, ax=axsLeft, location='bottom')

    axsRight = subfigs[1].subplots(3, 1, sharex=True)
    for nn, ax in enumerate(axsRight):
        pc = example_plot(ax, hide_labels=True)
        if nn == 2:
            ax.set_xlabel('xlabel')
        if nn == 1:
            ax.set_ylabel('ylabel')

    subfigs[1].set_facecolor('0.85')
    subfigs[1].colorbar(pc, shrink=0.6, ax=axsRight)
    subfigs[1].suptitle('Right plots', fontsize='x-large')

    fig.suptitle('Figure suptitle', fontsize='xx-large')

    plt.show()




.. image:: /gallery/subplots_axes_and_figures/images/sphx_glr_subfigures_001.png
    :alt: Figure suptitle, Title, Title
    :class: sphx-glr-single-img





It is possible to mix subplots and subfigures using
`matplotlib.figure.Figure.add_subfigure`.  This requires getting
the gridspec that the subplots are laid out on.


.. code-block:: default


    fig, axs = plt.subplots(2, 3, constrained_layout=True, figsize=(10, 4))
    gridspec = axs[0, 0].get_subplotspec().get_gridspec()

    # clear the left column for the subfigure:
    for a in axs[:, 0]:
        a.remove()

    # plot data in remaining axes:
    for a in axs[:, 1:].flat:
        a.plot(np.arange(10))

    # make the subfigure in the empty gridspec slots:
    subfig = fig.add_subfigure(gridspec[:, 0])

    axsLeft = subfig.subplots(1, 2, sharey=True)
    subfig.set_facecolor('0.75')
    for ax in axsLeft:
        pc = example_plot(ax)
    subfig.suptitle('Left plots', fontsize='x-large')
    subfig.colorbar(pc, shrink=0.6, ax=axsLeft, location='bottom')

    fig.suptitle('Figure suptitle', fontsize='xx-large')
    plt.show()




.. image:: /gallery/subplots_axes_and_figures/images/sphx_glr_subfigures_002.png
    :alt: Figure suptitle, Title, Title
    :class: sphx-glr-single-img





Subfigures can have different widths and heights.  This is exactly the
same example as the first example, but *width_ratios* has been changed:


.. code-block:: default


    fig = plt.figure(constrained_layout=True, figsize=(10, 4))
    subfigs = fig.subfigures(1, 2, wspace=0.07, width_ratios=[2, 1])

    axsLeft = subfigs[0].subplots(1, 2, sharey=True)
    subfigs[0].set_facecolor('0.75')
    for ax in axsLeft:
        pc = example_plot(ax)
    subfigs[0].suptitle('Left plots', fontsize='x-large')
    subfigs[0].colorbar(pc, shrink=0.6, ax=axsLeft, location='bottom')

    axsRight = subfigs[1].subplots(3, 1, sharex=True)
    for nn, ax in enumerate(axsRight):
        pc = example_plot(ax, hide_labels=True)
        if nn == 2:
            ax.set_xlabel('xlabel')
        if nn == 1:
            ax.set_ylabel('ylabel')

    subfigs[1].set_facecolor('0.85')
    subfigs[1].colorbar(pc, shrink=0.6, ax=axsRight)
    subfigs[1].suptitle('Right plots', fontsize='x-large')

    fig.suptitle('Figure suptitle', fontsize='xx-large')

    plt.show()




.. image:: /gallery/subplots_axes_and_figures/images/sphx_glr_subfigures_003.png
    :alt: Figure suptitle, Title, Title
    :class: sphx-glr-single-img





Subfigures can be also be nested:


.. code-block:: default


    fig = plt.figure(constrained_layout=True, figsize=(10, 8))

    fig.suptitle('fig')

    subfigs = fig.subfigures(1, 2, wspace=0.07)

    subfigs[0].set_facecolor('coral')
    subfigs[0].suptitle('subfigs[0]')

    subfigs[1].set_facecolor('coral')
    subfigs[1].suptitle('subfigs[1]')

    subfigsnest = subfigs[0].subfigures(2, 1, height_ratios=[1, 1.4])
    subfigsnest[0].suptitle('subfigsnest[0]')
    subfigsnest[0].set_facecolor('r')
    axsnest0 = subfigsnest[0].subplots(1, 2, sharey=True)
    for nn, ax in enumerate(axsnest0):
        pc = example_plot(ax, hide_labels=True)
    subfigsnest[0].colorbar(pc, ax=axsnest0)

    subfigsnest[1].suptitle('subfigsnest[1]')
    subfigsnest[1].set_facecolor('g')
    axsnest1 = subfigsnest[1].subplots(3, 1, sharex=True)

    axsRight = subfigs[1].subplots(2, 2)

    plt.show()



.. image:: /gallery/subplots_axes_and_figures/images/sphx_glr_subfigures_004.png
    :alt: fig
    :class: sphx-glr-single-img






.. rst-class:: sphx-glr-timing

   **Total running time of the script:** ( 0 minutes  3.413 seconds)


.. _sphx_glr_download_gallery_subplots_axes_and_figures_subfigures.py:


.. only :: html

 .. container:: sphx-glr-footer
    :class: sphx-glr-footer-example



  .. container:: sphx-glr-download sphx-glr-download-python

     :download:`Download Python source code: subfigures.py <subfigures.py>`



  .. container:: sphx-glr-download sphx-glr-download-jupyter

     :download:`Download Jupyter notebook: subfigures.ipynb <subfigures.ipynb>`


.. only:: html

 .. rst-class:: sphx-glr-signature

    Keywords: matplotlib code example, codex, python plot, pyplot
    `Gallery generated by Sphinx-Gallery
    <https://sphinx-gallery.readthedocs.io>`_