Function like text() but with auto placement like legend?

Does such a function exist which simply addes some text to a plot, without having specify the x/y location, and without also adding a line/marker graphic?

In other words, I am looking for a function which has output like text() (i.e., no other graphics, like legend() has), but which has the ability to intelligently place the text object, as in legend(), i.e.

legend(____,'Location',_____)

[Stephen23]

"Does such a function exist which simply addes some text to a plot, without also adding a line/marker graphic?"

text()

[Evan]

text() requires a location specification.

[Jan]

Of course text() requires a position. Where shoudl it be placed without a location? In the upper left or in the center or outside the diagram? Matlab cannot guess this detail.

"Without adding a line/marker graphic"? text() does not do this, so why do you ask for this detail?

Please explain what you want to achieve. Omitting an required detail is not enough to specify, which behavior you want to get.

[Evan]

Hi Jan, thanks for your response. legend() does not require a [numeric] location specification. I've updated the question to clarify. I thought between the title and the body, the aim was clear.

[Jan]

"Intelligently" sounds fine, but what is this? Where is an "intelligent" location for a text? I cannot imagine a situation where I want text to appear at a location I do not explicitely define.

Do you want to create a text at a location, which is not covered by a graphics object? Ah, this would be another story.

[dpb]

OTOH, as noted in the Answer below, I can think of a multitude of instances wherein I would like text to be located "without being touched by human hands". :)

That's certainly one "intelligent", locating paradigm, yes...as noted, the one example I can think of presently in Matlab is legend with the 'best' location property value. It isn't always perfect, but is, on the whole in my experience, better than a random choice of a fixed location when one isn't positive a priori what the shape of the plotted data is.

[Evan]

@Jan, Are you saying you don't think the "location','best' functionality of legend() is useful?

"Do you want to create a text at a location, which is not covered by a graphics object? Ah, this would be another story."

Yes

Answer 1

[dpb]

No, altho I can guess the desire...would be kind of a nice touch if Matlab could/would automagically locate a desirable place to place a label for a line label, etc., without having to compute it. It's sometimes difficult to know programmatically where to place it so doesn't obstruct the already existing information on the axes.

Only thing I can think of at the moment is there are the 'best'|'bestoutside' values for the 'Location' property in legend but I don't think there are any other user functions with similar abilities. Some of the CurveFitting tools may label stuff, I'm not sure??? but those are applications, not user functions.

What the hey, submit an enhancement request...

PS. I didn't search but there's always a possibility somebody else has had the similar yen and has written/uploaded a solution on File Exchange.

[Evan]

Enhancement request it is! Specifically, the request is for the location-based options used in legend() to be added to the "textbox" annotation.

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/textbox-properties.html

[Katelyn]

legend

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

In the case where you need only a single such item per axes:

h = line(nan, nan, 'Color', 'none');
legend(h, 'Your Message Here', 'Location', ....)

[Evan]

Nice hack. Thanks for the tip.

[dpb]

Yeah, the NaN data in plotting often solves "issues"; didn't think of it in this particular context as was fixated on the idea of labeling lines in the area of the data but missing it...

[Pedro Busc]

How to remove the space used to the plotted item symbol (in this case none, blank) on the left?

[Walter Roberson]

You would have to use two or more outputs for legend(), and access the graphic objects such as the text() object and adjust its Position property.

Note that two or more outputs for legend() is now undocumented and unsupported, and could be removed Any Release Now.

Answer 3

[Evan]

Here's another hack, based on a suggestion from Mathworks support.

function hOut = AutoText(textString,varargin)

l = legend(textString,varargin{:});
t = annotation('textbox');
t.String = textString;
t.Position = l.Position;
delete(l);
t.LineStyle = 'None';

if nargout
    hOut = t;
end

Answer 4

[Walter Roberson]

See https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/98082-how-can-i-automatically-specify-a-best-location-property-for-the-textbox-annotation-function

[Evan]

The accepted answer to that question is clearly copied from my answer to this question. The body of the attached function is identical.

That question is odd, too. It was asked 7 years ago, apparently by Mathworks support. You'd think they would have just added the functionality to the Textbox annotation by now...

[dpb]

I suppose the somebody who wrote this one thought it better than whatever was original...

Answer 5

[IT Department]

There is a function in the Matlab File Exchange that addresses this issue.

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/11466-textbp-text-with-legend-style-best-placement