API reference

The comprehensive API reference. All of the below objects are imported into the top-level namespace. Use help(pplt.object) to read the docs during a python session.

Please note that the documentation of plotting command “wrappers” from ProPlot < 0.8 is now found in the individual PlotAxes plotting commands. Using help(ax.command) during a python session shows both the ProPlot documentation and the original matplotlib documentation.

Figure class

The figure class used for all ProPlot figures.

Figure(*[, refnum, ref, refaspect, aspect, ...])

The Figure subclass used by proplot.

Gridspec class

The gridspec and subplot grid classes used throughout ProPlot.

GridSpec([nrows, ncols])	A GridSpec subclass that permits variable spacing between successive rows and columns and hides "panel slots" from indexing.
SubplotGrid([sequence])	List-like object used to store subplots returned by subplots.

Axes classes

The various axes classes used throughout ProPlot.

Axes(*args, **kwargs)	The lowest-level Axes subclass used by proplot.
PlotAxes(*args, **kwargs)	The second lowest-level Axes subclass used by proplot.
CartesianAxes(*args, **kwargs)	Axes subclass for plotting in ordinary Cartesian coordinates.
PolarAxes(*args, **kwargs)	Axes subclass for plotting in polar coordinates.
GeoAxes(*args, **kwargs)	Axes subclass for plotting in geographic projections.
ThreeAxes(*args, **kwargs)	Simple mix-in of proplot.axes.PlotAxes with Axes3D.

Top-level functions

The starting point for creating ProPlot figures.

figure(**kwargs)	Create an empty figure.
subplots(*args, **kwargs)	Create a figure with a single subplot or an arbitrary grid of subplots.
show(*args, **kwargs)	Call matplotlib.pyplot.show.
close(*args, **kwargs)	Call matplotlib.pyplot.close.
switch_backend(*args, **kwargs)	Call matplotlib.pyplot.switch_backend.
ion()	Call matplotlib.pyplot.ion.
ioff()	Call matplotlib.pyplot.ioff.
isinteractive()	Call matplotlib.pyplot.isinteractive.

Configuration tools

Tools for setting up ProPlot and configuring global settings. See the configuration guide for details.

Configurator([local, user, default])	A dictionary-like class for managing matplotlib settings stored in rc_matplotlib and ProPlot settings stored in rc_proplot.
rc	Instance of Configurator.
rc_proplot	A dictionary-like container of ProPlot settings.
rc_matplotlib	A dictionary-like container of matplotlib settings.
use_style(style)	Apply the matplotlib style(s) with matplotlib.style.use.
config_inline_backend([fmt])	Set up the ipython inline backend display format and ensure that inline figures always look the same as saved figures.
register_cmaps(*args[, user, default])	Register named colormaps.
register_cycles(*args[, user, default])	Register named color cycles.
register_colors(*args[, user, default, ...])	Register named colors.
register_fonts(*args[, user, default])	Register font names.

Constructor functions

The constructor functions used to build class instances from simple shorthand arguments.

Proj(name[, basemap])	Return a cartopy.crs.Projection or Basemap instance.
Locator(locator, *args, **kwargs)	Return a Locator instance.
Formatter(formatter, *args[, date, index])	Return a Formatter instance.
Scale(scale, *args, **kwargs)	Return a ScaleBase instance.
Colormap(*args[, name, listmode, filemode, ...])	Generate, retrieve, modify, and/or merge instances of PerceptualColormap, ContinuousColormap, and DiscreteColormap.
Norm(norm, *args, **kwargs)	Return an arbitrary Normalize instance.
Cycle(*args[, N, samples, name])	Generate and merge Cycler instances in a variety of ways.

Locators and formatters

Various Locator and Formatter classes.

AutoFormatter([zerotrim, tickrange, ...])	The new default tick label formatter.
FracFormatter([symbol, number])	Format numbers as fractions or multiples of some value.
SciFormatter([precision, zerotrim])	Format numbers with scientific notation.
SigFigFormatter([sigfig, zerotrim])	Format numbers by retaining the specified number of significant digits.
SimpleFormatter([precision, zerotrim, ...])	A general purpose number formatter.
DegreeFormatter(*args, **kwargs)	A formatter for longitude and latitude gridlines.
LongitudeFormatter(*args, **kwargs)	A formatter for longitude gridlines.
LatitudeFormatter(*args, **kwargs)	A formatter for latitude gridlines.
DegreeLocator(*args, **kwargs)	A locator for longitude and latitude gridlines.
LongitudeLocator(*args, **kwargs)	A locator for longitude gridlines.
LatitudeLocator(*args, **kwargs)	A locator for latitude gridlines.

Axis scale classes

Various axis ScaleBase classes.

CutoffScale(*args)	Axis scale composed of arbitrary piecewise linear transformations.
ExpScale([a, b, c, inverse])	"Exponential scale" that performs either of two transformations.
FuncScale(arg[, invert, parent_scale, ...])	Axis scale composed of arbitrary forward and inverse transformations.
InverseScale()	Axis scale that is linear in the inverse of x.
LinearScale(**kwargs)	As with LinearScale but with AutoFormatter as the default major formatter.
LogitScale(**kwargs)	As with LogitScale but with AutoFormatter as the default major formatter.
LogScale(**kwargs)	As with LogScale but with AutoFormatter as the default major formatter.
MercatorLatitudeScale([thresh])	Axis scale that is linear in the Mercator projection latitude.
PowerScale([power, inverse])	"Power scale" that performs the transformation
SineLatitudeScale()	Axis scale that is linear in the sine transformation of x.
SymmetricalLogScale(**kwargs)	As with SymmetricalLogScale but with AutoFormatter as the default major formatter.

Colormaps and normalizers

Various colormap classes and colormap normalization classes.

DiscreteColormap(colors[, name, N, alpha])	Replacement for ListedColormap.
ContinuousColormap(*args[, gamma, cyclic, alpha])	Replacement for LinearSegmentedColormap.
PerceptualColormap(*args[, space, clip, ...])	A ContinuousColormap with linear transitions across hue, saturation, and luminance rather than red, blue, and green.
DiscreteNorm(levels[, norm, unique, step, ...])	Meta-normalizer that discretizes the possible color values returned by arbitrary continuous normalizers given a sequence of level boundaries.
DivergingNorm([vcenter, vmin, vmax, fair, clip])	Normalizer that ensures some central data value lies at the central colormap color.
SegmentedNorm(levels[, vmin, vmax, clip])	Normalizer that scales data linearly with respect to the interpolated index in an arbitrary monotonically increasing level sequence.
ColorDatabase([mapping])	Dictionary subclass used to replace the builtin matplotlib color database.
ColormapDatabase(kwargs)	Dictionary subclass used to replace the matplotlib colormap registry.

Projection classes

Additional cartopy projection classes.

Aitoff([central_longitude, globe, ...])	The Aitoff projection.
Hammer([central_longitude, globe, ...])	The Hammer projection.
KavrayskiyVII([central_longitude, globe, ...])	The Kavrayskiy VII projection.
WinkelTripel([central_longitude, globe, ...])	The Winkel tripel (Winkel III) projection.
NorthPolarAzimuthalEquidistant([...])	Analogous to NorthPolarStereo.
SouthPolarAzimuthalEquidistant([...])	Analogous to SouthPolarStereo.
NorthPolarGnomonic([central_longitude, globe])	Analogous to NorthPolarStereo.
SouthPolarGnomonic([central_longitude, globe])	Analogous to SouthPolarStereo.
NorthPolarLambertAzimuthalEqualArea([...])	Analogous to NorthPolarStereo.
SouthPolarLambertAzimuthalEqualArea([...])	Analogous to SouthPolarStereo.

Demo functions

Functions for displaying colors and fonts.

show_cmaps(*args, **kwargs)	Generate a table of the registered colormaps or the input colormaps categorized by source.
show_channels(*args[, N, saturation, rgb, ...])	Show how arbitrary colormap(s) vary with respect to the hue, chroma, luminance, HSL saturation, and HPL saturation channels, and optionally the red, blue and green channels.
show_colors(*[, nhues, minsat, unknown, ...])	Generate tables of the registered color names.
show_colorspaces(*[, luminance, saturation, ...])	Generate hue-saturation, hue-luminance, and luminance-saturation cross-sections for the HCL, HSL, and HPL colorspaces.
show_cycles(*args, **kwargs)	Generate a table of registered color cycles or the input color cycles categorized by source.
show_fonts(*args[, family, text, size, ...])	Generate a table of fonts.

Miscellaneous functions

Various tools that may be useful while making plots.

arange(min_, *args)	Identical to numpy.arange but with inclusive endpoints.
edges(z[, axis])	Calculate the approximate "edge" values along an axis given "center" values.
edges2d(z)	Calculate the approximate "edge" values given a 2D grid of "center" values.
get_colors(*args, **kwargs)	Get the colors associated with a registered or on-the-fly color cycle.
set_hue(color, hue[, space])	Return a color with a different hue and the same luminance and saturation as the input color.
set_saturation(color, saturation[, space])	Return a color with a different saturation and the same hue and luminance as the input color.
set_luminance(color, luminance[, space])	Return a color with a different luminance and the same hue and saturation as the input color.
set_alpha(color, alpha)	Return a color with the opacity channel set to the specified value.
shift_hue(color[, shift, space])	Shift the hue channel of a color.
scale_saturation(color[, scale, space])	Scale the saturation channel of a color.
scale_luminance(color[, scale, space])	Scale the luminance channel of a color.
to_hex(color[, space, cycle, keep_alpha])	Translate the color from an arbitrary colorspace to a HEX string.
to_rgb(color[, space, cycle])	Translate the color from an arbitrary colorspace to an RGB tuple.
to_xyz(color[, space])	Translate color in any format to a tuple of channel values in any colorspace.
to_rgba(color[, space, cycle, clip])	Translate the color from an arbitrary colorspace to an RGBA tuple.
to_xyza(color[, space])	Translate color in any format to a tuple of channel values in any colorspace.
units(value[, numeric, dest, fontsize, ...])	Convert values between arbitrary physical units.