`sgtitle` — Set a title centered above the entire figure, especially for multi-subplot layouts.

sgtitle sets or updates a figure-level title that is rendered once above the full figure rather than attached to a single axes. In RunMat phase 1, it targets the current figure by default or an explicit figure handle when one is passed, returns a text handle, participates in get and set, and persists through scene replay and export.

How `sgtitle` works

The returned value is a text handle that can be inspected or updated through get and set.
Unlike title, sgtitle is figure-scoped and is drawn once above all subplot panels.
String scalars, char arrays, string arrays, and cell arrays can all be used to create multiline super titles.
Text styling properties such as FontSize, FontWeight, FontAngle, Color, Interpreter, and Visible use the shared plotting text-property system.

Examples

Add a super title above a subplot figure

subplot(2, 2, 1);
plot(1:10, rand(1, 10));
subplot(2, 2, 2);
plot(1:10, rand(1, 10));
subplot(2, 2, 3);
plot(1:10, rand(1, 10));
subplot(2, 2, 4);
plot(1:10, rand(1, 10));
sgtitle('Experiment Summary');

Style the figure-level title and inspect the returned handle

subplot(1, 2, 1);
imagesc(peaks(20));
subplot(1, 2, 2);
imagesc(peaks(20));
h = sgtitle('Field Comparison', 'FontSize', 18, 'FontWeight', 'bold');
get(h, 'Type')

Expected output:

ans =
    'text'

Target an explicit figure handle

fig = figure(42);
subplot(1, 2, 1);
plot(0:0.1:1, sin(0:0.1:1));
subplot(1, 2, 2);
plot(0:0.1:1, cos(0:0.1:1));
sgtitle(fig, 'Sine and Cosine');

FAQ

How is sgtitle different from title?

title attaches text to the current axes, so each subplot can have its own panel title. sgtitle attaches text to the figure as a whole and is drawn once above all panels. Use title for per-panel labels and sgtitle for the overall figure heading.

Can I update the super title after creating it?

Yes. sgtitle returns a text handle, so you can inspect or update it with get and set.

h = sgtitle('Initial Title');
set(h, 'String', 'Updated Title', 'FontWeight', 'bold');

What target objects are supported?

Phase 1 supports the current figure by default and explicit figure handles through sgtitle(fig, txt, ...). Larger MATLAB target containers such as panels or tabs are tracked separately and are not part of the current implementation.

These functions work well alongside sgtitle. Each page has runnable examples you can try in the browser.

title, subplot, figure, get, set

More plotting resources

Open-source implementation

Unlike proprietary runtimes, every RunMat function is open-source. Read exactly how sgtitle works, line by line, in Rust.

View sgtitle.rs on GitHub
Learn how the runtime works
Found a bug? Open an issue with a minimal reproduction.

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sgtitle — Set a title centered above the entire figure, especially for multi-subplot layouts.

How sgtitle works