subplot — Split a figure into subplot grids for multi-panel charts, side-by-side comparisons, and MATLAB subplot workflows.
subplot(m, n, p) selects an axes location inside an m by n figure grid and returns an axes handle for that slot. In RunMat, subplot selection is the backbone for axes-local plot state: legends, labels, log modes, view angles, and plot children all attach to the currently selected subplot unless an explicit handle is passed.
How subplot works
- The returned value is an axes handle that can be passed explicitly to later plotting commands.
- Subplot-local metadata stays isolated per axes: titles, legends, limits, log modes, and 3-D view state are all tracked independently.
- Subsequent plotting commands operate on the selected subplot unless another axes handle is passed explicitly.
- Indices are one-based in the MATLAB style.
subplot(2, 2, 3)selects the third slot in row-major order.
Examples
Create a 2x2 subplot layout
subplot(2, 2, 1);
plot(0:0.1:1, (0:0.1:1).^2);
subplot(2, 2, 2);
scatter(1:5, [5 4 3 2 1]);Capture and reuse an axes handle explicitly
ax = subplot(1, 2, 2);
plot(ax, 0:0.1:1, sin(0:0.1:1));
get(ax, 'Type')Expected output:
ans =
'axes'Show that subplot-local state stays isolated
subplot(1, 2, 1);
semilogx(logspace(0, 2, 50), logspace(0, 2, 50));
subplot(1, 2, 2);
plot(1:5, 1:5);Expected output:
% Only the first subplot uses a logarithmic x-axisFAQ
How do I control the number of rows and columns in a subplot layout?⌄
The first two arguments to subplot(m, n, p) set the grid dimensions: m rows and n columns. The third argument p selects which slot to activate, counted in row-major order starting at 1. subplot(3, 1, 2) gives you the middle row of a three-row single-column layout.
Can two subplots share the same x-axis range?⌄
Set matching limits on both axes manually with axis or set. There's no automatic linkaxes yet, but explicit limits keep them in sync.
subplot(2, 1, 1); plot(0:10, rand(1, 11)); axis([0 10 0 1]);
subplot(2, 1, 2); plot(0:10, rand(1, 11)); axis([0 10 0 1]);Can I make subplots of unequal sizes?⌄
You can span multiple grid slots by passing a vector as the third argument. subplot(2, 2, [1 2]) creates a subplot that spans the entire top row of a 2x2 grid, while the bottom row keeps two separate panels.
Related Plotting functions
More plotting resources
Open-source implementation
Unlike proprietary runtimes, every RunMat function is open-source. Read exactly how subplot works, line by line, in Rust.
- View subplot.rs on GitHub
- Learn how the runtime works
- Found a bug? Open an issue with a minimal reproduction.
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