textscatter — Create a 2-D text scatter chart from x/y coordinates and text labels.

textscatter(x,y,str) creates a text scatter chart with labels from str at matching x/y coordinates. textscatter(xy,str) accepts an N-by-2 coordinate matrix. The returned handle is a textscatter chart object with MATLAB-style data and display properties.

Syntax

ts = textscatter(x, y, str)
ts = textscatter(xy, str)
ts = textscatter(ax, ...)
ts = textscatter(..., Name, Value)

Inputs

NameTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
xNumericArrayYesX coordinates.
yNumericArrayYesY coordinates.
strAnyYesString vector or cell array of character vectors.
xyNumericArrayYesN-by-2 coordinate matrix.
propsAnyVariadicName/value TextScatter properties.

Returns

NameTypeDescription
tsNumericScalarHandle to the TextScatter chart object.

Errors

IdentifierWhenMessage
RunMat:textscatter:InvalidArgumentCoordinates, text labels, axes target, or TextScatter property values are invalid.textscatter: invalid argument
RunMat:textscatter:InternalInternal plotting state update fails while creating or mutating TextScatter.textscatter: internal operation failed

How textscatter works

  • x, y, and str must have equal element counts.
  • xy must be an N-by-2 matrix whose first and second columns provide x and y coordinates.
  • str can be a string scalar, string array, character row, character matrix, or cell array of text scalars.
  • The axes-target form textscatter(ax,...) renders into the supplied axes handle.
  • TextDensityPercentage controls how many labels are visible; 0 hides all text labels and 100 shows all labels and suppresses marker creation.
  • MaxTextLength truncates long labels and adds ... at the truncation point.
  • MarkerColor accepts auto, none, or an RGB color. ColorData accepts an RGB triplet or N-by-3 RGB matrix for text colors.
  • get supports Type, Parent, Children, TextData, XData, YData, ZData, TextDensityPercentage, MaxTextLength, MarkerColor, MarkerSize, ColorData, Colors, Visible, DisplayName, and Tag; 2-D charts report empty ZData.
  • set supports TextData, XData, YData, TextDensityPercentage, MaxTextLength, MarkerColor, MarkerSize, ColorData, Colors, Visible, Color, FontSize, FontWeight, FontAngle, and Interpreter. ZData mutation is reserved for textscatter3 charts.
  • Categorical ColorData, datasource properties, callbacks, app data, and interactive data-tip template objects are not implemented yet and raise explicit unsupported-property errors.

Examples

Create a 2-D text scatter chart

x = [1 2 3];
y = [4 5 6];
words = ["one" "two" "three"];
ts = textscatter(x, y, words);

Use an N-by-2 coordinate matrix

xy = [1 4; 2 5; 3 6];
textscatter(xy, ["one" "two" "three"]);

Limit label length and color each label

xy = [1 1; 2 2; 3 3];
colors = [1 0 0; 0 1 0; 0 0 1];
ts = textscatter(xy, ["alphabet" "betatron" "gamma"], 'MaxTextLength', 5, 'ColorData', colors);
get(ts, 'TextData')

Using textscatter with coding agents

Open a RunMat example with live inputs, then ask the agent to explain how textscatter changes the result.

Run a small textscatter example, explain the result, then change one input and compare the output.

FAQ

Does textscatter return individual text handles?

No. RunMat returns a first-class textscatter chart handle. The chart owns the text annotations and marker plot internally, so chart data and display properties can be queried and updated through get and set.

How are markers handled?

When TextDensityPercentage is below 100 and MarkerColor is not none, RunMat creates an internal scatter marker plot. At 100 percent density, markers are suppressed to match MATLAB behavior.

Can textscatter preserve gpuArray residency?

Not currently. Text annotations require host coordinate and label materialization. Marker rendering reuses the existing scatter plot path once the chart has been constructed.

Open-source implementation

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

About RunMat

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