Axis Label Justification (`hjust`, `vjust`)¶

The hjust and vjust parameters control the horizontal and vertical justification of axis labels.

hjust (Horizontal Justification):
Adjusts the horizontal alignment of the label relative to its default position.
- hjust = 0.0 aligns the label to the left.
- hjust = 0.5 centers the label.
- hjust = 1.0 aligns the label to the right.
vjust (Vertical Justification):
Adjusts the vertical alignment of the label relative to its default position.
- vjust = 0.0 aligns the label to the bottom.
- vjust = 0.5 centers the label vertically.
- vjust = 1.0 aligns the label to the top.

Both parameters accept values between 0.0 and 1.0 for precise positioning, allowing for fine-tuned control over label placement in your plots.

In [1]:

%useLatestDescriptors
%use dataframe
%use lets-plot

In [2]:

val mpg = DataFrame.readCSV("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JetBrains/lets-plot-docs/master/data/mpg.csv")
mpg.head(3)

Out[2]:

DataFrame: rowsCount = 3, columnsCount = 12

untitled	manufacturer	model	displ	year	cyl	trans	drv	cty	hwy	fl	class
1	audi	a4	1.800000	1999	4	auto(l5)	f	18	29	p	compact
2	audi	a4	1.800000	1999	4	manual(m5)	f	21	29	p	compact
3	audi	a4	2.000000	2008	4	manual(m6)	f	20	31	p	compact

In [3]:

// Base plot with manufacturer on x-axis
val p = letsPlot(mpg.toMap()) {
        x = "manufacturer" 
        y = "hwy"
} + geomBoxplot(fill = "#7CF", color = "#888") +
    xlab("Manufacturer") +
    ylab("Highway MPG")

In [4]:

p + ggtitle("Default Tick Labels")

Out[4]:

In [5]:

p + ggtitle("90° Rotation, Center-Aligned Vertically") +
    theme(axisTextX = elementText(angle = 90, vjust = 0.5))

Out[5]:

In [6]:

p + ggtitle("30° Rotation, Aligned to the Ticks") +
    theme(axisTextX = elementText(angle = 30, hjust = 1.0, vjust = 1.0))

Out[6]:

In [7]:

p + ggtitle("40° Rotation, at the Bottom, Center-aligned Horizontally") +
        theme(axisTextX = elementText(angle = 40, hjust = 0.5, vjust = 0.0))

Out[7]:

In [8]:

data class CategoryData(val category: String, val value: Int)

val cdata = listOf(
    CategoryData("Highly Recommended", 25),
    CategoryData("Moderately Satisfactory", 40),
    CategoryData("Needs Improvement", 15),
    CategoryData("Exceeds Expectations", 35),
    CategoryData("Barely Acceptable Quality", 10)
)

val cdataMap = mapOf(
    "category" to cdata.map { it.category },
    "value" to cdata.map { it.value }
)

val cp = letsPlot(cdataMap) {
    x = "value" 
    y = "category"
} + geomBar(stat = Stat.identity, fill = "#FB7") +
    ggtitle("Y-Axis Label Justification Demo") +
    xlab("Value") +
    ylab("Category")

Left-aligning long labels creates a consistent starting edge, improving readability, while aligning with natural left-to-right reading patterns.

In [9]:

cp + theme(axisTextY = elementText(hjust = 1.0))

Out[9]:

Axis Label Justification (hjust, vjust)¶

Axis Label Justification (`hjust`, `vjust`)¶