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RE: I hate using Legend

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg29192] RE: [mg29147] I hate using Legend
  • From: "Annetts, David (DEM, North Ryde)" <David.Annetts at syd.dem.csiro.au>
  • Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2001 05:54:46 -0400 (EDT)
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Hi Brett,

> I am very frustrated by the Legend package.
> 
> I have tried using it on and off for several years now,
> and I am always dissatisfied with its output.
> 
> The main difficulty I have is with the size of the legend box
> being too small for the key label I want to use.
> It works fine for single (or a few) letter labels,
> but seems to screw up for a label of more than about 10 characters.
> The box clips the longer labels.
> I've tried using LabelTextSpacing, etc but it then
> opens a can of worms trying to balance all the spacings
> to get a decent label.
> 
> Does anyone else have these problems with Legend?
> 
> Are there any easy answers?

Truely, Legend sucks:)

For me, it sucks the least when I construct my legends by hand.  This means 
that my legends tend to look like:-

ltxt = StringReplace[#, {".AMR" -> "", "203" -> "LF95"}] & /@
ToUpperCase[ifiles];
llin = Graphics[{pcol[[#]], Line[{{-1, 0}, {0, 0}}]}] & /@
Range[Length[pcol]];
lgnd = {Transpose[{llin, ltxt}],
      LegendLabel -> "Compiler",
      LegendOrientation -> Vertical,
      LegendShadow -> None,
      LegendSize -> {.2, .4},
      LegendPosition -> {.75, -.25}
      };

and I use them via ShowLegend[graphic, lgnd].  Often, considerable
experimentation 
in the settings of LegendSize and LegendPosition is required to get the
thing 
positioned correctly.  This seems to be sufficiently versatile and allows
me, for 
example, to have a single Legend for a GraphicsArray of Plots.  This method
allows 
finer control over FontSize and Line thickness.  Because the graphic postion
of the 
Legend is constructed by hand, it allows PlotSymbols and Lines to be
overlayed and
coloured when (if?) you want to have GraphicArrays and/or Plots with symbols
on them 
so that you don't pay a premium for publication of Figures in colour.

The problem is that coordinates in Legend are based on the single graphic
rather than
on the plot within the graphic. 

For Contour & Density plots, Wickham-Jones' ExtendGraphics package has some
useful 
options and it may be worth trying these.

Regards,

Dave.
-------------------------------
  David Annetts
  EM Modelling Analyst
  CSIRO DEM, North Ryde
  Tel: (+612) 9490 5416
  Fax: (+612) 9490 5467

  Include "usual_disclaimers"

-------------------------------


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