mtext                package:graphics                R Documentation

_W_r_i_t_e _T_e_x_t _i_n_t_o _t_h_e _M_a_r_g_i_n_s _o_f _a _P_l_o_t

_D_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n:

     Text is written in one of the four margins of the current figure
     region or one of the outer margins of the device region.

_U_s_a_g_e:

     mtext(text, side = 3, line = 0, outer = FALSE, at = NA,
           adj = NA, padj = NA, cex = NA, col = NA, font = NA, ...)

_A_r_g_u_m_e_n_t_s:

    text: a character or expression vector specifying the _text_ to be
          written.  Other objects are coerced by 'as.graphicsAnnot'.

    side: on which side of the plot (1=bottom, 2=left, 3=top, 4=right).

    line: on which MARgin line, starting at 0 counting outwards.

   outer: use outer margins if available.

      at: give location in user-coordinates.  If 'length(at)==0' (the
          default), the location will be determined by 'adj'. 

     adj: adjustment for each string in reading direction.  For strings
          parallel to the axes, 'adj = 0' means left or bottom
          alignment, and 'adj = 1' means right or top alignment.

          If 'adj' is not a finite value (the default), the value of
          'par("las")' determines the adjustment.  For strings plotted
          parallel to the axis the default is to centre the string.

    padj: adjustment for each string perpendicular to the reading
          direction (which is controlled by 'adj').  For strings
          parallel to the axes, 'padj = 0' means right or top
          alignment,  and 'padj = 1' means left or bottom alignment.

          If 'padj' is not a finite value (the default), the value of
          'par("las")' determines the adjustment.  For strings plotted
          perpendicular to the axis the default is to centre the
          string.

     cex: character expansion factor.  'NULL' and 'NA' are equivalent
          to '1.0'.  This is an absolute measure, not scaled by
          'par("cex")' or by setting 'par("mfrow")' or 'par("mfcol")'. 
          Can be a vector.

     col: color to use.  Can be a vector.  'NA' values (the default)
          mean use 'par("col")'.

    font: font for text.  Can be a vector.  'NA' values (the default)
          mean use 'par("font")'.

     ...: Further graphical parameters (see 'par'), including 'family',
          'las' and 'xpd'.  (This defaults to the figure region unless
          'outer = TRUE', otherwise the device region.  It can only be
          increased.)

_D_e_t_a_i_l_s:

     The "user coordinates" in the outer margins always range from zero
     to one, and are not affected by the user coordinates in the figure
     region(s) - R is differing here from other implementations of S.

     All of the named arguments can be vectors, and recycling will take
     place to plot as many strings as the longest of the vector
     arguments.

     Note that a vector 'adj' has a different meaning from 'text'. 
     'adj = 0.5' will centre the string, but for 'outer=TRUE' on the
     device region rather than the plot region.

     Parameter 'las' will determine the orientation of the string(s).
     For strings plotted perpendicular to the axis the default
     justification is to place the end of the string nearest the axis
     on the specified line.  (Note that this differs from S, which uses
     'srt' if 'at' is supplied and 'las' if it is not.)

     Note that if the text is to be plotted perpendicular to the axis,
     'adj' determines the justification of the string _and_ the
     position along the axis unless 'at' is specified.

_S_i_d_e _E_f_f_e_c_t_s:

     The given text is written onto the current plot.

_R_e_f_e_r_e_n_c_e_s:

     Becker, R. A., Chambers, J. M. and Wilks, A. R. (1988) _The New S
     Language_. Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole.

_S_e_e _A_l_s_o:

     'title', 'text', 'plot', 'par'; 'plotmath' for details on
     mathematical annotation.

_E_x_a_m_p_l_e_s:

     plot(1:10, (-4:5)^2, main="Parabola Points", xlab="xlab")
     mtext("10 of them")
     for(s in 1:4)
         mtext(paste("mtext(..., line= -1, {side, col, font} = ",s,
               ", cex = ", (1+s)/2, ")"), line = -1,
               side=s, col=s, font=s, cex= (1+s)/2)
     mtext("mtext(..., line= -2)", line = -2)
     mtext("mtext(..., line= -2, adj = 0)", line = -2, adj =0)
     ##--- log axis :
     plot(1:10, exp(1:10), log='y', main="log='y'", xlab="xlab")
     for(s in 1:4) mtext(paste("mtext(...,side=",s,")"), side=s)

