How to Put Plots Without Any Space Using plot_grid in R?
Last Updated :
25 Sep, 2024
Combining multiple plots into a single visual can be incredibly useful for data comparison and storytelling. In R, the cowplot
package provides the plot_grid()
function, which makes it easy to arrange multiple ggplot2
plots into a grid layout. Sometimes, you might want these plots to appear without any gaps between them to create a clean and seamless look. This article will show you how to achieve this using plot_grid
.
Introduction to the Cowplot Package
The cowplot
package is an extension that makes combining multiple plots into a single layout easyggplot2
. It offers more control over plot arrangement, margins, and labels.
install.packages("cowplot")
library(cowplot)
Now we will discuss how to Put Plots Without Any Space Using plot_grid in R Programming Language.
Step 1: Creating Basic Plots with ggplot2
First, we need to create some sample plots using ggplot2
. Let's create a sample dataset:
R
install.packages("ggplot2")
library(ggplot2)
# Sample dataset
set.seed(123)
data <- data.frame(
category = rep(LETTERS[1:3], each = 10),
value1 = rnorm(30, mean = 5, sd = 1),
value2 = rnorm(30, mean = 10, sd = 2)
)
# Plot 1: A boxplot
plot1 <- ggplot(data, aes(x = category, y = value1, fill = category)) +
geom_boxplot() +
theme_minimal()
# Plot 2: A scatter plot
plot2 <- ggplot(data, aes(x = category, y = value2, color = category)) +
geom_point(size = 3) +
theme_minimal()
Step 2: Using plot_grid to Combine Plots
The plot_grid()
function allows us to arrange multiple plots in a single layout. By default, some space is present between plots:
R
# Combining plots with default spacing
combined_plot <- plot_grid(plot1, plot2, ncol = 1)
print(combined_plot)
Output:
Plots Without Any Space Using plot_grid in RStep 3: Removing Space Between Plots
To remove the space between the plots, we can adjust the rel_heights
or rel_widths
parameter and set align
to 'v'
(vertical) or 'h'
(horizontal). This aligns the plots and removes unnecessary spacing.
R
# Removing vertical space between two plots
combined_plot_no_space <- plot_grid(plot1, plot2, ncol = 1,
align = "v", rel_heights = c(1, 1), axis = "lr")
print(combined_plot_no_space)
# Removing horizontal space between two plots
combined_plot_no_space_horizontal <- plot_grid(plot1, plot2, nrow = 1,
align = "h", rel_widths = c(1, 1), axis = "tb")
print(combined_plot_no_space_horizontal)
Output:
Plots Without Any Space Using plot_grid in RThe axis
parameter ("lr"
for left-right and "tb"
for top-bottom) ensures alignment across the shared axis.
Practical Examples with Visualizations
Let's create three different examples using various combinations of plots to illustrate how to remove space effectively. Combining a Line Plot and Bar Plot Vertically Without Space
R
# Line Plot
line_plot <- ggplot(data, aes(x = category, y = value1, group = 1)) +
geom_line(color = "blue", size = 1) +
theme_minimal()
# Bar Plot
bar_plot <- ggplot(data, aes(x = category, y = value2, fill = category)) +
geom_bar(stat = "identity", color = "black") +
theme_minimal()
# Combine vertically without space
combined_example1 <- plot_grid(line_plot, bar_plot, ncol = 1, align = "v", rel_heights = c(1, 1), axis = "lr")
print(combined_example1)
Output:
Plots Without Any Space Using plot_grid in RExample 2: Combining a Histogram and Density Plot Horizontally Without Space
In this example we will Combining a Histogram and Density Plot Horizontally Without Space.
R
# Histogram
histogram_plot <- ggplot(data, aes(x = value1, fill = category)) +
geom_histogram(binwidth = 0.5, alpha = 0.7) +
theme_minimal()
# Density Plot
density_plot <- ggplot(data, aes(x = value1, fill = category)) +
geom_density(alpha = 0.7) +
theme_minimal()
# Combine horizontally without space
combined_example2 <- plot_grid(histogram_plot, density_plot, nrow = 1, align = "h",
rel_widths = c(1, 1), axis = "tb")
print(combined_example2)
Output:
Plots Without Any Space Using plot_grid in RConclusion
Using plot_grid
from the cowplot
package makes it easy to combine multiple plots into a single visualization while removing any unwanted space. This is particularly useful when you want to create clean, side-by-side comparisons or when you want your plots to appear as a cohesive unit. By setting align
, rel_heights
, and rel_widths
appropriately, you can achieve various configurations that fit your data visualization needs. By following these examples, you should be able to combine and align your plots seamlessly, creating a more polished and professional look for your R visualizations.
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