How to Align an Ordinary ggplot with a Faceted One in cowplot in R?
Last Updated :
26 Sep, 2024
When working with visualizations in R, you might often encounter situations where you want to align an ordinary ggplot
with a faceted ggplot
. The cowplot
package provides an easy way to combine and align such plots, ensuring a more cohesive and structured presentation. In this article, we'll explore how to align an ordinary ggplot
with a faceted one using the cowplot
package using R Programming Language.
What is a cowplot?
cowplot
is an extension of ggplot2
that helps in creating publication-quality plots by providing additional tools for arranging multiple plots into a single visualization. It allows you to align plots with different aspects, such as ordinary and faceted plots, while maintaining consistent scaling and spacing.
Installation and Loading Required Packages
Before we start, ensure that you have the necessary packages installed:
install.packages("ggplot2")
install.packages("cowplot")
library(ggplot2)
library(cowplot)
Let's start by creating two plots:
- An ordinary
ggplot
- A faceted
ggplot
We'll use the built-in mtcars
dataset for this example:
Step 1: Create the Ordinary ggplot
First we will Create the Ordinary ggplot.
R
# Ordinary ggplot
ordinary_plot <- ggplot(mtcars, aes(x = wt, y = mpg)) +
geom_point(color = "blue", size = 3) +
labs(title = "Ordinary Plot", x = "Weight (1000 lbs)", y = "Miles per Gallon") +
theme_minimal()
# Ordinary ggplot
ordinary_plot
Output:
Create the Ordinary ggplotStep 2: Create the Faceted ggplot
Now we will Create the Faceted ggplot.
R
# Faceted ggplot
faceted_plot <- ggplot(mtcars, aes(x = wt, y = mpg)) +
geom_point(color = "red", size = 3) +
facet_wrap(~cyl) + # Facet by number of cylinders
labs(title = "Faceted Plot", x = "Weight (1000 lbs)", y = "Miles per Gallon") +
theme_minimal()
# Faceted ggplot
faceted_plot
Output:
Create the Faceted ggplotStep 3: Align the Plots Using plot_grid()
To align the two plots, we'll use plot_grid()
from the cowplot
package. This function helps align multiple plots, ensuring that they share the same x-axis or y-axis alignment.
R
# Align the ordinary plot with the faceted plot using plot_grid
aligned_plot <- plot_grid(
ordinary_plot, # Ordinary ggplot
faceted_plot, # Faceted ggplot
ncol = 1, # Arrange plots in one column
align = "v", # Align vertically
axis = "lr" # Align the left and right axis
)
# Display the aligned plot
aligned_plot
Output:
Align the Plots Using plot_grid()ncol = 1
: This arranges the plots in a single column (one on top of the other).align = "v"
: This aligns the plots vertically.axis = "lr"
: This aligns the left and right axes.
The plot_grid()
function from cowplot
enables us to combine and align the ordinary ggplot
with the faceted one, ensuring that both plots share the same x-axis or y-axis alignment. The result is a cohesive visualization where both plots appear neatly aligned, making comparisons and interpretations more accessible.
Conclusion
Aligning an ordinary ggplot
with a faceted one using the cowplot
package provides a structured and cohesive way to present multiple visualizations. By using plot_grid()
, you can ensure that your plots are aligned correctly, whether you need them arranged vertically or horizontally. This is especially useful when comparing different aspects of data side by side, making it easier to interpret and analyze.