R help - Jan 2007 - graphical parameters: margins

Hi all,
 
Please, while using image() which is the graphical parameter which control the
space between ylab and the y axis? I do need to write a number of relatively
long y labels and I am not able the control, if possible, this space.

See the effect I need to avoid...

http://nvx.environmentalchange.net/@rrodriguez/images/overlapping.jpg

Thanks for your help,

Ricardo

--
Ricardo Rodr?guez
Your XEN ICT Team

On Tue, 2007-01-02 at 17:02 +0100, Ricardo Rodr?guez - Your XEN ICT Team
wrote:
> Hi all,
>  
> Please, while using image() which is the graphical parameter which
> control the space between ylab and the y axis? I do need to write a
> number of relatively long y labels and I am not able the control, if
> possible, this space.
> 
> See the effect I need to avoid...
> 
> http://nvx.environmentalchange.net/@rrodriguez/images/overlapping.jpg
> 
> Thanks for your help,
> 
> Ricardo
Either of these two gives you the answer
> help.search("graphical parameters")
> RSiteSearch("graphical parameters margin")
more specifically, read ?par and in particular, the entry for parameter
'mar' and it's relatives.

You might also need to add the axis label separately from the figure:

opar <- par(mar = c(5,7,4,2) +0.1)
plot(1:10, ann = FALSE) # or plot(1:10, ylab = "")
mtext("label", side = 2, line = 6)
par(opar)

1) opar <- par(mar = c(5,7,4,2) +0.1) creates 7.1 lines on the left of
the plot and saves defaults
2) mtext("label", side = 2, line = 6) displays the axis label on line
6
to push it away from the plot axis. Repeat for other sides...
3) par(opar) resets to the defaults.

HTH

G

-- 
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
 Gavin Simpson                 [t] +44 (0)20 7679 0522
 ECRC, UCL Geography,          [f] +44 (0)20 7679 0565
 Pearson Building,             [e] gavin.simpsonATNOSPAMucl.ac.uk
 Gower Street, London          [w] http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucfagls/
 UK. WC1E 6BT.                 [w] http://www.freshwaters.org.uk
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%

--
Ricardo Rodr?guez
Your XEN ICT Team
>>> Gavin Simpson<gavin.simpson at ucl.ac.uk> 2/1/2007 17:44
>>>
>Either of these two gives you the answer
> help.search("graphical parameters")
> RSiteSearch("graphical parameters margin")
>more specifically, read ?par and in particular, the entry for parameter
>'mar' and it's relatives.
>You might also need to add the axis label separately from the figure:
>opar <- par(mar = c(5,7,4,2) +0.1)
>plot(1:10, ann = FALSE) # or plot(1:10, ylab = "")
>mtext("label", side = 2, line = 6)
>par(opar)
>1) opar <- par(mar = c(5,7,4,2) +0.1) creates 7.1 lines on the left of
>the plot and saves defaults
>2) mtext("label", side = 2, line = 6) displays the axis label on
line 6
>to push it away from the plot axis. Repeat for other sides...
>3) par(opar) resets to the defaults.
>HTH
Thanks Gavin,

I frequently reach the help page or any other document concerning the doubt, but
at least for me it is by no means easy to correctly interpret their contents
without the help of more experienced people. I do hope  I will catch up ASAP!

Cheers,

Ricardo

>>> Prof Brian Ripley<ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk> 3/1/2007 09:22
>>>
>In this particular case 'An Introduction to R' has a comprehensive 
>description of graphical parameters with figures (as do all good books on 
>S/R e.g. MASS4 - since it has the same first author).
 
Thanks, Brian,
 
I've reached both "Introduction to R", particularly
http://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/R-intro.html#Figure-margins, and MASS4 at
Springer website. I think it is worth I ask the Three Wise Men for MASS4 as a
present!
 
Greetings,
 
Ricardo