Matplotlib for Storytellers: Python Data Visualization

✍ Scribed by Alexander Clark

• Publisher: Leanpub
• Year: 2023
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 193
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book is written for frustrated and reluctant matplotlib users who care about crafting good data visuals. Matplotlib can be a blank canvas, offering more room for customization than you might find in Microsoft Excel, and offers the advantages of reproducibility and automation that come from working with Python. Still, becoming comfortable with matplotlib requires a lot of patience. I wrote this book to help make that easier and put some essentials in one place.

This book itself doesn't show you how to make particular chart types. The idea is you already have a bar chart, line plot, histogram, etc, but that it's ugly. The book helps you figure out how to beautify your charts and helps make those steps seem less mysterious.

Contents (not all included in current draft)

The Object-oriented Interface

Axes Appearance, Ticks, and Grids

Elements and Coordinate Systems

Text and Titles

Dates

Colors

Multiple Axes and Plots

Style and Configuration

Math Interlude

Math Interlude - Applications

Artist Objects

Artist Objects - Applications

Special Topics - Multi-dimensional Scaling

Special Topics - Intro Stats Graphs

Special Topics - Ternary Plots

✦ Table of Contents

Preface
Technical Notes and Prerequisites
Why Matplotlib?
Good Visualization is like Good Writing
Resources and Inspiration
Text Organization
I Prose
The Object-oriented Interface
Figure, Axes
Mixing the Interfaces
Axes Appearance, Ticks, and Grids
Axis Aspect and Limits
Axis Lines and Spines
Ticks
Grids
Plot Elements and Coordinate Systems
Primitives and Containers
Ordering with [language = Python]zorder
Coordinate Systems and Transformations
Use Window Extents
Text and Titles
Simple Titles
Text and Placement
Text Formatting for Numbers
Legends
Annotations
Labeling and Arrows
Fancy Titles
Multi-colored Titles
Fonts
Importing Fonts with Font Manager
Dates
Plotting
Time Zone Handling
Ticks and Formatting
Date Formats
Colors
Colormaps
Red, Green, Blue, Alpha
Multiple Axes and Plots
Multiple Axes
Using [language = Python]twinx() and [language = Python]twiny()
Multiple Plots
Using [language = Python]subplots
Using [language = Python]addsubplot
Figure Annotations and Legends
GridSpec
Style Configuration
rcParams
Defining Your Own Style
Temporary Configurations
A Final Prose Example
A First Go
Reconfigured, Refactored, and Reusable
II Mathematical Interlude
Math
Circles
The Unit Circle
Non-unit Circles
Rotations and Ellipses
Right Triangles
Applications
Sloping Text
Circular Arrangements
Network Graphs
Tony Hawk's Vertical Loop
III Poetry
Poetry
Applications
Activity Calendar
Heatmaps
Google Trends
NHL Regular Season Records
Directed Graphs
Speedometer
IV Special Topics
Ternary Plots
Ternary
Application: Rock, Paper, Scissors
Intro Statistics
Probability Diagrams
Distributions
Multi-dimensional Scaling