scaleruler
Add or modify graphic scale on axesm-based map
Description
scaleruler toggles the display of the graphic scale on the current
axesm-based map. A graphic scale shows distances on the ground at the
correct size for the projection. If the map does not have a graphic scale, then
scaleruler adds one. If the map has one or more graphic scales, then
scaleruler removes them.
scaleruler on adds a graphic scale to the current
axesm-based map. You can add multiple graphic scales to the same
axesm-based map.
scaleruler off removes all graphic scales from the current
axesm-based map.
scaleruler( adds a graphic scale to
the current Name,Value)axesm-based map and specifies properties using name-value
arguments. For example, "RulerStyle","patches"
displays a graphic scale with alternating black and white rectangles.
Examples
Create a map display of Florida.
usamap("Florida") geoshow("usastatelo.shp","FaceColor","yellow")
Add a graphic scale. Change the location of the scale by setting the XLoc and YLoc properties. Specify tick locations using the MajorTick property.
gs1 = scaleruler; setm(gs1,"XLoc",-3.21e5,"YLoc",2.81e6,"MajorTick",0:200:600)
Add a second graphic scale that shows distance in nautical miles. Change the direction of the tick marks and text by setting the TickDir property.
gs2 = scaleruler("Units","nm"); setm(gs2,"XLoc",-3.2e5,"YLoc",2.78e6,"TickDir","down", ... "MajorTick",0:100:300,"MinorTick",0:25:50, ... "MajorTickLength",km2nm(25),"MinorTickLength",km2nm(12.5))
Create a map of Texas and the surrounding states. Your map might look different because the polcmap function randomizes colors.
states = readgeotable("usastatehi.shp"); usamap("Texas") h = height(states); faceColors = makesymbolspec("Polygon",{'INDEX',[1 h],'FaceColor',polcmap(h)}); geoshow(states,"DisplayType","polygon","SymbolSpec",faceColors)
Add a graphic scale. By default, the graphic scale displays values in kilometers. Change the location, adjust the major tick marks, and set the font size to 8 points.
scaleruler on gs1 = handlem("scaleruler1"); setm(gs1,"XLoc",-6.2e5,"YLoc",3.03e6,"MajorTick",0:200:600,"FontSize",8)
Create a second graphic scale using units of nautical miles. Adjust the major and minor tick marks.
scaleruler("Units","nm") gs2 = handlem("scaleruler2"); setm(gs2,"XLoc",-6.2e5,"YLoc",3.0e6,"MajorTick",0:100:300,"MinorTick",0:25:50, ... "TickDir","down","MajorTickLength",km2nm(25),"MinorTickLength",km2nm(12.5),"FontSize",8)
Change the ruler styles.
setm(gs1,"RulerStyle","lines") setm(gs2,"RulerStyle","patches")
Name-Value Arguments
Specify optional pairs of arguments as
Name1=Value1,...,NameN=ValueN, where Name is
the argument name and Value is the corresponding value.
Name-value arguments must appear after other arguments, but the order of the
pairs does not matter.
Before R2021a, use commas to separate each name and value, and enclose
Name in quotes.
Example: scaleruler("Units","nm") creates a graphic scale that
displays units in nautical miles
Ticks and Labels
Font
Position
Color and Styling
Color of the graphic scale, tick marks, and text, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.
For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.
An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range
[0,1], for example,[0.4 0.6 0.7].A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (
#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from0toF. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes"#FF8800","#ff8800","#F80", and"#f80"are equivalent.
Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and the hexadecimal color codes.
| Color Name | Short Name | RGB Triplet | Hexadecimal Color Code | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
"red" | "r" | [1 0 0] | "#FF0000" |
|
"green" | "g" | [0 1 0] | "#00FF00" |
|
"blue" | "b" | [0 0 1] | "#0000FF" |
|
"cyan"
| "c" | [0 1 1] | "#00FFFF" |
|
"magenta" | "m" | [1 0 1] | "#FF00FF" |
|
"yellow" | "y" | [1 1 0] | "#FFFF00" |
|
"black" | "k" | [0 0 0] | "#000000" |
|
"white" | "w" | [1 1 1] | "#FFFFFF" |
|
"none" | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | No color |
This table lists the default color palettes for plots in the light and dark themes.
| Palette | Palette Colors |
|---|---|
Before R2025a: Most plots use these colors by default. |
|
|
|
You can get the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for these palettes using the orderedcolors and rgb2hex functions. For example, get the RGB triplets for the "gem" palette and convert them to hexadecimal color codes.
RGB = orderedcolors("gem");
H = rgb2hex(RGB);Before R2023b: Get the RGB triplets using RGB =
get(groot,"FactoryAxesColorOrder").
Before R2024a: Get the hexadecimal color codes using H =
compose("#%02X%02X%02X",round(RGB*255)).
Style of the graphic scale, specified as one of these options:
"ruler"— Resembles the x-axis of anAxesobject."lines"— Displays three horizontal lines across the tick marks."patches"— Alternates black and white rectangles in place of lines and tick marks.
Line width of graphic scale, specified as a numeric scalar in point units.
Scaling
Output Arguments
Tips
In addition to the syntax scaleruler off, you can remove graphic scales
from an axesm-based map by using one of these methods:
clmo scaleruler— Remove all graphic scales.clmo scalerulerN— Remove the Nth graphic scale, such asclmo scaleruler2.delete(— Remove the graphic scale specified bygs)gs.delete(handlem("scalerulerN"))— Remove the Nth graphic scale, such asdelete(handlem("scaleruler2")).
Version History
Introduced before R2006a
