R: Write Text into the Margins of a Plot

mtext {graphics} | R Documentation

## Write Text into the Margins of a Plot

### Description

Text is written in one of the four margins of the current figure region or one of the outer margins of the device region.

### Usage

    mtext(text, side = 3, line = 0, outer = FALSE, at = NA,
          adj = NA, padj = NA, cex = NA, col = NA, font = NA, ...)

### Arguments

`text` | a character or expression vector specifying the text to be written. Other objects are coerced by `as.graphicsAnnot`.
`side` | on which side of the plot (1=bottom, 2=left, 3=top, 4=right).
`line` | on which MARgin line, starting at 0 counting outwards.
`outer` | use outer margins if available.
`at` | give location of each string in user coordinates. If the component of `at` corresponding to a particular text item is not a finite value (the default), the location will be determined by `adj`.
`adj` | adjustment for each string in reading direction. For strings parallel to the axes, `adj = 0` means left or bottom alignment, and `adj = 1` means right or top alignment. If `adj` is not a finite value (the default), the value of `par("las")` determines the adjustment. For strings plotted parallel to the axis the default is to centre the string.
`padj` | adjustment for each string perpendicular to the reading direction (which is controlled by `adj`). For strings parallel to the axes, `padj = 0` means right or top alignment, and `padj = 1` means left or bottom alignment. If `padj` is not a finite value (the default), the value of `par("las")` determines the adjustment. For strings plotted perpendicular to the axis the default is to centre the string.
`cex` | character expansion factor. `NULL` and `NA` are equivalent to `1.0`. This is an absolute measure, not scaled by `par("cex")` or by setting `par("mfrow")` or `par("mfcol")`. Can be a vector.
`col` | color to use. Can be a vector. `NA` values (the default) mean use `par("col")`.
`font` | font for text. Can be a vector. `NA` values (the default) mean use `par("font")`.
`...` | Further graphical parameters (see `par`), including `family`, `las` and `xpd`. (The latter defaults to the figure region unless `outer = TRUE`, otherwise the device region. It can only be increased.)

### Details

The user coordinates in the outer margins always range from zero to one, and are not affected by the user coordinates in the figure region(s) — R differs here from other implementations of S.

All of the named arguments can be vectors, and recycling will take place to plot as many strings as the longest of the vector arguments.

Note that a vector `adj` has a different meaning from `text`. `adj = 0.5` will centre the string, but for `outer = TRUE` on the device region rather than the plot region.

Parameter `las` will determine the orientation of the string(s). For strings plotted perpendicular to the axis the default justification is to place the end of the string nearest the axis on the specified line. (Note that this differs from S, which uses `srt` if `at` is supplied and `las` if it is not. Parameter `srt` is ignored in R.)

Note that if the text is to be plotted perpendicular to the axis, `adj` determines the justification of the string and the position along the axis unless `at` is specified.

Graphics parameter `"ylbias"` (see `par`) determines how the text baseline is placed relative to the nominal line.

### Side Effects

The given text is written onto the current plot.

### References

Becker, R. A., Chambers, J. M. and Wilks, A. R. (1988) The New S Language. Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole.

### See Also

`title`, `text`, `plot`, `par`; `plotmath` for details on mathematical annotation.

### Examples

    plot(1:10, (-4:5)^2, main = "Parabola Points", xlab = "xlab")
    mtext("10 of them")
    for(s in 1:4)
        mtext(paste("mtext(..., line= -1, {side, col, font} = ", s,
              ", cex = ", (1+s)/2, ")"), line = -1,
              side = s, col = s, font = s, cex = (1+s)/2)
    mtext("mtext(..., line= -2)", line = -2)
    mtext("mtext(..., line= -2, adj = 0)", line = -2, adj = 0)
    ##--- log axis :
    plot(1:10, exp(1:10), log = "y", main = "log =\"y\"", xlab = "xlab")
    for(s in 1:4) mtext(paste("mtext(...,side=", s ,")"), side = s)

[Package graphics version 3.1.2 Index]