Configuring Custom Default figure options in Matlab

00_README.md

Default Graphic Configuration

Installation

Check which is the startup file through the command:

which startup

and add in the same directory the included script 01_graphic_defaults.m. Add in the startup file the line

run 01_graphic_defaults

Configurations

• always uses opengl as default renderer
• set up figure position and dimension units to centimeters
• set up the paper to a custom dimension (intead of a standard one)
• set up dimensions for figure: 18cm width x 15cm width
• set up dimensions for output paper: 18cm width x 15cm width
• figure background color is white
• figure fonts are all set to Palatino, with scaling for title fixed
• grid are on by default, both on X and Y
• for all text interpreter is set to LaTeX (thus rember to use $ to open/close math mode)

Exporting a figure

To show/export an image 10cm x 12cm use the following code:

figure('Position', [0, 0, 10, 12], 'PaperSize', [10, 12])
  scatter(0:99, rand(100,1));
  
  % Exporting command
  saveas(gcf, '02_figure.pdf');

This method guarantees that the dimension of the output file are consistent with the configuration.

01_graphic_defaults.m

%  ___       __           _ _         ___ ___  ___   ___ _____
% |   \ ___ / _|__ _ _  _| | |_ ___  / __| _ \/ _ \ / _ \_   _|
% | |) / -_)  _/ _` | || | |  _(_-< | (_ |   / (_) | (_) || |
% |___/\___|_| \__,_|\_,_|_|\__/__/  \___|_|_\\___/ \___/ |_|

%% CELL OF ONFIGURATIONS

c = struct();

c.FigureRenderer = 'opengl';
c.FigureUnits = 'centimeters';
c.FigurePaperType = '<custom>';
c.FigurePosition = [0 0 18 15];
c.FigurePaperSize = [18 15];
c.FigureColor = 'w';
c.AxesFontName = 'Palatino';
c.TextFontName = c.AxesFontName;
c.LegendFontName = c.AxesFontName;
c.PolaraxesFontName = c.AxesFontName;
c.TextarrowshapeFontName = c.AxesFontName;
c.TextboxshapeFontName = c.AxesFontName;
c.ColorbarFontName = c.AxesFontName;
c.AxesTitleFontSizeMultiplier = 1.5;
c.PolaraxesTitleFontSizeMultiplier = 1.5;
c.LegendInterpreter = 'latex';
c.AxesTickLabelInterpreter = c.LegendInterpreter;
c.ColorbarTickLabelInterpreter = c.LegendInterpreter;
c.PolaraxesTickLabelInterpreter = c.LegendInterpreter;
c.TextInterpreter = c.LegendInterpreter;
c.TextarrowshapeInterpreter = c.LegendInterpreter;
c.TextboxshapeInterpreter = c.LegendInterpreter;
c.AxesXGrid = 'on';
c.AxesYGrid = 'on';

%% Setting Up... do not modify

fields = fieldnames(c);
for i = 1:length(fields)
  prop = strcat('default', fields{i});
  value = c.(fields{i});
  fprintf(1, 'Setting %s to: %s\n', fields{i}, string(value));
  set(groot, prop, value);
end

clear c fields i prop value

02_figure.pdf