What is the best way to position and scale a long TikZ file in a beamer slide?

Question

I have several TikZ pictures, most are long files, which I would like to include in a Beamer presentation.

I am using adjustbox package to scale the tikzpicture and using the columns environment and \vspace{} to place the figure. For example,

\documentclass[t]{beamer}
\usepackage{multicol}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{positioning}
\usepackage{graphicx}
% \usepackage{textpos} % para posicionar los frames en color
\usepackage{xcolor}
%%%---------------
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.multipart}
\usetikzlibrary{positioning}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.geometric, arrows,positioning,shapes,arrows}
%%%%---------------------
\usepackage{adjustbox}
\setbeamercovered{transparent=7}
\begin{document}
        \begin{frame}[t]{Calidad}
            La calidad está relacionada con el ancho de banda y el retardo, e influye en la \textcolor{blue}{fiabilidad} y la \textcolor{blue}{\textbf{disponibilidad}}
            \begin{columns}[onlytextwidth]
                \begin{column}{0.48\textwidth} \vspace{.5cm}
                \begin{adjustbox}{max totalsize={1\textwidth}{1\textheight},left}
                     \begin{tikzpicture}%[font=\sffamily,]
                     % \draw[help lines] (0,-1) grid (8,6);
                     \draw[draw=black,fill=blue!10!green!30,semithick] (0,2) rectangle ++(3,1) node[yshift=+0.7cm,align=left] (A) {\small Falta de\\\small rendimiento};
                     \draw[draw=black,fill=yellow!20,semithick] (3,2) rectangle ++(1.8,1) node[pos=0.5] (B) {{\small 1}};
                     \draw[draw=black,fill=yellow!20,semithick] (4.8,2) rectangle ++(1,1)node[pos=0.5] {{\small 2}};
                     \draw[draw=black,fill=red!20,semithick] (5.8,2) rectangle ++(0.7,1) node (bel) [pos=0.5] {};
                    \draw[&gt;-latex,semithick,red] ($(A)+(-0.4,-0.55)$) -- ($(A)+(0.4,-0.55)$);
                    \draw[&gt;-latex,semithick,red] ($(B)+(0.65,0)$) --++ (0.55,0); 

                   \draw[black,latex-latex,] (0, 1.4) --++ (3,0) node [midway,above] {\small{Capacidad real}};
                   \draw[black,latex-latex,] (0, .5) --++ (6.5,0) node [midway,above] {\small{Capacidad total}};
                   \node[below,align=left] (i1) at (2,0) {\small 1. Incrementar la eficiencia  \\ \small 2. Mejorar la \only&lt;2&gt;{disponibilidad}\only&lt;3-&gt;{\textbf{disponibilidad}}};
                   \draw[thin] (0,2) --++ (0,-1.6);
                   \draw[thin] (3,2) --++ (0,-0.7);
                   \draw[thin] (6.5,2) --++ (0,-1.6);

                   \draw[black,latex-] (5.3,3) --++ (120:1.2) node [above, align=left,xshift=0.5cm] {\small Indisponibilidad\\ \small evitable};
                   \draw[black,latex-] ($(bel) + (0,.5)$) --++ (90:0.3) node [above, align=left,xshift=0.5cm] {\small Indisponibilidad\\ \small inevitable};  
                 \end{tikzpicture}
            \end{adjustbox}
            \end{column}
            \column{0.49\textwidth}
            \begin{block}{GdR sirve para mejorar la disponibilidad}
                \begin{itemize}
                    \item Provisión de servicios
                    \item&lt;+-&gt; Evolución del rendimiento
                    \item&lt;+-&gt; Correlación de alarmas
                \end{itemize}
            \end{block}

        \end{columns}
    \end{frame}


\end{document}

I would like to make \input{file.tex} to make a cleaner code. Besides, I want to be able to scale down the tickzpicture of file.tex and easily test where to place the resulting image at the free space left in the slide.

Please, merge your code fragment and extend than to an MWE (Minimal Working example), a small but complete document, which reproduce your problem. — Zarko, Aug 21 '21 at 13:12
@Zarko Thank you. I have made changes in the example to be MWE. — pablo, Aug 21 '21 at 15:37
You can try using the columns environment to split the slide into columns of selected widths, and place the table on one and the figure on the other. — vonbrand, Aug 21 '21 at 19:45

Simon Dispa · Answer 1 · 2021-08-21T21:31:19.077

You can put all your tikz images in individual files (maybe in a different directory for reuse) to clean up the beamer code and also to optimize them one by one outside of the presentation.

This is the main.tex file.

\documentclass[t]{beamer}
\usepackage{multicol}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{positioning}
\usepackage{graphicx}
% \usepackage{textpos} % para posicionar los frames en color
\usepackage{xcolor}
%%%---------------
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.multipart}
\usetikzlibrary{positioning}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.geometric, arrows,positioning,shapes,arrows}
%%%%---------------------
\usepackage{adjustbox}
\setbeamercovered{transparent=7}
\begin{document}
    \begin{frame}[t]{Calidad}
        La calidad está relacionada con el ancho de banda y el retardo, e influye en la \textcolor{blue}{fiabilidad} y la \textcolor{blue}{\textbf{disponibilidad}}
        \begin{columns}[onlytextwidth]
            \begin{column}{0.48\textwidth} \vspace{.5cm}
                \begin{adjustbox}{max totalsize={1\textwidth}{1\textheight},left}                   
                    \input{firstfigure} %<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
                \end{adjustbox}
            \end{column}
            \begin{column}{0.49\textwidth}
            \begin{block}{GdR sirve para mejorar la disponibilidad}
                \begin{itemize}
                    \item Provisión de servicios
                    \item<+-> Evolución del rendimiento
                    \item<+-> Correlación de alarmas
                \end{itemize}
            \end{block}
            \end{column}
        \end{columns}
    \end{frame}
\end{document}

This is fistfigure.tex (in the same directory of main.tex)

%% file firstfigure.tex
\resizebox{!}{\linewidth}{% see https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/4340/161015
\begin{tikzpicture}%[font=\sffamily,]
    \draw[help lines] (0,-1) grid (8,6);
    \draw[draw=black,fill=blue!10!green!30,semithick] (0,2) rectangle ++(3,1) node[yshift=+0.7cm,align=left] (A) {\small Falta de\\small rendimiento};
    \draw[draw=black,fill=yellow!20,semithick] (3,2) rectangle ++(1.8,1) node[pos=0.5] (B) {{\small 1}};
    \draw[draw=black,fill=yellow!20,semithick] (4.8,2) rectangle ++(1,1)node[pos=0.5] {{\small 2}};
    \draw[draw=black,fill=red!20,semithick] (5.8,2) rectangle ++(0.7,1) node (bel) [pos=0.5] {};
\draw[&gt;-latex,semithick,red] ($(A)+(-0.4,-0.55)$) -- ($(A)+(0.4,-0.55)$);
\draw[&gt;-latex,semithick,red] ($(B)+(0.65,0)$) --++ (0.55,0); 

\draw[black,latex-latex,] (0, 1.4) --++ (3,0) node [midway,above] {\small{Capacidad real}};
\draw[black,latex-latex,] (0, .5) --++ (6.5,0) node [midway,above] {\small{Capacidad total}};
\node[below,text width=5cm] (i1) at (3,0) {\small 1. Incrementar la eficiencia  \\ \small 2. Mejorar la \only&lt;2&gt;{disponibilidad}\only&lt;3&gt;{\textbf{disponibilidad}}};             

\draw[thin] (0,2) --++ (0,-1.6);
\draw[thin] (3,2) --++ (0,-0.7);
\draw[thin] (6.5,2) --++ (0,-1.6);

\draw[black,latex-] (5.3,3) --++ (120:1.2) node [above, align=left,xshift=0.5cm] {\small Indisponibilidad\\ \small evitable};
\draw[black,latex-] ($(bel) + (0,.5)$) --++ (90:0.3) node [above, align=left,xshift=0.5cm] {\small Indisponibilidad\\ \small inevitable};  

\end{tikzpicture}
}

Note some changes:

From

\node[below,align=left] (i1) at (2,0) {\small 1. Incrementar la eficiencia  \\ \small 2. Mejorar la \only<2>{disponibilidad}\only<3->{\textbf{disponibilidad}}};

to

\node[below,text width=5cm] (i1) at (3,0) {\small 1. Incrementar la eficiencia  \\ \small 2. Mejorar la \only<2>{disponibilidad}\only<3>{\textbf{disponibilidad}}};

to improve the left alignment of the text in the three consecutive slides.

whereas before

One option for scaling is to use

\resizebox{<horizontal size>}{<vertical size>}{%
    \begin{tikzpicture}
\end{tikzpicture}

}

To keep the aspect ratio use ! in one of the dimensions.

\resizebox{!}{\linewidth}{ <content>}.

Using \resizebox{!}{0.7\linewidth}{%

NOTE \adjustbox is not used.

Use \begin{column}[T]{0.48\textwidth}

T aligns the tops of the first lines while the global default option is t .

    \documentclass[t]{beamer}
\usepackage{multicol}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{positioning}
\usepackage{graphicx}
% \usepackage{textpos} % para posicionar los frames en color
\usepackage{xcolor}
%%%---------------
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.multipart}
\usetikzlibrary{positioning}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.geometric, arrows,positioning,shapes,arrows}
%%%%---------------------
%\usepackage{adjustbox}% not used <<<<<
\setbeamercovered{transparent=7}
\begin{document}
    \begin{frame}[t]{Calidad}
        La calidad está relacionada con el ancho de banda y el retardo, e influye en la \textcolor{blue}{fiabilidad} y la \textcolor{blue}{\textbf{disponibilidad}}
        \begin{columns}[onlytextwidth]
            \begin{column}[T]{0.48\textwidth} \vspace{.2cm} %,<<<
                \centering %to center the figure horizontally if its width is less than column width
                \input{firstfigurescaled} %<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<   \resizebox{!}{0.7\linewidth}{%
            \end{column}
            \begin{column}[T]{0.49\textwidth}
                \begin{block}{GdR sirve para mejorar la disponibilidad}
                    \begin{itemize}
                        \item Provisión de servicios
                        \item<+-> Evolución del rendimiento
                        \item<+-> Correlación de alarmas
                    \end{itemize}
                \end{block}
            \end{column}
        \end{columns}
    \end{frame}
\end{document}

To test the figures outside beamer a MWE will do.

\documentclass[12pt,a4paper,landscape]{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\begin{document}
\input{firstfigurescaled} %\resizebox{!}{0.7\linewidth}{% 


\end{document}

Figure scale to 0.3\linewidth, centered in the column, top align.

Thank you. How can I situate the figure out of the beamer column at any free space of the slide? — pablo, Aug 22 '21 at 08:27

What is the best way to position and scale a long TikZ file in a beamer slide?

1 Answers1