pgfplots axis doesn't respond to yshift

Question

I want to increase the vertical separation between these two graphs. However, yshift seems to have no effect (I used it in the axis of the second graph). How can I increase separation between the graphs?

Code:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pgfplots,pgfplotstable}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  \pgfplotstableread[col sep=comma]{
    x,y1,y2
    float,175944298.68799999,338106119.66
    int,199884427.252,387109111.47600001
    large int,320234228.36400002,386832494.94400001
    string,387167693.32999998,575491284.27999997
    unicode,522103953.7,574848336.48
    mixed,343280219.736,338146080.088
  }\mydata

  \begin{axis}[
    title=Time to Sort Random Lists by Type,
    ymin=0,
    symbolic x coords={float,int,string,large int,unicode,mixed},
    xtick=data,
    ylabel=CPU Cycles,
    ybar=5pt,% configures `bar shift'
    bar width=9pt,
    width = 0.95\textwidth,
    height= 0.75\textwidth
    ]

    \addplot[fill=red!70] table[x=x,y=y1] {\mydata};
    \addplot[fill=blue!70] table[x=x,y=y2] {\mydata};

    \addplot [
    only marks,
    point meta=explicit,
    nodes near coords={\pgfmathprintnumber[precision=1]{\pgfplotspointmeta}\%},
    nodes near coords style={above}
    ]
    table[
    x=x,
    y expr={max(\thisrow{y1},\thisrow{y2})},
    meta expr={(1-\thisrow{y1}/\thisrow{y2}) * 100}] {\mydata};



  \end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}

  \begin{tikzpicture}
            \pgfplotstableread[col sep=comma]{
              x,y1,y2
              float,260590831.868,708663977.83599997
              int,286399925.28899997,812578839.09200001
              large int,404332394.89099997,812970977.40799999
              string,488786289.75599998,1105214209.184
              unicode,612542047.692,1096601246.084
              mixed,414990734.64399999,709336654.08800006
            }\mydata

            \begin{axis}[
              title=Time to Sort Random Lists of Tuples by Type,
              ymin=0,
              symbolic x coords={float,int,string,large int,unicode,mixed},
              xtick=data,
              ylabel=CPU Cycles,
              ybar=5pt,
              bar width=9pt,
              width = 0.95\textwidth,
              height= 0.75\textwidth,
              yshift=10cm %DOESN'T WORK!!!
              ]

              \addplot[fill=red!70] table[x=x,y=y1] {\mydata};
              \addplot[fill=blue!70] table[x=x,y=y2] {\mydata};

              \addplot [
              only marks,
              point meta=explicit,
              nodes near coords={\pgfmathprintnumber[precision=1]{\pgfplotspointmeta}\%},
              nodes near coords style={above}
              ]
              table[
              x=x,
              y expr={max(\thisrow{y1},\thisrow{y2})},
              meta expr={(1-\thisrow{y1}/\thisrow{y2}) * 100}] {\mydata};



            \end{axis}
          \end{tikzpicture}


\end{document}

The coordinates inside a tikzpicture is only relative to the tikzpicture itself, so if yshift does anything at all there, it just adds 10cm to every y-coordinate. But because the tikzpicture is always cropped to its contents, it doesn't matter if the internal coordinates span from y=0 to y=10, or from y=-200 to y=-190. LaTeX just sees a box that is 10 high, and places it on the page accordingly. — Torbjørn T., Feb 28 '17 at 07:07

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 28 '17 at 04:01

You can add some vertical space between these two pictures

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pgfplots,pgfplotstable}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  \pgfplotstableread[col sep=comma]{
    x,y1,y2
    float,175944298.68799999,338106119.66
    int,199884427.252,387109111.47600001
    large int,320234228.36400002,386832494.94400001
    string,387167693.32999998,575491284.27999997
    unicode,522103953.7,574848336.48
    mixed,343280219.736,338146080.088
  }\mydata

  \begin{axis}[
    title=Time to Sort Random Lists by Type,
    ymin=0,
    symbolic x coords={float,int,string,large int,unicode,mixed},
    xtick=data,
    ylabel=CPU Cycles,
    ybar=5pt,% configures `bar shift'
    bar width=9pt,
    width = 0.95\textwidth,
    height= 0.75\textwidth
    ]

    \addplot[fill=red!70] table[x=x,y=y1] {\mydata};
    \addplot[fill=blue!70] table[x=x,y=y2] {\mydata};

    \addplot [
    only marks,
    point meta=explicit,
    nodes near coords={\pgfmathprintnumber[precision=1]{\pgfplotspointmeta}\%},
    nodes near coords style={above}
    ]
    table[
    x=x,
    y expr={max(\thisrow{y1},\thisrow{y2})},
    meta expr={(1-\thisrow{y1}/\thisrow{y2}) * 100}] {\mydata};



  \end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\vskip 3em\relax
  \begin{tikzpicture}
            \pgfplotstableread[col sep=comma]{
              x,y1,y2
              float,260590831.868,708663977.83599997
              int,286399925.28899997,812578839.09200001
              large int,404332394.89099997,812970977.40799999
              string,488786289.75599998,1105214209.184
              unicode,612542047.692,1096601246.084
              mixed,414990734.64399999,709336654.08800006
            }\mydata

            \begin{axis}[
              title=Time to Sort Random Lists of Tuples by Type,
              ymin=0,
              symbolic x coords={float,int,string,large int,unicode,mixed},
              xtick=data,
              ylabel=CPU Cycles,
              ybar=5pt,
              bar width=9pt,
              width = 0.95\textwidth,
              height= 0.75\textwidth,
              yshift=10cm %DOESN'T WORK!!!
              ]

              \addplot[fill=red!70] table[x=x,y=y1] {\mydata};
              \addplot[fill=blue!70] table[x=x,y=y2] {\mydata};

              \addplot [
              only marks,
              point meta=explicit,
              nodes near coords={\pgfmathprintnumber[precision=1]{\pgfplotspointmeta}\%},
              nodes near coords style={above}
              ]
              table[
              x=x,
              y expr={max(\thisrow{y1},\thisrow{y2})},
              meta expr={(1-\thisrow{y1}/\thisrow{y2}) * 100}] {\mydata};



            \end{axis}
          \end{tikzpicture}


\end{document}

Thanks, this worked. Originally, I tried using \vspace and it didn't work. Any idea why? — Elliot Gorokhovsky, Feb 28 '17 at 04:12
@René G If your use \vspace the text is in the horizontal mode, and if you use \vskip the command breaks the horizontal mode and goes to the vertical mode. You can refer this post — Ice0cean, Feb 28 '17 at 04:40

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 28 '17 at 07:11

If you have both axis environments in the same tikzpicture environment, yshift does work, Adjust -9.5cm to your liking.

(Sidenote: For multiple axes in the same figure, like here, the groupplots library can be useful.)

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pgfplots,pgfplotstable}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  \pgfplotstableread[col sep=comma]{
    x,y1,y2
    float,175944298.68799999,338106119.66
    int,199884427.252,387109111.47600001
    large int,320234228.36400002,386832494.94400001
    string,387167693.32999998,575491284.27999997
    unicode,522103953.7,574848336.48
    mixed,343280219.736,338146080.088
  }\mydata

  \begin{axis}[
    title=Time to Sort Random Lists by Type,
    ymin=0,
    symbolic x coords={float,int,string,large int,unicode,mixed},
    xtick=data,
    ylabel=CPU Cycles,
    ybar=5pt,% configures `bar shift'
    bar width=9pt,
    width = 0.95\textwidth,
    height= 0.75\textwidth
    ]

    \addplot[fill=red!70] table[x=x,y=y1] {\mydata};
    \addplot[fill=blue!70] table[x=x,y=y2] {\mydata};

    \addplot [
    only marks,
    point meta=explicit,
    nodes near coords={\pgfmathprintnumber[precision=1]{\pgfplotspointmeta}\%},
    nodes near coords style={above}
    ]
    table[
    x=x,
    y expr={max(\thisrow{y1},\thisrow{y2})},
    meta expr={(1-\thisrow{y1}/\thisrow{y2}) * 100}] {\mydata};



  \end{axis}

            \pgfplotstableread[col sep=comma]{
              x,y1,y2
              float,260590831.868,708663977.83599997
              int,286399925.28899997,812578839.09200001
              large int,404332394.89099997,812970977.40799999
              string,488786289.75599998,1105214209.184
              unicode,612542047.692,1096601246.084
              mixed,414990734.64399999,709336654.08800006
            }\mydata

            \begin{axis}[
              title=Time to Sort Random Lists of Tuples by Type,
              ymin=0,
              symbolic x coords={float,int,string,large int,unicode,mixed},
              xtick=data,
              ylabel=CPU Cycles,
              ybar=5pt,
              bar width=9pt,
              width = 0.95\textwidth,
              height= 0.75\textwidth,
              yshift=-9.5cm % works
              ]

              \addplot[fill=red!70] table[x=x,y=y1] {\mydata};
              \addplot[fill=blue!70] table[x=x,y=y2] {\mydata};

              \addplot [
              only marks,
              point meta=explicit,
              nodes near coords={\pgfmathprintnumber[precision=1]{\pgfplotspointmeta}\%},
              nodes near coords style={above}
              ]
              table[
              x=x,
              y expr={max(\thisrow{y1},\thisrow{y2})},
              meta expr={(1-\thisrow{y1}/\thisrow{y2}) * 100}] {\mydata};



            \end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

pgfplots axis doesn't respond to yshift

2 Answers2