Legend placement and styling in Matplotlib - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the purpose of a legend in a matplotlib plot?

A legend explains what different colors, lines, or markers in the plot represent. It helps the viewer understand the data easily.

intermediate

How do you place a legend outside the plot area in matplotlib?

Use the loc parameter with values like 'upper left' and the bbox_to_anchor parameter to position the legend outside the plot. For example, plt.legend(loc='upper left', bbox_to_anchor=(1, 1)) places it to the right outside the plot.

beginner

What does the frameon parameter do in matplotlib legends?

The frameon parameter controls whether the legend has a border box around it. Setting frameon=False removes the box, making the legend look cleaner.

beginner

How can you change the font size of legend text in matplotlib?

Use the fontsize parameter inside plt.legend(). For example, plt.legend(fontsize='small') or plt.legend(fontsize=12) changes the text size.

intermediate

What is the effect of the ncol parameter in matplotlib legends?

The ncol parameter sets how many columns the legend entries are arranged into. For example, ncol=2 arranges legend items in two columns, which can save vertical space.

Which parameter controls the position of the legend inside or outside the plot area?

A ncol

B loc

C frameon

D fontsize

The loc parameter sets the legend's position, such as 'upper right' or 'lower left'.

How do you remove the border box around a legend in matplotlib?

A Set <code>frameon=False</code>

B Set <code>frameon=True</code>

C Set <code>fontsize=0</code>

D Set <code>loc='none'</code>

Setting frameon=False removes the border box around the legend.

What does bbox_to_anchor=(1,1) do when used with loc='upper left'?

A Places legend inside the plot at top-left

B Centers the legend in the plot

C Places legend outside the plot to the right at top

D Removes the legend

It places the legend outside the plot area to the right, aligned at the top.

Which parameter changes the number of columns in a legend?

A ncol

B fontsize

C loc

D frameon

The ncol parameter sets how many columns the legend uses.

How can you make legend text smaller in matplotlib?

A Set <code>ncol=2</code>

B Set <code>frameon=False</code>

C Set <code>loc='lower right'</code>

D Set <code>fontsize='small'</code>

Using fontsize='small' or a smaller numeric value reduces the legend text size.

Explain how to place a legend outside the plot area and style it with no border and smaller font.

Think about loc, bbox_to_anchor, frameon, and fontsize parameters.

Describe how to arrange legend items in two columns and why you might want to do that.

Focus on legend layout and space management.