Font properties customization in Matplotlib - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to set the font size of the title to 20.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.title('My Plot', fontsize=[1])
plt.show()

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A10

B20

C25

D15

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a string instead of a number for fontsize.

Forgetting to pass fontsize parameter.

The fontsize parameter controls the size of the font. Setting it to 20 makes the title larger.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to set the font family of the x-axis label to 'Comic Sans MS'.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.xlabel('X Axis', fontfamily=[1])
plt.show()

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A'Comic Sans MS'

B'Times New Roman'

C'Arial'

D'Courier New'

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Passing font family without quotes.

Choosing a font family different from the instruction.

The fontfamily parameter sets the font style. 'Comic Sans MS' is a playful font often used for informal plots.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to make the y-axis label bold.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.ylabel('Y Axis', fontweight=[1])
plt.show()

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Abold

B'strong'

Cstrong

D'bold'

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Passing fontweight without quotes causing a NameError.

Using incorrect keywords like 'strong' instead of 'bold'.

The fontweight parameter requires a string value like 'bold' to make the font bold.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to set the font style of the legend to italic and font size to 14.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.legend(['Data'], prop={'style': [1], 'size': [2])
plt.show()

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A'italic'

B'bold'

C14

D12

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using font size as a string instead of a number.

Using 'bold' instead of 'italic' for style.

The prop dictionary controls font properties of the legend. 'style' set to 'italic' makes text slanted, and 'size' sets the font size.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a title with font family 'Verdana', font weight 'light', and font size 18.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.title('Custom Title', fontfamily=[1], fontweight=[2], fontsize=[3])
plt.show()

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A'Verdana'

B'light'

C18

D'bold'

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up fontweight values or missing quotes.

Passing font size as a string instead of a number.

Setting fontfamily to 'Verdana', fontweight to 'light', and fontsize to 18 customizes the title font as requested.

Practice

1. Which font property controls the thickness of the text in a matplotlib plot?

easy

A. family

B. size

C. weight

D. color

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand font properties

   Font properties include size, weight, family, style, and color.

2. Step 2: Identify the property for thickness

   The thickness or boldness of text is controlled by the 'weight' property.

3. Final Answer:

   weight -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Font thickness = weight [OK]

Hint: Thickness means weight in font properties [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing size with weight
• Thinking color controls thickness
• Mixing family with weight

2. Which of the following is the correct way to set the font size of a plot title to 16 using fontdict in matplotlib?

easy

A. plt.title('My Title', font={'fontsize':16})

B. plt.title('My Title', fontdict={'size':16})

C. plt.title('My Title', font={'size':16})

D. plt.title('My Title', fontdict={'fontsize':16})

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall fontdict usage

   In matplotlib, fontdict keys include 'size' for font size, not 'fontsize'.

2. Step 2: Check correct syntax

   Using fontdict={'size':16} correctly sets font size to 16.

3. Final Answer:

   plt.title('My Title', fontdict={'size':16}) -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   fontdict uses 'size' key [OK]

Hint: Use 'size' key inside fontdict for font size [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'fontsize' instead of 'size'
• Using 'font' instead of 'fontdict'
• Wrong dictionary key names

3. What will be the font size of the x-axis label in the following code?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.xlabel('X Axis', fontdict={'size':20, 'weight':'bold'})
plt.show()

medium

A. 20

B. Bold but default size

C. Default size (usually 10)

D. Error due to wrong fontdict

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze fontdict in xlabel

   The fontdict sets 'size' to 20 and 'weight' to 'bold'.

2. Step 2: Understand effect on label

   The label will use size 20 and bold weight as specified.

3. Final Answer:

   20 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   fontdict size = 20 [OK]

Hint: fontdict size sets label font size directly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming default size
• Ignoring weight property
• Thinking code causes error

4. Identify the error in this code snippet that tries to set the legend font to italic:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.plot([1,2,3], label='Line')
plt.legend(prop={'style':'italic'})
plt.show()

medium

A. Missing plt.legend() call

B. No error, code runs fine

C. Incorrect label argument in plot

D. 'style' is not a valid font property key for legend prop

Solution

1. Step 1: Check font property keys for legend

   Valid keys include 'size', 'weight', 'family', 'style', and 'color'. 'style' is valid but must be a recognized value.

2. Step 2: Verify 'italic' usage

   'italic' is a valid style, so the key is correct. However, in matplotlib, 'style' should be set inside a FontProperties object or as a string, not directly in prop dict.

3. Step 3: Identify actual error

   The error is that 'prop' expects a FontProperties object or a dictionary with correct keys, but 'style' key is not always recognized directly in prop dict in some matplotlib versions.

4. Final Answer:

   'style' is not a valid font property key for legend prop -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Legend prop keys must be valid font properties [OK]

Hint: Use FontProperties for complex font styles in legend [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong keys in prop dict
• Forgetting to import FontProperties
• Assuming all keys work directly

5. You want to create a plot with a title that uses a custom font family 'Comic Sans MS', size 18, bold weight, and blue color. Which code snippet correctly applies all these font properties?

hard

A. plt.title('My Plot', fontdict={'family':'Comic Sans MS', 'size':18, 'weight':'bold', 'color':'blue'})

B. plt.title('My Plot', fontdict={'fontfamily':'Comic Sans MS', 'fontsize':18, 'fontweight':'bold', 'fontcolor':'blue'})

C. plt.title('My Plot', font={'family':'Comic Sans MS', 'size':18, 'weight':'bold', 'color':'blue'})

D. plt.title('My Plot', fontdict={'family':'Comic Sans MS', 'fontsize':18, 'weight':'bold', 'color':'blue'})

Solution

1. Step 1: Check correct fontdict keys

   Valid keys are 'family', 'size', 'weight', and 'color'. 'fontsize' and 'fontweight' are incorrect keys here.

2. Step 2: Verify values and syntax

   plt.title('My Plot', fontdict={'family':'Comic Sans MS', 'size':18, 'weight':'bold', 'color':'blue'}) uses correct keys and values for family, size, weight, and color.

3. Final Answer:

   plt.title('My Plot', fontdict={'family':'Comic Sans MS', 'size':18, 'weight':'bold', 'color':'blue'}) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use 'family', 'size', 'weight', 'color' keys in fontdict [OK]

Hint: Use standard keys: family, size, weight, color in fontdict [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'fontsize' instead of 'size'
• Using 'fontcolor' instead of 'color'
• Passing fontdict as 'font'