Nested subplots with subfigures in Matplotlib - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Nested subplots with subfigures

📖 Scenario: You are preparing a report with multiple charts. You want to organize these charts neatly using nested subplots and subfigures in matplotlib. This will help you compare different data groups side by side.

🎯 Goal: Create a figure with two subfigures arranged horizontally. Each subfigure contains two vertically stacked subplots showing simple line plots.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a figure with matplotlib.pyplot.figure() using constrained_layout=True

Create two subfigures arranged in one row and two columns using fig.subfigures()

Each subfigure should have two subplots arranged vertically using subfig.subplots()

Plot simple line plots in each subplot with different data

Display the final figure with plt.show()

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Nested subplots with subfigures help organize multiple related charts in reports or presentations, making it easier to compare data groups side by side.

💼 Career

Data scientists and analysts often create complex visualizations to communicate insights clearly. Knowing how to use nested subplots and subfigures is valuable for producing professional-quality charts.

1

Create the main figure with constrained layout

Create a figure called fig using plt.figure() with constrained_layout=True.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Create the main figure with constrained_layout=True
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use plt.figure(constrained_layout=True) to create the figure.

2

Add two subfigures side by side

Using the figure fig, create two subfigures called subfig1 and subfig2 arranged in 1 row and 2 columns using fig.subfigures(1, 2).

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

fig = plt.figure(constrained_layout=True)

# Create two subfigures side by side
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use fig.subfigures(1, 2) to create two subfigures in one row and two columns.

3

Create two vertical subplots in each subfigure and plot lines

For each subfigure subfig1 and subfig2, create two subplots arranged vertically using subfig.subplots(2, 1). Then plot simple line plots on each subplot using ax.plot() with these data: for subfig1 use [1, 2, 3] and [3, 2, 1], for subfig2 use [4, 5, 6] and [6, 5, 4].

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

fig = plt.figure(constrained_layout=True)
subfig1, subfig2 = fig.subfigures(1, 2)

# Create two vertical subplots in each subfigure
# Plot simple line plots on each subplot
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use subfig.subplots(2, 1) to create two vertical subplots. Use ax.plot() to draw lines.

4

Display the figure with nested subplots

Use plt.show() to display the figure with the nested subplots and subfigures.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

fig = plt.figure(constrained_layout=True)
subfig1, subfig2 = fig.subfigures(1, 2)

axs1 = subfig1.subplots(2, 1)
axs1[0].plot([1, 2, 3])
axs1[1].plot([3, 2, 1])

axs2 = subfig2.subplots(2, 1)
axs2[0].plot([4, 5, 6])
axs2[1].plot([6, 5, 4])

# Display the figure
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Call plt.show() to display the figure.