Is it possible to create x tick labels with a fixed width

Is it possible to create xticklabels that wraps the text when it gets to long to a new line. I have a program that creates a bar graphs based on existing data. The number of bars on the graph changes anywhere from 1 to 10. On the xticklabels I want to have a description of each bar that goes to a new line as to not interfere with any other text. I am aware of https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/218675-is-it-possible-to-create-textbox-with-fixed-width-on-a-plot this method, but that just creates an annotation not an xticklabel. Is it possible to use 'FitBoxToText' when using xtixklabels. an example set of data I would have would be a 4x3 matrix that contains the quantity, a part number and a description.

An example of the data 2ould look like

Then the output graph would look like

Answer 1

[dpb]

AFAIK, no, that's an amenity TMW hasn't yet provided with the ticklabel property. It's a very simple text string with formatting limited to what can do w/ TeX subset and fonts, etc. It's not a text box control or anything even approaching such.

It undoubtedly can be made to work but you'll have to do the line breaks yourself.

I think using the annotation "trick" with positions centered on the tick values will be your simplest route by far.

You could check File Exchange and see if somebody has already done the heavy lifting for you; if not your function would be a useful submittal.

[Ean Hendrickson]

There is one on the file exchange called fix_xticklabels by Pekka kumpulainen. It works pretty well but has its limitations as you cannot drag the corner of the text box and resize it like an annotation text box. The other problem I have with it is when I have a lot of bars in a bar graph it tends to out all the xlabels on top of one another

[dpb]

You'll probably either have to "roll your own" or perhaps modify the FEX submisssion.

I would guess you'll need to retrieve the xtick positions to determine the width you want a priori given the variable number of bars will be the primary trick to make it work as desired. Then, you'll have to convert units to points and font size, etc., etc., ...

[Ean Hendrickson]

I was thinking that would have to be done and is doable. But how would you stick the text ticklabels to the graph, so when the graph would move the labels move with it

[Walter Roberson]

Figure resizefcn callback to catch cases where the graph is moving. See also https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/102850-is-it-possible-to-access-figure-callbacks-for-pan-zoom-events