Скачать или смотреть Creating Replicable Layout Matrices for Complex R Plot Arrangements

Learn how to automate and validate replicable layout matrices in R for multi-panel plotting, ensuring each panel's shape is rectangular and consistent.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/79496565/ asked by the user 'David Moore' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/9514097/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/79497325/ provided by the user 'Darren Tsai' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/10068985/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Introduction

When creating complex figures in R, especially multi-panel plots, a common challenge is defining layout matrices that can be combined and replicated consistently. Suppose you have an individual panel layout, and you want to replicate this layout within an overall figure containing several such panels.

This post explains how to algorithmically combine a small Individual_Layout_Matrix into a larger Overall_Layout_Matrix to produce a Final_Layout_Matrix suitable for plotting. Additionally, it shows how to validate that each block in the overall layout is a proper standalone rectangle.



The Problem

You have an individual layout matrix that defines a small 4-panel figure.

You want to arrange multiple such panels in a larger grid defined by Overall_Layout_Matrix.

The goal is to produce a final layout matrix where each block from the overall matrix is replaced by an expanded version of the individual layout.

The function needs to verify that each number in the overall matrix forms a connected rectangular block.

Example Matrices

Individual Layout Matrix:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Overall Layout Matrix:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]



The Solution: layout_augment Function

This R function takes two matrices as input: the overall layout matrix and the individual layout matrix. It outputs a final expanded layout matrix where each unique number in the overall matrix is replaced by a scaled version of the individual layout matrix.

It also validates that each unique number in the overall matrix occupies a single rectangular region.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]



How to Use

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This will produce a large matrix ready to be passed into layout() or other similar R plotting functions.

Validation

The function will stop with an error if any panel number in the overall matrix is not a proper rectangular block.

For example:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This ensures your layout is spatially consistent.



Summary

Problem: Compose large complex plot layouts by replicating smaller standardized layouts.

Solution: Use layout_augment to expand and combine layout matrices.

Validation: Automatically verify each unique panel number forms a rectangular block.

With this approach, you can efficiently manage large multi-panel figures in R with consistent, replicable layouts.