SkyPlotChart Properties

Sky plot chart appearance and behavior

Since R2021a

The SkyPlotChart properties control the appearance of a sky plot chart generated using the skyplot function. To modify the chart appearance, use dot notation on the SkyPlotChart object:

h = skyplot;
h.AzimuthData = [45 120 295];
h.ElevationData = [10 45 60];
h.Labels = ["G1" "G4" "G11"];

Sky Plot Properties

AzimuthData — Azimuth angles for visible satellite positions

n-element vector of angles | t-by-n matrix of angles

Azimuth angles for visible satellite positions, specified as an n-element vector of angles or t-by-n matrix of angles. n is the number of visible satellite positions in the plot, and t is the number of time steps of the satellites. Azimuth angles are measured in degrees, clockwise-positive from the north direction.

If you specify AzimuthData as a matrix, the last row indicates the current azimuth angles of the satellites.

Example: [25 45 182 356] specifies azimuth angles for four satellites at one time step

Data Types: double

ElevationData — Elevation angles for visible satellite positions

n-element vector of angles | t-by-n matrix of angles

Elevation angles for visible satellite positions, specified as an n-element vector of angles or t-by-n matrix of angles. n is the number of visible satellite positions in the plot, and t is the number of time steps of the satellites. Elevation angles are measured from the horizon line with 90 degrees being directly up.

If you specify ElevationData as a matrix, the last row indicates the current elevation angles of the satellites.

Example: [45 90 27 74] specifies elevation angles for four satellites at one time step

Data Types: double

LabelData — Labels for visible satellite positions

n-element string array

Labels for visible satellite positions, specified as an n-element string array. n is the number of visible satellite positions in the plot.

Example: ["G1" "G11" "G7" "G3"]

Data Types: string

GroupData — Group for each satellite position

categorical array

Group for each satellite position, specified as a categorical array. Each group has a different color label defined by the ColorOrder property.

Example: [GPS GPS Galileo Galileo]

Data Types: double

ColorOrder — Color order

seven predefined colors (default) | three-column matrix of RGB triplets

Color order, specified as a three-column matrix of RGB triplets. This property defines the palette of colors MATLAB^® uses to create plot objects such as Line, Scatter, and Bar objects. Each row of the array is an RGB triplet. An RGB triplet is a three-element vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of a color. The intensities must be in the range [0, 1]. This table lists the default colors.

Colors	ColorOrder Matrix
	[ 0 0.4470 0.7410 0.8500 0.3250 0.0980 0.9290 0.6940 0.1250 0.4940 0.1840 0.5560 0.4660 0.6740 0.1880 0.3010 0.7450 0.9330 0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]

MATLAB assigns colors to objects according to their order of creation. For example, when plotting lines, the first line uses the first color, the second line uses the second color, and so on. If there are more lines than colors, then the cycle repeats.

You can also set the color order using the colororder function.

Label Properties

LabelFontSize — Font size of labels

scalar numeric value

Font size of labels, specified as a scalar numeric value. The default font depends on the specific operating system and locale.

Example: h = skyplot(__,'LabelFontSize',12)

Example: h.LabelFontSize = 12

LabelFontSizeMode — Selection mode for font size of labels

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the font size of labels, specified as one of these values:

• 'auto' — Font size specified by MATLAB. If you resize the axes to be smaller than the default size, the font size can scale down to improve readability and layout.

• 'manual' — Font size specified manually. MATLAB does not scale the font size as the axes size changes. To specify the font size, set the LabelFontSize property.

Mask Properties

MaskElevation — Mask elevation angle

0 (default) | nonnegative scalar | N-element vector

Elevation angle of mask, specified as a nonnegative scalar or N-element vector of nonnegative values, in degrees. N is m + 1, where m is the number of elements in MaskAzimuthEdges..

Example: h = skyplot(__,MaskElevation=25)

Data Types: double

MaskAlpha — Mask transparency

0.3 (default) | scalar in range [0, 1]

Mask transparency, specified as a scalar in the range [0, 1]. A transparency value of 1 is opaque, 0 is completely transparent, and values between 0 and 1 are semitransparent.

Example: h = skyplot(__,MaskAlpha=0.1)

Data Types: double

MaskColor — Mask color

[0.4902 0.4902 0.4902] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | color name | short color name

Mask color, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short color name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1]. For example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a character vector or a string scalar that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Thus, the color codes '#FF8800', '#ff8800', '#F80', and '#f80' are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and the hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
'red'	'r'	[1 0 0]	'#FF0000'
'green'	'g'	[0 1 0]	'#00FF00'
'blue'	'b'	[0 0 1]	'#0000FF'
'cyan'	'c'	[0 1 1]	'#00FFFF'
'magenta'	'm'	[1 0 1]	'#FF00FF'
'yellow'	'y'	[1 1 0]	'#FFFF00'
'black'	'k'	[0 0 0]	'#000000'
'white'	'w'	[1 1 1]	'#FFFFFF'
'none'	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

This table shows the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]	'#0072BD'
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]	'#D95319'
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]	'#EDB120'
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]	'#7E2F8E'
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]	'#77AC30'
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]	'#4DBEEE'
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]	'#A2142F'

Example: h = skyplot(__,MaskColor="r")

Data Types: double | string | char

MaskAzimuthEdges — Mask angle azimuth edges

[0 360] (default) | m-element row vector

Mask angle azimuth edges, specified as an m-element row vector, where m is the total number of azimuth edges.

Example: h = skyplot(__,MaskAzimuthEdges=0:45:360)

Data Types: double

MaskAzimuthEdgesMode — Mask angle azimuth edges mode

"auto" (default) | "manual"

Mask angle azimuth edges mode, specified as "auto" or "manual".

• "auto" — Automatically divide mask angle azimuth edges evenly between 0 and 360 degrees.

• "manual" — Specify mask angle azimuth edges manually using the MaskAzimuthEdges property.

Example: h = skyplot(__,MaskAzimuthEdgesMode="manual")

Data Types: string | char

Chart Properties

HandleVisibility — Visibility of object handle

'on' (default) | 'off' | 'callback'

Visibility of the SkyPlotChart object handle in the Children property of the parent, specified as one of these values:

• 'on' — Object handle is always visible.

• 'off' — Object handle is invisible at all times. This option is useful for preventing unintended changes to the UI by another function. To temporarily hide the handle during the execution of that function, set the HandleVisibility to 'off'.

• 'callback' — Object handle is visible from within callbacks or functions invoked by callbacks, but not from within functions invoked from the command line. This option blocks access to the object at the command line, but allows callback functions to access it.

If the object is not listed in the Children property of the parent, then functions that obtain object handles by searching the object hierarchy or querying handle properties cannot return it. This includes get, findobj, gca, gcf, gco, newplot, cla, clf, and close.

Hidden object handles are still valid. Set the root ShowHiddenHandles property to 'on' to list all object handles, regardless of their HandleVisibility property setting.

Layout — Layout options

empty LayoutOptions array (default) | TiledChartLayoutOptions object | GridLayoutOptions object

Layout options, specified as a TiledChartLayoutOptions or GridLayoutOptions object. This property is useful when the chart is either in a tiled chart layout or a grid layout.

To position the chart within the grid of a tiled chart layout, set the Tile and TileSpan properties on the TiledChartLayoutOptions object. For example, consider a 3-by-3 tiled chart layout. The layout has a grid of tiles in the center, and four tiles along the outer edges. In practice, the grid is invisible and the outer tiles do not take up space until you populate them with axes or charts.

This code places the chart c in the third tile of the grid.

c.Layout.Tile = 3;

To make the chart span multiple tiles, specify the TileSpan property as a two-element vector. For example, this chart spans 2 rows and 3 columns of tiles.

c.Layout.TileSpan = [2 3];

To place the chart in one of the surrounding tiles, specify the Tile property as "north", "south", "east", or "west". For example, setting the value to "east" places the chart in the tile to the right of the grid.

c.Layout.Tile = "east";

To place the chart into a layout within an app, specify this property as a GridLayoutOptions object. For more information about working with grid layouts in apps, see uigridlayout.

If the chart is not a child of either a tiled chart layout or a grid layout (for example, if it is a child of a figure or panel) then this property is empty and has no effect.

Parent — Parent container

Figure object | Panel object | Tab object | TiledChartLayout object | GridLayout object

Parent container, specified as a Figure, Panel, Tab, TiledChartLayout, or GridLayout object.

Marker Properties

MarkerEdgeAlpha — Marker edge transparency

1 (default) | scalar in range [0,1] | 'flat'

Marker edge transparency, specified as a scalar in the range [0,1] or 'flat'. A value of 1 is opaque and 0 is completely transparent. Values between 0 and 1 are semitransparent.

To set the edge transparency to a different value for each point in the plot, set the AlphaData property to a vector the same size as the XData property, and set the MarkerEdgeAlpha property to 'flat'.

MarkerEdgeColor — Marker outline color

'flat' (default) | 'auto' | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | 'r' | 'g' | 'b' | ...

Marker outline color, specified as 'auto', an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The value of 'auto' uses the same color as the Color property.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1]. For example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a character vector or a string scalar that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Thus, the color codes '#FF8800', '#ff8800', '#F80', and '#f80' are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and the hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
'red'	'r'	[1 0 0]	'#FF0000'
'green'	'g'	[0 1 0]	'#00FF00'
'blue'	'b'	[0 0 1]	'#0000FF'
'cyan'	'c'	[0 1 1]	'#00FFFF'
'magenta'	'm'	[1 0 1]	'#FF00FF'
'yellow'	'y'	[1 1 0]	'#FFFF00'
'black'	'k'	[0 0 0]	'#000000'
'white'	'w'	[1 1 1]	'#FFFFFF'
'none'	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

This table shows the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]	'#0072BD'
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]	'#D95319'
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]	'#EDB120'
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]	'#7E2F8E'
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]	'#77AC30'
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]	'#4DBEEE'
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]	'#A2142F'

MarkerFaceAlpha — Marker face transparency

0.6 (default) | scalar in range [0,1] | 'flat'

Marker face transparency, specified as a scalar in the range [0,1] or 'flat'. A value of 1 is opaque and 0 is completely transparent. Values between 0 and 1 are partially transparent.

To set the marker face transparency to a different value for each point, set the AlphaData property to a vector the same size as the XData property, and set the MarkerFaceAlpha property to 'flat'.

MarkerFaceColor — Marker fill color

'flat' (default) | 'auto' | 'none' | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | 'r' | 'g' | 'b' | ...

Marker fill color, specified as 'flat', 'auto', an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The 'flat' option uses the CData values. The 'auto' option uses the same color as the Color property for the axes.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1]; for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a character vector or a string scalar that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Thus, the color codes '#FF8800', '#ff8800', '#F80', and '#f80' are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
'red'	'r'	[1 0 0]	'#FF0000'
'green'	'g'	[0 1 0]	'#00FF00'
'blue'	'b'	[0 0 1]	'#0000FF'
'cyan'	'c'	[0 1 1]	'#00FFFF'
'magenta'	'm'	[1 0 1]	'#FF00FF'
'yellow'	'y'	[1 1 0]	'#FFFF00'
'black'	'k'	[0 0 0]	'#000000'
'white'	'w'	[1 1 1]	'#FFFFFF'
'none'	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]	'#0072BD'
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]	'#D95319'
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]	'#EDB120'
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]	'#7E2F8E'
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]	'#77AC30'
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]	'#4DBEEE'
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]	'#A2142F'

Example: [0.3 0.2 0.1]

Example: 'green'

Example: '#D2F9A7'

MarkerSizeData — Marker size

100 (default) | positive scalar | vector of positive values

Marker size, specified as a positive scalar or vector of positive values in points, where one point = 1/72 of an inch. If specified as a vector, the vector must be of the same length as AzimuthData.

Position

PositionConstraint — Position to hold constant

"outerposition" | "innerposition"

Position property to hold constant when adding, removing, or changing decorations, specified as one of the following values:

• "outerposition" — The OuterPosition property remains constant when you add, remove, or change decorations such as a title or an axis label. If any positional adjustments are needed, MATLAB adjusts the InnerPosition property.

• "innerposition" — The InnerPosition property remains constant when you add, remove, or change decorations such as a title or an axis label. If any positional adjustments are needed, MATLAB adjusts the OuterPosition property.

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is a TiledChartLayout object.

OuterPosition — Outer size and location

[0 0 1 1] (default) | four-element vector

Outer size and location of the skyplot within the parent container (typically a figure, panel, or tab), specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. The outer position includes the colorbar, title, and axis labels.

• The left and bottom elements define the distance from the lower-left corner of the container to the lower-left corner of the skyplot.

• The width and height elements are the skyplot dimensions, which include the skyplot cells, plus a margin for the surrounding text and colorbar.

The default value of [0 0 1 1] covers the whole interior of the container. The units are normalized relative to the size of the container. To change the units, set the Units property.

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is a TiledChartLayout object.

InnerPosition — Inner size and location

[0.1300 0.1100 0.7750 0.8114] (default) | four-element vector

Inner size and location of the skyplot within the parent container (typically a figure, panel, or tab), specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. The inner position does not include the colorbar, title, or axis labels.

• The left and bottom elements define the distance from the lower-left corner of the container to the lower-left corner of the skyplot.

• The width and height elements are the skyplot dimensions, which include only the skyplot cells.

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is a TiledChartLayout object.

Position — Inner size and location

four-element vector

Inner size and location of the skyplot within the parent container (typically a figure, panel, or tab), specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. This property is equivalent to the InnerPosition property.

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is a TiledChartLayout object.

Units — Position units

'normalized' (default) | 'inches' | 'centimeters' | 'points' | 'pixels' | 'characters'

Position units, specified as one of these values.

Units	Description
'normalized' (default)	Normalized with respect to the container, which is typically the figure or a panel. The lower left corner of the container maps to (0,0), and the upper right corner maps to (1,1).
'inches'	Inches.
'centimeters'	Centimeters.
'characters'	Based on the default uicontrol font of the graphics root object: Character width = width of letter x. Character height = distance between the baselines of two lines of text.
'points'	Typography points. One point equals 1/72 inch.
'pixels'	Pixels. Starting in R2015b, distances in pixels are independent of your system resolution on Windows® and Macintosh systems: On Windows systems, a pixel is 1/96th of an inch. On Macintosh systems, a pixel is 1/72nd of an inch. On Linux® systems, the size of a pixel is determined by your system resolution.

When specifying the units as a name-value argument during object creation, you must set the Units property before specifying the properties that you want to use these units, such as OuterPosition.

Visible — State of visibility

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

State of visibility, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Display the skyplot.

• 'off' — Hide the skyplot without deleting it. You can still access the properties of an invisible SkyPlotChart object.

Version History

Introduced in R2021a

R2022b: SkyPlotChart supports azimuth and elevation trajectories and elevation masks

• The AzimuthData and ElevationData properties now accept matrices, enabling you to represent trajectories by adding azimuth and elevation data for satellites at multiple time steps.

• Elevation angle masks are now supported using these new properties:

  • MaskElevation

  • MaskAlpha

  • MaskColor

  • MaskAzimuthEdges

  • MaskAzimuthEdgesMode