# How to decrease separation between different plots? bar graph pgfplots

\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\include{macros/style}
\include{macros/use_packages}
\usepackage{indentfirst}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{algorithm}
\usepackage{algpseudocode}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{array,booktabs,ragged2e}
\usepackage{listings}
\usepackage{color}
\section{Results}
interval & carT & carD & carC & carG\\
10 Hz     & 62680  & 125130 & 10000 & 100000\\
OSC     & 62680  & 125130 & 100000 & 100000\\
Adaptive     & 62680  & 125130 & 1000000 & 1000000\\
}\mydata

\begin{tikzpicture}
\hspace{-2cm}
\begin{axis}[
ybar,
bar width=17pt,
x=7cm,
ybar=1pt,
width=1\textwidth,
height=.5\textwidth,
legend style={at={(0.5,1)},
anchor=north,legend columns=-1},
symbolic x coords={10 Hz, OSC, Adaptive},
xtick=data,
nodes near coords,
nodes near coords align={horizontal},
ymin=0,ymax=400000,
ylabel={Number of Packets Sent},
]
\legend{Six Lanes, 12 Lanes, E.C. Row, i75}
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}


• Welcome! Please provide an MWE.
– user121799
Jan 26 '18 at 5:16
• Sorry don't think it is possible. All I want to do is decrease the horizontal separation between two different plots. Jan 26 '18 at 5:24
• The answer will depend on which style files you are loading and so on. Without that information, I can only guess that you may want to remove the line x=7cm,.
– user121799
Jan 26 '18 at 5:26
• I included the classes I am including in my main file and I added the image as well. Hope that helps? Jan 26 '18 at 5:34
• @marmot I believe that should give enough MWE, doesn't it? Jan 26 '18 at 5:51

For me the key to a good solution is to switch from absolute width (in pt) to relative width using the axis coordinate system. Doing this has the advantage that when you once have fixed the bar widths and "distance of the bars to the axis" (using enlarge x limits) you can scale your plot using width only.

For details please have a look at the comments in the code.

% used PGFPlots v1.15
\documentclass[border=5pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{pgfplotstable}
\pgfplotsset{
% use this compat' level or higher to use the feature of specifying
% bar width' in axis units
compat=1.7,
}
interval & carT  & carD   & carC    & carG    \\
10 Hz    & 62680 & 125130 & 10000   & 100000  \\
OSC      & 62680 & 125130 & 100000  & 100000  \\
Adaptive & 62680 & 125130 & 1000000 & 1000000 \\
}\mydata
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
% it doesn't make sense to specify x' AND width', because only
% one of them can be used. Here x' would make the race.
%        x=7cm,
width=1\textwidth,
height=.5\textwidth,
ymin=0,
ymax=400000,
ylabel={Number of Packets Sent},
xtick=data,
% ---------------------------------------------------------------------
% replace symbolic x coords' by xticklabels from table' (step 1)
% (and do step 2 which is given at the \addplot's)
%        symbolic x coords={10 Hz, OSC, Adaptive},
xticklabels from table={\mydata}{interval},
ybar,
% when not using symbolic coords we have the opportunity to specify
% bar width' in axis units ...
bar width=0.2,
ybar=1pt,
% ... and then we can also give an absolute value for enlarge x limits'
enlarge x limits={abs=0.5},
% Now you can change width' as you like and don't need to tough
% here, because everything is given "relative"
% ---------------------------------------------------------------------
nodes near coords,
legend style={
at={(0.5,1)},
anchor=north,
legend columns=-1,
},
]
% replaced x=interval' with x expr=\coordindex' (step 2)
% to have the same result as using symbolic x coords'

\legend{Six Lanes, 12 Lanes, E.C. Row, i75}
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}


• I have removed my answer because yours is much better. Maybe you want remove the link in the first sentence.
– esdd
Jan 26 '18 at 8:18
• @esdd, for me your answer was totally valid and fine. But thank you for the credits. Jan 26 '18 at 20:27

i would draw this plots on the following way:

\documentclass[border=5pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots, pgfplotstable}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.15}
interval & carT  & carD   & carC    & carG    \\
10 Hz    & 62680 & 125130 & 10000   & 100000  \\
OSC      & 62680 & 125130 & 100000  & 100000  \\
Adaptive & 62680 & 125130 & 1000000 & 1000000 \\
}\mydata
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
width=1\textwidth,
height=.5\textwidth,
ymin=0,
ymax=1 150 000,
yticklabel style={/pgf/number format/fixed},
ytick distance=200 000,
axis y discontinuity=crunch,
ylabel={Number of Packets Sent},
xtick=data,
xticklabels from table={\mydata}{interval},
bar width=0.2,
ybar=2pt,
enlarge x limits={abs=0.55},
nodes near coords,
nodes near coords style={font=\tiny},
/pgf/number format/.cd,use comma,sci,
/pgf/number format/sci generic={mantissa sep={\!\!\cdot\!\!},
exponent={10^{####1}}
},
legend pos=north west,
legend style={legend columns=-1},
]