added rc param axes.unicode_minus

jdh2358 · jdh2358 · commit 063c379f798e · 2008-11-25T21:43:36.000Z
svn path=/trunk/matplotlib/; revision=6453
diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+2008-11-25 Added rcParam axes.unicode_minus which allows plain hypen
+           for minus when False - JDH
+
 2008-11-25 Added scatterpoints support in Legend. patch by Erik
            Tollerud - JJL
 
diff --git a/examples/api/unicode_minus.py b/examples/api/unicode_minus.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+"""
+You can use the proper typesetting unicode minus (see
+http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plus_sign#Plus_sign) or the ASCII hypen
+for minus, which some people prefer.  The matplotlibrc param
+axes.unicode_minus controls the default behavior.
+
+The default is to use the unicode minus
+"""
+import numpy as np
+import matplotlib
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+
+matplotlib.rcParams['axes.unicode_minus'] = False
+fig = plt.figure()
+ax = fig.add_subplot(111)
+ax.plot(10*np.random.randn(100), 10*np.random.randn(100), 'o')
+ax.set_title('Using hypen instead of unicode minus')
+plt.show()
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/projections/polar.py b/lib/matplotlib/projections/polar.py
@@ -139,6 +139,11 @@ def __call__(self, x, pos=None):
             if rcParams['text.usetex'] and not rcParams['text.latex.unicode']:
                 return r"$%d^\circ$" % ((x / npy.pi) * 180.0)
             else:
+                # we use unicode, rather than mathtext with \circ, so
+                # that it will work correctly with any arbitrary font
+                # (assuming it has a degree sign), whereas $5\circ$
+                # will only work correctly with one of the supported
+                # math fonts (Computer Modern and STIX)
                 return u"%d\u00b0" % ((x / npy.pi) * 180.0)
 
     class RadialLocator(Locator):
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/rcsetup.py b/lib/matplotlib/rcsetup.py
@@ -412,6 +412,7 @@ def __call__(self, s):
                                # use scientific notation if log10
                                # of the axis range is smaller than the
                                # first or larger than the second
+    'axes.unicode_minus'        : [True, validate_bool],
 
     'polaraxes.grid'        : [True, validate_bool],   # display polar grid or not
 
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/ticker.py b/lib/matplotlib/ticker.py
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ def __init__(self, useOffset=True, useMathText=False):
 
     def fix_minus(self, s):
         'use a unicode minus rather than hyphen'
-        if rcParams['text.usetex']: return s
+        if rcParams['text.usetex'] or not rcParams['axes.unicode_minus']: return s
         else: return s.replace('-', u'\u2212')
 
     def __call__(self, x, pos=None):
diff --git a/matplotlibrc.template b/matplotlibrc.template
@@ -205,6 +205,8 @@ numerix      : %(numerix)s  # numpy, Numeric or numarray
 #axes.formatter.limits : -7, 7 # use scientific notation if log10
                                # of the axis range is smaller than the
                                # first or larger than the second
+#axes.unicode_minus  : True    # use unicode for the minus symbol
+                               # rather than hypen.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plus_sign#Plus_sign
 
 #polaraxes.grid      : True    # display grid on polar axes
 
