ENH: Add align parameter to broken_barh()

timhoffm · timhoffm · commit 4a20bd34d6e5 · 2025-03-07T23:48:15.000+01:00
In particular `align="center"` makes it easier to position bars centered
on labels, as illustrated in the changed example.

Note: This parameter is similar to `bar(..., align=...)`.
diff --git a/doc/users/next_whats_new/broken_barh_align.rst b/doc/users/next_whats_new/broken_barh_align.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+``broken_barh()`` vertical alignment though ``align`` parameter
+---------------------------------------------------------------
+`~.Axes.broken_barh` now supports vertical alignment of the bars through the
+``align`` parameter.
diff --git a/galleries/examples/lines_bars_and_markers/broken_barh.py b/galleries/examples/lines_bars_and_markers/broken_barh.py
@@ -18,13 +18,13 @@
 network = np.column_stack([10*np.random.random(10), np.full(10, 0.05)])
 
 fig, ax = plt.subplots()
-# broken_barh(xranges, (ymin, height))
-ax.broken_barh(cpu_1, (-0.2, 0.4))
-ax.broken_barh(cpu_2, (0.8, 0.4))
-ax.broken_barh(cpu_3, (1.8, 0.4))
-ax.broken_barh(cpu_4, (2.8, 0.4))
-ax.broken_barh(disk, (3.8, 0.4), color="tab:orange")
-ax.broken_barh(network, (4.8, 0.4), color="tab:green")
+# broken_barh(xranges, (ypos, height))
+ax.broken_barh(cpu_1, (0, 0.4), align="center")
+ax.broken_barh(cpu_2, (1, 0.4), align="center")
+ax.broken_barh(cpu_3, (2, 0.4), align="center")
+ax.broken_barh(cpu_4, (3, 0.4), align="center")
+ax.broken_barh(disk, (4, 0.4), align="center", color="tab:orange")
+ax.broken_barh(network, (5, 0.4), align="center", color="tab:green")
 ax.set_xlim(0, 10)
 ax.set_yticks(range(6),
               labels=["CPU 1", "CPU 2", "CPU 3", "CPU 4", "disk", "network"])
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.py b/lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.py
@@ -2935,7 +2935,7 @@ def sign(x):
 
     @_preprocess_data()
     @_docstring.interpd
-    def broken_barh(self, xranges, yrange, **kwargs):
+    def broken_barh(self, xranges, yrange, align="bottom", **kwargs):
         """
         Plot a horizontal sequence of rectangles.
 
@@ -2948,8 +2948,16 @@ def broken_barh(self, xranges, yrange, **kwargs):
             The x-positions and extents of the rectangles. For each tuple
             (*xmin*, *xwidth*) a rectangle is drawn from *xmin* to *xmin* +
             *xwidth*.
-        yrange : (*ymin*, *yheight*)
+        yrange : (*ypos*, *yheight*)
             The y-position and extent for all the rectangles.
+        align : {"bottom", "center", "top"}, default: 'bottom'
+            The alignment of the yrange with respect to the y-position. One of:
+
+            - "bottom": Resulting y-range [ypos, ypos + yheight]
+            - "center": Resulting y-range [ypos - yheight/2, ypos + yheight/2]
+            - "top": Resulting y-range [ypos - yheight, ypos]
+
+            .. versionadded:: 3.11
 
         Returns
         -------
@@ -2984,7 +2992,15 @@ def broken_barh(self, xranges, yrange, **kwargs):
 
         vertices = []
         y0, dy = yrange
-        y0, y1 = self.convert_yunits((y0, y0 + dy))
+
+        _api.check_in_list(['bottom', 'center', 'top'], align=align)
+        if align == "bottom":
+            y0, y1 = self.convert_yunits((y0, y0 + dy))
+        elif align == "center":
+            y0, y1 = self.convert_yunits((y0 - dy/2, y0 + dy/2))
+        else:
+            y0, y1 = self.convert_yunits((y0 - dy, y0))
+
         for xr in xranges:  # convert the absolute values, not the x and dx
             try:
                 x0, dx = xr
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.pyi b/lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.pyi
@@ -263,6 +263,7 @@ class Axes(_AxesBase):
         self,
         xranges: Sequence[tuple[float, float]],
         yrange: tuple[float, float],
+        align: Literal["bottom", "center", "top"] = ...,
         *,
         data=...,
         **kwargs
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_axes.py b/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_axes.py
@@ -7134,6 +7134,21 @@ def test_broken_barh_timedelta():
     assert pp.get_paths()[0].vertices[2, 0] == mdates.date2num(d0) + 1 / 24
 
 
+def test_broken_barh_align():
+    fig, ax = plt.subplots()
+    pc = ax.broken_barh([(0, 10)], (0, 2))
+    for path in pc.get_paths():
+        assert_array_equal(path.get_extents().intervaly, [0, 2])
+
+    pc = ax.broken_barh([(0, 10)], (10, 2), align="center")
+    for path in pc.get_paths():
+        assert_array_equal(path.get_extents().intervaly, [9, 11])
+
+    pc = ax.broken_barh([(0, 10)], (20, 2), align="top")
+    for path in pc.get_paths():
+        assert_array_equal(path.get_extents().intervaly, [18, 20])
+
+
 def test_pandas_pcolormesh(pd):
     time = pd.date_range('2000-01-01', periods=10)
     depth = np.arange(20)
