matplotlib
diff --git a/‎doc/users/next_whats_new/2017-11-1_figure_align_labels.rst
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+35Lines changed: 35 additions & 0 deletions b/‎doc/users/next_whats_new/2017-11-1_figure_align_labels.rst
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+35Lines changed: 35 additions & 0 deletions
diff --git a/‎examples/subplots_axes_and_figures/align_labels_demo.py
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+38Lines changed: 38 additions & 0 deletions b/‎examples/subplots_axes_and_figures/align_labels_demo.py
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diff --git a/‎lib/matplotlib/axis.py
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+37-8Lines changed: 37 additions & 8 deletions b/‎lib/matplotlib/axis.py
Copy file name to clipboardExpand all lines: lib/matplotlib/axis.py
+37-8Lines changed: 37 additions & 8 deletions
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+xlabels and ylabels can now be automatically aligned
+----------------------------------------------------
+
+Subplot axes ``ylabels`` can be misaligned horizontally if the tick labels
+are very different widths.  The same can happen to ``xlabels`` if the
+ticklabels are rotated on one subplot (for instance).  The new methods
+on the `Figure` class: `Figure.align_xlabels` and `Figure.align_ylabels`
+will now align these labels horizontally or vertically.  If the user only
+wants to align some axes, a list of axes can be passed.  If no list is
+passed, the algorithm looks at all the labels on the figure.
+
+Only labels that have the same subplot locations are aligned.  i.e. the
+ylabels are aligned only if the subplots are in the same column of the
+subplot layout.
+
+A convenience wrapper `Figure.align_labels` calls both functions at once.
+
+.. plot::
+
+    import matplotlib.gridspec as gridspec
+
+    fig = plt.figure(figsize=(5, 3), tight_layout=True)
+    gs = gridspec.GridSpec(2, 2)
+
+    ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[0,:])
+    ax.plot(np.arange(0, 1e6, 1000))
+    ax.set_ylabel('Test')
+    for i in range(2):
+        ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[1, i])
+        ax.set_ylabel('Booooo')
+        ax.set_xlabel('Hello')
+        if i == 0:
+            for tick in ax.get_xticklabels():
+                tick.set_rotation(45)
+    fig.align_labels()
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+"""
+===============
+Aligning Labels
+===============
+
+Aligning xlabel and ylabel using
+`Figure.align_xlabels` and
+`Figure.align_ylabels`
+
+`Figure.align_labels` wraps these two functions.
+
+Note that
+the xlabel "XLabel1 1" would normally be much closer to the x-axis, and
+"YLabel1 0" would be much closer to the y-axis of their respective axes.
+"""
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+import numpy as np
+import matplotlib.gridspec as gridspec
+
+fig = plt.figure(tight_layout=True)
+gs = gridspec.GridSpec(2, 2)
+
+ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[0, :])
+ax.plot(np.arange(0, 1e6, 1000))
+ax.set_ylabel('YLabel0')
+ax.set_xlabel('XLabel0')
+
+for i in range(2):
+    ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[1, i])
+    ax.plot(np.arange(1., 0., -0.1) * 2000., np.arange(1., 0., -0.1))
+    ax.set_ylabel('YLabel1 %d' % i)
+    ax.set_xlabel('XLabel1 %d' % i)
+    if i == 0:
+        for tick in ax.get_xticklabels():
+            tick.set_rotation(55)
+fig.align_labels()  # same as fig.align_xlabels() and fig.align_ylabels()
+
+plt.show()
@@ -662,6 +662,7 @@ def __init__(self, axes, pickradius=15):
 
         self._autolabelpos = True
         self._smart_bounds = False
+        self._align_label_siblings = [self]
 
         self.label = self._get_label()
         self.labelpad = rcParams['axes.labelpad']
@@ -1089,10 +1090,12 @@ def get_tightbbox(self, renderer):
             return
 
         ticks_to_draw = self._update_ticks(renderer)
-        ticklabelBoxes, ticklabelBoxes2 = self._get_tick_bboxes(ticks_to_draw,
-                                                                renderer)
 
-        self._update_label_position(ticklabelBoxes, ticklabelBoxes2)
+        self._update_label_position(renderer)
+
+        # go back to just this axis's tick labels
+        ticklabelBoxes, ticklabelBoxes2 = self._get_tick_bboxes(
+                    ticks_to_draw, renderer)
 
         self._update_offset_text_position(ticklabelBoxes, ticklabelBoxes2)
         self.offsetText.set_text(self.major.formatter.get_offset())
@@ -1143,7 +1146,7 @@ def draw(self, renderer, *args, **kwargs):
         # *copy* of the axis label box because we don't wan't to scale
         # the actual bbox
 
-        self._update_label_position(ticklabelBoxes, ticklabelBoxes2)
+        self._update_label_position(renderer)
 
         self.label.draw(renderer)
 
@@ -1655,7 +1658,24 @@ def set_ticks(self, ticks, minor=False):
             self.set_major_locator(mticker.FixedLocator(ticks))
             return self.get_major_ticks(len(ticks))
 
-    def _update_label_position(self, bboxes, bboxes2):
+    def _get_tick_boxes_siblings(self, renderer):
+        """
+        Get the bounding boxes for this axis and its sibblings
+        as set by `Figure.align_xlabels` or  ``Figure.align_ylables`.
+
+        By default it just gets bboxes for self.
+        """
+        bboxes = []
+        bboxes2 = []
+        # if we want to align labels from other axes:
+        for axx in self._align_label_siblings:
+            ticks_to_draw = axx._update_ticks(renderer)
+            tlb, tlb2 = axx._get_tick_bboxes(ticks_to_draw, renderer)
+            bboxes.extend(tlb)
+            bboxes2.extend(tlb2)
+        return bboxes, bboxes2
+
+    def _update_label_position(self, renderer):
         """
         Update the label position based on the bounding box enclosing
         all the ticklabels and axis spine
@@ -1832,13 +1852,18 @@ def set_label_position(self, position):
         self.label_position = position
         self.stale = True
 
-    def _update_label_position(self, bboxes, bboxes2):
+    def _update_label_position(self, renderer):
         """
         Update the label position based on the bounding box enclosing
         all the ticklabels and axis spine
         """
         if not self._autolabelpos:
             return
+
+        # get bounding boxes for this axis and any siblings
+        # that have been set by `fig.align_xlabels()`
+        bboxes, bboxes2 = self._get_tick_boxes_siblings(renderer)
+
         x, y = self.label.get_position()
         if self.label_position == 'bottom':
             try:
@@ -2160,13 +2185,18 @@ def set_label_position(self, position):
         self.label_position = position
         self.stale = True
 
-    def _update_label_position(self, bboxes, bboxes2):
+    def _update_label_position(self, renderer):
         """
         Update the label position based on the bounding box enclosing
         all the ticklabels and axis spine
         """
         if not self._autolabelpos:
             return
+
+        # get bounding boxes for this axis and any siblings
+        # that have been set by `fig.align_ylabels()`
+        bboxes, bboxes2 = self._get_tick_boxes_siblings(renderer)
+
         x, y = self.label.get_position()
         if self.label_position == 'left':
             try:
@@ -2178,7 +2208,6 @@ def _update_label_position(self, bboxes, bboxes2):
                 spinebbox = self.axes.bbox
             bbox = mtransforms.Bbox.union(bboxes + [spinebbox])
             left = bbox.x0
-
             self.label.set_position(
                 (left - self.labelpad * self.figure.dpi / 72.0, y)
             )