CODEWITHSUNDEEP
rggplot2colors
user3771293
user3771293

Reputation: 11

ggplot2: Fix colors to factor levels with long factor names

I am creating several figures with ggplot2 and want to assign fixed colors to different groups. To do so, I am using the approach shown in question ggplot2: Fix colors to factor levels as provided by alistaire.

That is, I defined my own custom scale as follows

library(ggplot2)

scale_fill_ind <- function(...){
    ggplot2:::manual_scale(
        'fill', 
        values = setNames(c('green', 'blue', 'red', 'orange'), LETTERS[1:4]), 
        ...
    )
}

df1 <- data.frame(Value = c(40, 20, 10, 60), 
                  Type = c("A", "B", "C", "D"))

ggplot(df1, aes(x = Type, y = Value, fill = Type)) + 
    geom_col() + 
    scale_fill_ind()

df2 <- data.frame(Value = c(40, 20, 60), 
                  Type = c("A", "B", "D"))

ggplot(df2, aes(x = Type, y = Value, fill = Type)) + 
    geom_col() + 
    scale_fill_ind()

However, in my own code, the factor names are significantly longer than just "A", "B",..., so that I have to "force" a linebreak in the legend with str_wrap() with a maximum of 25 characters per line.

This, however, avoids the colors to be assigned to my factors that have a linebreak. If I shorten the factor names, the approach works well. Do you have any idea, how I can assign fixed colors to my "long" factors names such that the approach above works?

Thank you very much!

Upvotes: 1

Views: 255

Answers (1)

jared_mamrot
jared_mamrot

Reputation: 26690

As a workaround you could use paste:

library(ggplot2)

list_of_factors <- list(paste("Aaljdfgneopghpihj", "wgwgvldjnfgpwghiwg", sep = "\n"),
                     paste("Baodjfwapigaafgja", "3jgamdgvaksmngvaksn", sep = "\n"),
                     paste("Cskndvlsnvljengwlan", "kgaksnbvalsknbsfblskn", sep = "\n"),
                     paste("Dafsnjljbipenbvmdsvs", "mvslkbndfbkndfb", sep = "\n")) 

scale_fill_ind <- function(...){
  ggplot2:::manual_scale(
    'fill', 
    values = setNames(c('green', 'blue', 'red', 'orange'), list_of_factors), 
    ...
  )
}

df1 <- data.frame(Value = c(40, 20, 10, 60), 
                  Type = c(paste("Aaljdfgneopghpihj", "wgwgvldjnfgpwghiwg", sep = "\n"),
                           paste("Baodjfwapigaafgja", "3jgamdgvaksmngvaksn", sep = "\n"),
                           paste("Cskndvlsnvljengwlan", "kgaksnbvalsknbsfblskn", sep = "\n"),
                           paste("Dafsnjljbipenbvmdsvs", "mvslkbndfbkndfb", sep = "\n")))

ggplot(df1, aes(x = Type, y = Value, fill = Type)) + 
  geom_col() + 
  scale_fill_ind()

Upvotes: 0

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