\name{layout}
\title{Specifying Complex Plot Arrangements}
\author{Paul R. Murrell}
\usage{
layout(mat,
       widths = rep(1, dim(mat)[2]),
       heights= rep(1, dim(mat)[1]),
       respect= FALSE)

layout.show(n = 1)
lcm(x)
}
\alias{layout}
\alias{layout.show}
\alias{lcm}
\arguments{
  \item{mat}{a matrix object specifying the location of the next
    \eqn{N} figures
    on the output device.  Each value in the matrix must be \code{0} or a
    positive integer.     If \eqn{N} is the largest positive integer in
    the matrix, then the integers \eqn{\{1,\dots,N-1\}} must also appear
    at least once in the matrix.}
  \item{widths}{a vector of values for the widths of columns on the
    device.  Relative widths are specified with numeric values.    Absolute
    widths (in centimetres) are specified with the \code{lcm()} function (see
    examples).}
  \item{heights}{a vector of values for the heights of rows on the device.
    Relative and absolute heights can be specified, see \code{widths} above.}
  \item{respect}{either a logical value or a matrix object.  If the
    latter, then it must have the same dimensions as \code{mat} and
    each value in the matrix must be either \code{0} or \code{1}.}
  \item{n}{number of figures to plot.}
  \item{x}{a dimension to be intepreted as a number of centimetres.}
}
\description{
    \code{layout} divides the device up into as many rows and columns as
    there are in matrix \code{mat}, with the column-widths and the
    row-heights specified in the respective arguments.
}
\details{
    Figure \eqn{i} is allocated a region composed from a subset
    of these rows and columns, based on the rows and columns
    in which \eqn{i} occurs in \code{mat}.

    The \code{respect} argument controls whether a unit column-width is
    the same physical measurement on the device as a unit row-height.

    \code{layout.show(n)} plots (part of) the current layout, namely the
    outlines of the next \code{n} figures.

    \code{lcm} is a trivial function, to be used as \emph{the} interface
    for specifying absolute dimensions for the \code{widths} and
    \code{heights} arguments of \code{layout()}.
}
\value{
\code{layout} returns the number of figures, \eqn{N}, see above.
}
\references{
  Murrell, P. R. (1999) Layouts: A mechanism for arranging plots on a page. 
  \emph{Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics},
  \bold{8}, 121-134. 
  Chapter 5 of Paul Murrell's Ph.D. thesis.
}
\seealso{
\code{\link{par}(mfrow=..)}, \code{\link{par}(mfcol=..)}
and \code{\link{par}(mfg=..)}
}
\examples{
 def.par <- par(no.readonly = TRUE)# save default, for resetting...

 ## divide the device into two rows and two columns
 ## allocate figure 1 all of row 1
 ## allocate figure 2 the intersection of column 2 and row 2
 layout(matrix(c(1,1,0,2), 2, 2, byrow = TRUE))
 ## show the regions that have been allocated to each plot
 layout.show(2)

 ## divide device into two rows and two columns
 ## allocate figure 1 and figure 2 as above
 ## respect relations between widths and heights
 nf <- layout(matrix(c(1,1,0,2), 2, 2, byrow=TRUE), respect=TRUE)
 layout.show(nf)

 ## create single figure which is 5cm square
 nf <- layout(matrix(1), widths=lcm(5), heights=lcm(5))
 layout.show(nf)


 ##-- Create a scatterplot with marginal histograms -----

 x <- pmin(3, pmax(-3, rnorm(50)))
 y <- pmin(3, pmax(-3, rnorm(50)))
 xhist <- hist(x, breaks=seq(-3,3,0.5), plot=FALSE)
 yhist <- hist(y, breaks=seq(-3,3,0.5), plot=FALSE)
 top <- max(c(xhist$counts, yhist$counts))
 xrange <- c(-3,3)
 yrange <- c(-3,3)
 nf <- layout(matrix(c(2,0,1,3),2,2,byrow=TRUE), c(3,1), c(1,3), TRUE)
 layout.show(nf)

 par(mar=c(3,3,1,1))
 plot(x, y, xlim=xrange, ylim=yrange, xlab="", ylab="")
 par(mar=c(0,3,1,1))
 barplot(xhist$counts, axes=FALSE, ylim=c(0, top), space=0)
 par(mar=c(3,0,1,1))
 barplot(yhist$counts, axes=FALSE, xlim=c(0, top), space=0, horiz=TRUE)

 par(def.par)#- reset to default
}
\keyword{iplot}
\keyword{dplot}
\keyword{environment}
