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3.5.12

Custom Colors for Matlab Plots


This is a(nother) simple function I wrote for matlab, it can also be downloaded from my file exchange at mathworks:
http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/36514-custom-colors-for-plots

In plot graphs, often it's needed to use a several colors that can be easily differentiated on a first look on the graphic. With this function you can call easily (by name or by code) a selection of 15 colors.
It's very simple and there are more elegant ways to do it, but I think it's a very functional solution.


function ccol=CustomColors(ct1)
%This is a function to create some easy to differentiate colors, very
%useful when plotting many things in the same graphic
%The RGB coordinates and names where taken from the following page:
%http://web.njit.edu/~kevin/rgb.txt.html
%
%Examples:
%for ccc=1:15
%plot(ccc*ones(1,10),'Linewidth',4,'Color', CustomColors(ccc))
%end
%
%plot(ones(1,10),'Linewidth',4,'Color', CustomColors('Coral'))
%plot(ones(1,10),'Linewidth',4,'Color', CustomColors('DeepSkyBlue4'))
%
%Copyright: Andres Gonzalez. 2012.

CColors={
    [   [0,0.407843137254902,0.545098039215686] ];% DeepSkyBlue4
    [   [0.545098039215686,0.270588235294118,0.0745098039215686]    ];% SaddleBrown
    [   [0,0.803921568627451,0] ];% green3
    [   [0,0.498039215686275,1] ];% SlateBlue
    [   [0.956862745098039,0.643137254901961,0.376470588235294] ];% SandyBrown
    [   [0.419607843137255,0.556862745098039,0.137254901960784] ];% OliveDrab
    [   [0.800000000000000,0.196078431372549,0.600000000000000] ];% Violet,Red
    [   [0.556862745098039,0.419607843137255,0.137254901960784] ];% Sienna
    [   [0.803921568627451,0.678431372549020,0] ];% gold3
    [   [0.545098039215686,0,0.545098039215686] ];% magenta4
    [   [1,0.498039215686275,0] ];% coral
    [   [1,0.843137254901961,0] ];% gold1
    [   [0.600000000000000,0.196078431372549,0.800000000000000] ];% DarkOrchid
    [   [0.941176470588235,0.501960784313726,0.501960784313726] ];% LightCoral
    [   [0.635294117647059,0.803921568627451,0.352941176470588] ];% DarkOliveGreen3
   
    };
NColors={
    'DeepSkyBlue4';
    'SaddleBrown';
    'Green3';
    'SlateBlue';
    'SandyBrown';
    'OliveDrab';
    'VioletRed';
    'Sienna';
    'Gold3';
    'Magenta';
    'Coral';
    'Gold1';
    'DarkOrchid';
    'LightCoral';
    'DarkOliveGreen3';
    };

switch class(ct1)
    case 'double'
        if ct1<1
            ct1=1
            disp(sprintf('Color index must be between 1 and %d, taking closest value [%d]',length(CColors),ct1))
        elseif ct1>length(CColors)
            ct1=length(CColors)
            disp(sprintf('Color index must be between 1 and %d, taking closest value [%d]',length(CColors),ct1))
        end
       
       
       
    case 'char'
        ctfound=0
        for ct2=1:length(NColors)
            if (strcmp(NColors{ct2},ct1))
                ctfound=ct2
            end
        end
        if ctfound==0
            disp(sprintf('Color not found taking default value [%d]',1))
        else
            ct1=ctfound
        end
       
    otherwise
        disp(sprintf('Color not valid taking default value [%d]',1))
       
       
end





ccol=CColors{ct1}
end