Wrapping Partially Bolded and Italicized Main Title with ggpubr - ggerrorplot

Overview

The ggtext package in R provides a convenient way to manipulate text elements within ggplot2 plots, including rotating and wrapping text labels. In this article, we’ll explore how to use the ggtext package in combination with the ggpubr package to create plots with custom titles that include partially bolded and italicized words.

Understanding the Problem

The question posed by the OP (Original Poster) highlights a common challenge when working with text labels in ggplot2 plots: wrapping partially bolded and italicized main title. The OP tried several solutions, including using stringr and manually creating line breaks, but was unsuccessful.

Solution Overview

To solve this problem, we’ll use the following steps:

1. Install and load required packages (ggpubr, ggtext, and tidyverse)
2. Use the labs function to create a custom title with partially bolded and italicized words
3. Apply theme modifications to control the appearance of the plot title

Code Solution

Here’s the code solution that wraps the main plot title with partially bolded and italicized words:

library(ggpubr)
library(ggtext)
library(tidyverse)

# Create a sample dataset for illustration purposes
iris %>% 
  ggerrorplot(
    x = "Species",
    y = "Sepal.Length", 
    add = "jitter", 
    error.plot =  "linerange", 
    add.params = list(color = "darkolivegreen2", size = 1.5), 
    xlab = 'Treatment', 
    ylab = "Sepal Length",
    ylim = c(0, 10), 
    width = 1, 
    ggtheme = theme_dark()
  ) + 
  labs(
    title = "<b>Figure 5</b> <i>Species with long name</i> Long fake name virginica response all things <i>Shorter species</i> Sepal Length Only Purple Long Fake Name") +
  theme(
    plot.title.position = "plot",
    plot.title = element_textbox_simple(
      size = 13,
      lineheight = 1,
      padding = margin(5.5, 5.5, 5.5, 5.5),
      margin = margin(0, 0, 5.5, 0)
    )
  ) +
  rotate_x_text(45)

Explanation

The solution uses the labs function to create a custom title with partially bolded and italicized words:

• We first create a sample dataset (iris) for illustration purposes.
• Then, we use the ggerrorplot function from ggpubr to create an error plot with jitter points.
• In the labs section, we set the title using the following syntax:
  • The <b> tags wrap the bolded text (Figure 5)
  • The <i> tags wrap the italicized text (Species with long name, Long fake name virginica response all things, and Shorter species)
• We use the theme function to apply theme modifications:
  • plot.title.position = "plot" positions the plot title within the plot
  • plot.title = element_textbox_simple() creates a custom title box with specified size, line height, padding, and margin
  • rotate_x_text(45) rotates the x-axis text labels by 45 degrees

Tips and Variations

Here are some additional tips and variations to consider:

• Use Markdown syntax for formatting: The <b> and <i> tags wrap bolded and italicized text, respectively.
• Experiment with different font sizes, line heights, padding, and margin values in the element_textbox_simple function to customize the appearance of the plot title.
• Consider using other theme options, such as plot.title = element_text_box(), for a box-like effect.

By following this solution and exploring the various options available in ggtext, you can create plots with custom titles that include partially bolded and italicized words.

Last modified on 2023-12-21