dateaxis

Convert serial-date axis labels to calendar-date axis labels

Syntax

dateaxis(Tickaxis,DateForm,StartDate)

Description

dateaxis(Tickaxis,DateForm,StartDate) replaces axis tick labels with date labels.

Examples

Replace Axis Tick Labels with Date Labels

This example shows how to use dateaxis to replaces axis tick labels with date labels on a graphic figure.

Convert the x-axis labels to an automatically determined date format.

dateaxis('y', 6)

Convert the y-axis labels to the month/day format.

dateaxis('x', 2, datetime(1999,3,3))

Convert the x-axis labels to the month/day/year format. The minimum x-tick value is treated as March 3, 1999.

dateaxis('x', 2, datetime(1999,3,3))

Input Arguments

Tickaxis — Determines which axis tick labels, x, y, z to replace

'x' (default) | character vector with value 'x', 'y', or 'z'

(Optional) Determines which axis tick labels —x, y, or z— to replace, specified as a character vector.

Data Types: char

DateForm — Defines which date format to use

date format based on the span of the axis limits (default) | integer from 0 to 17

(Optional) Defines which date format to use, specified as an integer from 0 to 17.

If no DateForm argument is entered, this function determines the date format based on the span of the axis limits. For example, if the difference between the axis minimum and maximum is less than 15, the tick labels are converted to three-letter day-of-the-week abbreviations (DateForm = 8).

DateForm	Format	Description
0	01-Mar-1999 15:45:17	day-month-year hour:minute:second
1	01-mar-1999	day-month-year
2	03/01/99	month/day/year
3	Mar	month, three letters
4	M	month, single letter
5	3	month
6	03/01	month/day
7	1	day of month
8	Wed	day of week, three letters
9	W	day of week, single letter
10	1999	year, four digits
11	99	year, two digits
12	Mar99	month year
13	15:45:17	hour:minute:second
14	03:45:17 PM	hour:minute:second AM or PM
15	15:45	hour:minute
16	03:45 PM	hour:minute AM or PM
17	95/03/01	year month day

Refer to the MATLAB^® set command for information on modifying the axis tick values and other axis parameters.

Data Types: double

StartDate — Assigns the date to the first axis tick value

lower axis limit converted to the appropriate date number (default) | datetime scalar | string scalar | date character vector

(Optional) Assigns the date to the first axis tick value, specified as a scalar datetime, string, or date character vector.

The default StartDate is the lower axis limit converted to the appropriate date number. For example, a tick value of 1 is converted to the date 01-Jan-0000. Entering StartDate as '06-apr-1999' assigns the date April 6, 1999 to the first tick value and the axis tick labels are set accordingly.

To support existing code, dateaxis also accepts serial date numbers as inputs, but they are not recommended.

Data Types: char | string | datetime

Version History

Introduced before R2006a

R2022b: Serial date numbers not recommended

Although dateaxis supports serial date numbers, datetime values are recommended instead. The datetime data type provides flexible date and time formats, storage out to nanosecond precision, and properties to account for time zones and daylight saving time.

To convert serial date numbers or text to datetime values, use the datetime function. For example:

t = datetime(738427.656845093,"ConvertFrom","datenum");
y = year(t)

y =

        2021

There are no plans to remove support for serial date number inputs.