horizontal grid only (in python using pandas plot + pyplot)

Question

I would like to get only horizontal grid using pandas plot.

The integrated parameter of pandas only has grid=True or grid=False, so I tried with matplotlib pyplot, changing the axes parameters, specifically with this code:

import pandas as pd import matplotlib.pyplot as plt fig = plt.figure() ax2 = plt.subplot() ax2.grid(axis='x') df.plot(kind='bar',ax=ax2, fontsize=10, sort_columns=True) plt.show(fig) 

But I get no grid, neither horizontal nor vertical. Is Pandas overwriting the axes? Or am I doing something wrong?

Answer 1

Try setting the grid after plotting the DataFrame. Also, to get the horizontal grid, you need to use ax2.grid(axis='y'). Below is an answer using a sample DataFrame.

I have restructured how you define ax2 by making use of subplots.

import pandas as pd import matplotlib.pyplot as plt  df = pd.DataFrame({'lab':['A', 'B', 'C'], 'val':[10, 30, 20]})  fig, ax2 = plt.subplots()  df.plot(kind='bar',ax=ax2, fontsize=10, sort_columns=True) ax2.grid(axis='y') plt.show() 

Alternatively, you can also do the following: Use the axis object returned from the DataFrame plot directly to turn on the horizontal grid

fig = plt.figure()  ax2 = df.plot(kind='bar', fontsize=10, sort_columns=True) ax2.grid(axis='y') 

Third option as suggested by @ayorgo in the comments is to chain the two commands as

df.plot(kind='bar',ax=ax2, fontsize=10, sort_columns=True).grid(axis='y')