Setting the absolute position of a figure using python matplotlib with the MacOSX backend

Question

Is it possible to set the absolute position of a figure on the screen using matplotlib with the MacOSX backend?

This answer

How do you set the absolute position of figure windows with matplotlib?

says it can be done for other backends, but doesn't mention how to do it with the MacOSX backend.

Answer 1

With the MacOSX backend there is no way to set the window position of a matplotlib window. However under MacOSX generally speaking you can use other matplotlib backends which allow for this. The TkAgg backend (using Tcl/Tk via the Tkinter binding in the Python standard library) should be installed automatically.

In your python script, before anything else, switch to this backend, then create your plot, show it and now you can move the window with

get_current_fig_manager().window.wm_geometry("+<x-pos>+<y-pos>")

Here a working example:

import matplotlib
matplotlib.use("TkAgg") # set the backend
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

plt.figure()
plt.plot([0,1,2,0,1,2]) # draw something
plt.show(block=False)

plt.get_current_fig_manager().window.wm_geometry("+600+400") # move the window

If you install the IMHO nicer Qt4 GUI framework with the PyQt bindings, then you position the window with

get_current_fig_manager().window.setGeometry(<x-pos>,<x-pos>,<width>,<height>)

Again the full example:

import matplotlib
matplotlib.use("Qt4Agg") # set the backend
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

plt.figure()
plt.plot([0,1,2,0,1,2]) # draw something
plt.show(block=False)

plt.get_current_fig_manager().window.setGeometry(600,400,1000,800)