Thread: [Gnuplot-info] keyentries are arranged poorly when a long key-entry is presented

Hi, All,

I have a plot that contains multiple short key-entries and a couple of 
long key-entries.

I want these keyentries to be arranged automatically into multiply 
columns, but gnuplot plots all of the entries into single column. If I 
remove long keyentries, then remaining short keyentries are arranged 
perfectly.

The full-working script below reproduces the issue: all of the 
keyentries are plotted in a single column. If the last keyentry is 
removed from the script, then all of the remaining keyentries are 
arranged perfectly.

So, is there way to arrange keyentries when there is a long keyentry?

Thanks!


###################### gnuplot script ######################
set terminal pngcairo enhanced font "Verdana,10" size 800,600
set output 'test.png'

set grid
set xrange [0:10]

set key outside right top horizontal Left reverse keywidth graph 1.0 
samplen 1

plot \
     sin(x) title "short" lc rgb "blue" lw 2, \
     cos(x) title "short" lc rgb "red" dashtype 2, \
     keyentry with points pt 7 lc rgb "black" title "short", \
     keyentry with boxes fill solid lc rgb "#A0FFA0" title "short", \
     keyentry with points pt 7 lc rgb "black" title "short", \
     keyentry with boxes fill solid lc rgb "#A0FFA0" title "short", \
     keyentry with points pt 7 lc rgb "black" title "short", \
     keyentry with boxes fill solid lc rgb "#A0FFA0" title "short", \
     keyentry with points pt 7 lc rgb "black" title "short", \
     keyentry with boxes fill solid lc rgb "#A0FFA0" title "short", \
      keyentry with points pt 7 lc rgb "black" title "short", \
     keyentry with boxes fill solid lc rgb "#A0FFA0" title "short", \
     keyentry with points pt 7 lc rgb "black" title "short", \
     keyentry with boxes fill solid lc rgb "#A0FFA0" title "short", \
     keyentry with points pt 7 lc rgb "black" title "short", \
     keyentry with boxes fill solid lc rgb "#A0FFA0" title "short", \
     keyentry with points pt 7 lc rgb "black" title "short", \
     keyentry with boxes fill solid lc rgb "#A0FFA0" title "short", \
     keyentry with boxes fill solid lc rgb "#A0FFA0" title "long key 
etnry that takes a lont of sssspace "

Apparently, gnuplot takes the longest title and uses the same space for the short titles.
However, you can force to reduce the space. Check `help key`, option `width <width_increment>`.
Depending on the length of your actual titles you can try to add a line, e.g.

set key maxcol 8 width -40

At least for your example where only the last keyentry is extremely long, this seems to give a reasonable result.