add text to a legend in python

Question

I am trying to add some text to the legend. It is about the text in the box. Another solution is that the textbox stays beneath the legend and doesn't move when you enlarge the graph.

plt.scatter(stageheight,discharge,color='b',label='measured data')
plt.plot(stageheight_hecras,discharge_hecras,'y^',label='modeled with HEC-RAS')
plt.plot(stageheight_masked,discharge_predicted,'r-',label='regression line measured data')
plt.plot(stageheight_hecras,discharge_predicted_hecras,'g-',label='regression line HEC-RAS')
plt.plot(stageheight_masked,upper,'r--',label='15% error measured data')
plt.plot(stageheight_masked,lower,'r--')
plt.plot(stageheight_hecras,upper_hecras,'g--',label='30% error HEC-RAS')
plt.plot(stageheight_hecras,lower_hecras,'g--')
plt.fill_between(stageheight_masked,upper,lower,facecolor='red',edgecolor='red',alpha=0.5,label='test')
plt.fill_between(stageheight_hecras,upper_hecras,lower_hecras,facecolor='green',alpha=0.5)
plt.axhline(y=0.6,xmin=0,xmax=1,color='black',linewidth = 4.0,label='measuring range')
plt.text(0.02,0.7,'measured rating curve $Q = 1.37H^2 + 0.34H - 0.007$\nmodeled ratign curve $Q = 2.71H^2 - 2.20H + 0.98$',bbox=dict(facecolor='none',edgecolor='black',boxstyle='square'))
plt.title('Rating curve Catsop')
plt.ylabel('discharge')
plt.ylim(0,2.5)
plt.xlim(0,1.2)
plt.xlabel('stageheight[m]')
plt.legend(loc='upper left', title='Legend')
plt.grid(True)
plt.show()

This is the graph I have now:

Solution 1

Rather than plotting a fake rectangle, you can use a Patch, which doesn't show up on the figure or axes:

import matplotlib.patches as mpatches

extraString = 'measured rating curve $Q = 1.37H^2 + 0.34H - 0.007$\nmodeled rating curve $Q = 2.71H^2 - 2.20H + 0.98$'
handles, labels = plt.get_legend_handles_labels()
handles.append(mpatches.Patch(color='none', label=extraString))
plt.legend(handles=handles)

This method has the bonus effect that you first get whatever is already in the legend, so you don't have to explicitly build it by hand.

Solution 2

This adds the text to the legend (inspired by this answer):

from matplotlib.patches import Rectangle

plt.plot(range(10))

p = plt.axhline(y=0.6,xmin=0,xmax=1,color='black',linewidth = 4.0,label='measuring range')
plt.ylabel('discharge')
plt.ylim(0,2.5)
plt.xlim(0,1.2)
plt.xlabel('stageheight[m]')
text1 = 'measured rating curve $Q = 1.37H^2 + 0.34H - 0.007$'
text2 = 'modeled ratign curve $Q = 2.71H^2 - 2.20H + 0.98$'
extra = Rectangle((0, 0), 1, 1, fc="w", fill=False, edgecolor='none', linewidth=0)
plt.legend([p, extra, extra],[p.get_label(), text1, text2], loc='upper left', title='Legend')
plt.grid(True)
plt.show()

Solution 3

Try to use transform in plt.text. Now the first two coordinates are relative to the axis.

ax = plt.gca()
ax.text(0.3,0.05,'measured rating curve $Q = 1.37H^2 + 0.34H - 0.007$\nmodeled ratign curve $Q = 2.71H^2 - 2.20H + 0.98$',transform=ax.transAxes, bbox=dict(facecolor='none',edgecolor='black',boxstyle='square'))