As part of a thread where <[email protected]> (bw) wants to overlap the
bars in a -catplot- (author Nick Cox <[email protected]>), bw writes
> i am just wondering though why bargap(-30) did not work i.e.
> neither:
>
> graph bar (count) x if ind_methd != "emerg" ,
> over(ind_methd) over(year) bargap(-30)
>
> nor
>
> catplot bar ind_methd if ind_methd != "emerg", over(year) bargap(-30)
It is subtle, but as the documentation for option -bargap()-states, it affects
the "gap between yvar bars ...". Because bw has only a single yvar
(y-variable), the variable x, there are no gaps between the y-variables to
reduce.
Note, however, that the option -over()- itself has a -gap()- suboption that
affects the "gap between bars within over() category". So, if bw will put a
-gap()- suboption in his first -over()- option, the bars within the over can
be made to overlap --
graph bar (count) x if ind_methd != "emerg" ,
over(ind_methd, gap(-30)) over(year)
^^^^^^^^^^
Because only the y-variable bars take on different colors, and because bw has
only one y-variable, this specification overlaps bars of the same color, which
does not look good to my eyes.
Alternately, bw can specify that the first over() groups be treated as
y-variables and then return to using -bargap(-30)- to create an overlap
graph bar (count) x if ind_methd != "emerg" ,
over(ind_methd) over(year) asyvar bargap(-30)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Now, the bars for each category in variable ind_methd will be a different
color.
I don't know how this maps to -catplot-, and as Nick said earlier he didn't
explicitly write -catplot- to work with the option -over()-. Regardless, I
noticed that placing a -gap()- suboption within the -over()- options on a
-catplot- does affect the gaps between bars. Assuming -catplot- is otherwise
doing what bw wants, the -gap()- suboption may get him the look he wants.
-- Vince
[email protected]
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