# Source code for spacepy.plot.utils

    """
    Utility routines for plotting and related activities

    Authors: Jonathan Niehof, Steven Morley, Daniel Welling

    Institution: Los Alamos National Laboratory

    Contact: jniehof@lanl.gov

    Copyright 2012-2014 Los Alamos National Security, LLC.

    .. currentmodule:: spacepy.plot.utils

    Classes
    -------

    .. autosummary::
        :template: clean_class.rst
        :toctree:

        EventClicker

    Functions
    ---------

    .. autosummary::
        :toctree:

        add_logo
        annotate_xaxis
        applySmartTimeTicks
        collapse_vertical
        printfig
        set_target
        shared_ylabel
        show_used
        smartTimeTicks
        timestamp
        add_arrows
    """

    __contact__ = 'Jonathan Niehof: jniehof@lanl.gov'

    import bisect
    import datetime
    import itertools

    import matplotlib
    import matplotlib.axis
    import matplotlib.dates
    import matplotlib.image
    import matplotlib.patches
    try:
        import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
    except RuntimeError:
        pass
    import numpy

    __all__ = ['add_logo', 'annotate_xaxis', 'applySmartTimeTicks', 'collapse_vertical', 'filter_boxes',
               'smartTimeTicks', 'get_biggest_clear', 'get_clear', 'get_used_boxes', 'EventClicker',
               'set_target', 'shared_ylabel', 'show_used', 'timestamp', 'add_arrows']

    class EventClicker(object):
        """
        Presents a provided figure (normally a time series) and provides
        an interface to mark events shown in the plot. The user interface
        is explained in :meth:`analyze` and results are returned
        by :meth:`get_events`

        Other Parameters
        ================
        ax : maplotlib.axes.AxesSubplot
            The subplot to display and grab data from. If not provided, the
            current subplot is grabbed from gca() (Lookup of the current
            subplot is done when :meth:`analyze` is called.)

        n_phases : int (optional, default 1)
            number of phases to an event, i.e. number of subevents to mark.
            E.g. for a storm where one wants the onset and the minimum, set
            n_phases to 2 and double click on the onset, then minimum, and
            then the next double-click will be onset of the next storm.

        interval : (optional)
            Size of the X window to show. This should be in units that can
            be added to/subtracted from individual elements of x (e.g.
            timedelta if x is a series of datetime.) Defaults to showing
            the entire plot.

        auto_interval : boolean (optional)
            Automatically adjust interval based on the average distance
            between selected events. Default is True if interval is not
            specified; False if interval is specified.

        auto_scale : boolean (optional, default True):
            Automatically adjust the Y axis to match the data as the X
            axis is panned.

        ymin : (optional, default None)
            If auto_scale is True, the bottom of the autoscaled Y axis will
            never be above ymin (i.e. ymin will always be shown on the plot).
            This prevents the autoscaling from blowing up very small features
            in mostly flat portions of the plot. The user can still manually
            zoom in past this point. The autoscaler will always zoom out to
            show the data.

        ymax : (optional, default None)
            Similar to ymin, but the top of the Y axis will never be below ymax.

        line : matplotlib.lines.Line2D (optional)
            Specify the matplotlib line object to use for autoscaling the
            Y axis. If this is not specified, the first line object on the
            provided subplot will be used. This should usually be correct.

        Examples
        ========
        >>> import spacepy.plot.utils
        >>> import numpy
        >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
        >>> x = numpy.arange(630) / 100.0 * numpy.pi
        >>> y = numpy.sin(x)
        >>> clicker = spacepy.plot.utils.EventClicker(
        ... n_phases=2, #Two picks per event
        ... interval=numpy.pi * 2) #Display one cycle at a time
        >>> plt.plot(x, y)
        >>> clicker.analyze() #Double-click on max and min of each cycle; close
        >>> e = clicker.get_events()
        >>> peaks = e[:, 0, 0] #x value of event starts
        >>> peaks -= 2 * numpy.pi * numpy.floor(peaks / (2 * numpy.pi)) #mod 2pi
        >>> max(numpy.abs(peaks - numpy.pi / 2)) < 0.2 #Peaks should be near pi/2
        True
        >>> troughs = e[:, 1, 0] #x value of event ends
        >>> troughs -= 2 * numpy.pi * numpy.floor(troughs / (2 * numpy.pi))
        >>> max(numpy.abs(troughs - 3 * numpy.pi / 2)) < 0.2 #troughs near 3pi/2
        True
        >>> d = clicker.get_events_data() #snap-to-data of events
        >>> peakvals = d[:, 0, 1] #y value, snapped near peaks
        >>> max(peakvals) <= 1.0 #should peak at 1
        True
        >>> min(peakvals) > 0.9 #should click near 1
        True
        >>> troughvals = d[:, 1, 1] #y value, snapped near peaks
        >>> max(troughvals) <= -0.9 #should click near -1
        True
        >>> min(troughvals) <= -1.0 #should bottom-out at -1
        True

        >>> import spacepy.plot.utils
        >>> import spacepy.time
        >>> import datetime
        >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
        >>> import numpy
        >>> t = spacepy.time.tickrange('2019-01-01', #get a range of days
        ...                            '2019-12-31',
        ...                            deltadays=datetime.timedelta(days=1))
        >>> y = numpy.linspace(0, 100, 1001)
        >>> seconds = t.TAI - t.TAI[0]
        >>> seconds = numpy.asarray(seconds) #normal ndarray so reshape (in meshgrid) works
        >>> tt, yy = numpy.meshgrid(seconds, y) #use TAI to get seconds
        >>> z = 1 + (numpy.exp(-(yy - 20)**2 / 625) #something like a spectrogram
        ...          * numpy.sin(1e-7 * numpy.pi**2 * tt)**2) #pi*1e7 seconds per year
        >>> plt.pcolormesh(t.UTC, y, z)
        >>> clicker = spacepy.plot.utils.EventClicker(n_phases=1)
        >>> clicker.analyze() #double-click on center of peak; close
        >>> events = clicker.get_events() #returns an array of the things clicked
        >>> len(events) == 10 #10 if you click on the centers, including the last one
        True
        >>> clicker.get_events_data() is None #should be nothing
        True

        .. autosummary::
             ~EventClicker.analyze
             ~EventClicker.get_events
             ~EventClicker.get_events_data

        .. codeauthor:: Jon Niehof <jniehof@lanl.gov>
        .. automethod:: analyze
        .. automethod:: get_events
        .. automethod:: get_events_data
        """
        _colors = ['k', 'r', 'g']
        _styles = ['solid', 'dashed', 'dotted']

        def __init__(self, ax=None, n_phases=1, interval=None, auto_interval=None,
                     auto_scale=True, ymin=None, ymax=None, line=None):
            """Initialize EventClicker

            Other Parameters
            ================
            ax : maplotlib.axes.AxesSubplot
                The subplot to display and grab data from. If not provided, the
                current subplot is grabbed from gca() (Lookup of the current
                subplot is done when :meth:`analyze` is called.)

            n_phases : int (optional, default 1)
                number of phases to an event, i.e. number of subevents to mark.
                E.g. for a storm where one wants the onset and the minimum, set
                n_phases to 2 and double click on the onset, then minimum, and
                then the next double-click will be onset of the next storm.

            interval : (optional)
                Size of the X window to show. This should be in units that can
                be added to/subtracted from individual elements of x (e.g.
                timedelta if x is a series of datetime.) Defaults to showing
                the entire plot.

            auto_interval : boolean (optional)
                Automatically adjust interval based on the average distance
                between selected events. Default is True if interval is not
                specified; False if interval is specified.

            auto_scale : boolean (optional, default True):
                Automatically adjust the Y axis to match the data as the X
                axis is panned.

            ymin : (optional, default None)
                If auto_scale is True, the bottom of the autoscaled Y axis will
                never be above ymin (i.e. ymin will always be shown on the plot).
                This prevents the autoscaling from blowing up very small features
                in mostly flat portions of the plot. The user can still manually
                zoom in past this point. The autoscaler will always zoom out to
                show the data.

            ymax : (optional, default None)
                Similar to ymin, but the top of the Y axis will never be below ymax.

            line : matplotlib.lines.Line2D (optional)
                Specify the matplotlib line object to use for autoscaling the
                Y axis. If this is not specified, the first line object on the
                provided subplot will be used. This should usually be correct.
            """
            self.n_phases = n_phases
            self.interval = interval
            self._autointerval = auto_interval
            self._autoscale = auto_scale
            self._intervalcount = 0
            self._intervaltotal = None
            self._events = None
            self._data_events = None #snap-to-data version of events
            self._ymax = ymax
            self._ymin = ymin
            self._line = line
            self.ax = None

        def analyze(self):
            """
            Displays the figure provided and allows the user to select events.

            All matplot lib controls for zooming, panning, etc. the figure
            remain active.

            Double left click
                Mark this point as an event phase. One-phase events are the
                simplest: they occur at a particular time. Two-phase events
                have two times associated with them; an example is any event
                with a distinct start and stop time. In that case, the first
                double-click would mark the beginning, the second one, the end;
                the next double-click would mark the beginning of the next event.
                Each phase of an event is annotated with a vertical line on the
                plot; the color and line style is the same for all events, but
                different for each phase.

                After marking the final phase of an event, the X axis will scroll
                and zoom to place that phase near the left of the screeen and
                include one full interval of data (as defined in the constructor).
                The Y axis will be scaled to cover the data in that X range.

            Double right click or delete button
                Remove the last marked event phase. If an entire event (i.e., the
                first phase of an event) is removed, the X axis will be scrolled
                left to the previous event and the Y axis will be scaled to cover
                the data in the new range.

            Space bar
                Scroll the X axis by one interval. Y axis will be scaled to cover
                the data.

            When finished, close the figure window (if necessary) and call
            :meth:`get_events` to get the list of events.
            """
            self._lastclick_x = None
            self._lastclick_y = None
            self._lastclick_button = None
            self._curr_phase = 0

            if self.ax is None:
                self.ax = plt.gca()
            self.fig = self.ax.get_figure()
            lines = self.ax.get_lines()
            if self._line is None:
                if len(lines) > 0:
                    self._line = lines[0]
            else:
                if not self._line in lines:
                    self._line = None
            if self._line is None:
                self._xdata = None
                self._ydata = None
                self._xydata = None
                self._autoscale = False
                self._x_is_datetime = isinstance(self.ax.xaxis.converter,
                                                 matplotlib.dates.DateConverter)
                if self._x_is_datetime:
                    try:
                        self._tz = self.ax.xaxis.get_major_formatter()._tz
                    except AttributeError:
                        self._tz = None
            else:
                self._xdata = self._line.get_xdata()
                self._ydata = self._line.get_ydata()
                self._x_is_datetime = isinstance(self._xdata[0],
                                                 datetime.datetime)
                if self._x_is_datetime:
                    self._xydata = numpy.column_stack(
                        (matplotlib.dates.date2num(self._xdata), self._ydata))
                    self._tz = self._xdata[0].tzinfo
                else:
                    self._xydata = numpy.column_stack((self._xdata, self._ydata))
                if self._ymin is None: #Make the clipping comparison always fail
                    self._ymin = numpy.nanmax(self._ydata)
                if self._ymax is None:
                    self._ymax = numpy.nanmin(self._ydata)

            if self._autointerval is None:
                self._autointerval = self.interval is None
            if self.interval is None:
                (left, right) = self.ax.get_xaxis().get_view_interval()
                if self._x_is_datetime:
                    #For naive datetimes, smash explicitly back to naive;
                    #otherwise it's just replacing with the same.
                    right = matplotlib.dates.num2date(right, tz=self._tz).replace(
                        tzinfo=self._tz)
                    left = matplotlib.dates.num2date(left, tz=self._tz).replace(
                        tzinfo=self._tz)
                self.interval = right - left

            if not self._xdata is None:
                self._relim(self._xdata[0])
            elif self._x_is_datetime:
                #Handle the case of no xdata but we are using a datetime, such as
                #spectrum data (that's not a line, hence no xdata):
                self._relim(matplotlib.dates.num2date(self.ax.get_xaxis()\
                    .get_view_interval()[0]).replace(tzinfo=self._tz))
            else:
                self._relim(self.ax.get_xaxis().get_view_interval()[0])
            self._cids = []
            self._cids.append(self.fig.canvas.mpl_connect('button_press_event', self._onclick))
            self._cids.append(self.fig.canvas.mpl_connect('close_event', self._onclose))
            self._cids.append(self.fig.canvas.mpl_connect('key_press_event', self._onkeypress))
            plt.show()

        def get_events(self):
            """Get back the list of events.

            Call after :meth:`analyze`.

            Returns
            =======
            out : array
                3-D array of (x, y) values clicked on.
                Shape is (n_events, n_phases, 2), i.e. indexed by event
                number, then phase of the event, then (x, y).
            """
            if self._events is None:
                return None
            else:
                return self._events[0:-1].copy()

        def get_events_data(self):
            """Get a list of events, "snapped" to the data.

            For each point selected as a phase of an event, selects the point
            from the original data which is closest to the clicked point. Distance
            from point to data is calculated based on the screen distance, not
            in data coordinates.

            Note that this snaps to data points, not to the closest point on the
            line between points.

            Call after :meth:`analyze`.

            Returns
            =======
            out : array
                3-D array of (x, y) values in the data which are closest to each
                point clicked on. Shape is (n_events, n_phases, 2), i.e. indexed
                by event number, then phase of the event, then (x, y).
            """
            if self._data_events is None:
                return None
            else:
                return self._data_events[0:-1].copy()

        def _add_event_phase(self, xval, yval):
            """Add a phase of the event"""
            self.ax.axvline(
                xval,
                color=self._colors[self._curr_phase % len(self._colors)],
                ls=self._styles[self._curr_phase // len(self._colors) % len(self._styles)])
            if not self._xydata is None:
                point_disp = self.ax.transData.transform(
                    numpy.array([[xval, yval]])
                    )[0]
                data_disp = self.ax.transData.transform(self._xydata)
                idx = numpy.argmin(numpy.sum(
                    (data_disp - point_disp) ** 2, axis=1
                    ))
                if self._data_events is None:
                    self._data_events = numpy.array(
                        [[[self._xdata[0], self._ydata[0]]] * self.n_phases])
                self._data_events[-1, self._curr_phase] = \
                                      [self._xdata[idx], self._ydata[idx]]
            if self._x_is_datetime:
                xval = matplotlib.dates.num2date(xval, tz=self._tz).replace(
                    tzinfo=self._tz)
            if self._events is None:
                self._events = numpy.array([[[xval, yval]] * self.n_phases])
            self._events[-1, self._curr_phase] = [xval, yval]
            self._curr_phase += 1
            if self._curr_phase >= self.n_phases:
                self._curr_phase = 0
                if self._autointerval:
                    if self._events.shape[0] > 2:
                        self._intervalcount += 1
                        self._intervaltotal += (self._events[-1, 0, 0] - self._events[-2, 0, 0])
                        self.interval = self._intervaltotal / self._intervalcount
                    elif self._events.shape[0] == 2:
                        self._intervalcount = 1
                        self._intervaltotal = self._events[1, 0, 0] - self._events[0, 0, 0]
                        self.interval = self._intervaltotal

                self._events.resize((self._events.shape[0] + 1,
                                     self.n_phases, 2
                                     ))
                if self._data_events is not None:
                    self._data_events.resize((self._data_events.shape[0] + 1,
                                              self.n_phases, 2
                                              ))
                self._relim(xval)
            else:
                self.fig.canvas.draw()

        def _delete_event_phase(self):
            """Delete the most recent phase of the event"""
            if self._curr_phase == 0:
                if self._events.shape[0] > 1:
                    del self.ax.lines[-1]
                    self._events.resize((self._events.shape[0] - 1,
                                         self.n_phases, 2
                                         ))
                    if not self._data_events is None:
                        self._data_events.resize((self._data_events.shape[0] - 1,
                                                  self.n_phases, 2
                                                  ))
                    self._curr_phase = self.n_phases - 1
            else:
                del self.ax.lines[-1]
                self._curr_phase -= 1
            if self._curr_phase == 0 and self._events.shape[0] > 1:
                self._relim(self._events[-2, -1, 0])
            self.fig.canvas.draw()

        def _onclick(self, event):
            """Handle a click"""
            # a doubleclick gives us two IDENTICAL click events, same X and Y
            if event.xdata == self._lastclick_x and \
                   event.ydata == self._lastclick_y and \
                   event.button == self._lastclick_button:
                if event.button == 1:
                    self._add_event_phase(event.xdata, event.ydata)
                else:
                    self._delete_event_phase()
                self._lastclick_x = None
                self._lastclick_y = None
                self._lastclick_button = None
            else:
                self._lastclick_x = event.xdata
                self._lastclick_y = event.ydata
                self._lastclick_button = event.button

        def _onclose(self, event):
            """Handle the window closing"""
            for cid in self._cids:
                self.fig.canvas.mpl_disconnect(cid)

        def _onkeypress(self, event):
            """Handle a keypress"""
            if event.key == ' ':
                rightside = self.ax.xaxis.get_view_interval()[1]
                if self._x_is_datetime:
                    rightside = matplotlib.dates.num2date(rightside, tz=self._tz)\
                        .replace(tzinfo=self._tz)
                self._relim(rightside)
            if event.key == 'delete':
                self._delete_event_phase()

        def _relim(self, left_x):
            """Reset the limits based on a particular X value"""
            if self._x_is_datetime:
                xmin = left_x - self.interval/10
                xmax = left_x + self.interval + self.interval/10
            else:
                xmin = left_x - 0.1 * self.interval
                xmax = left_x + 1.1 * self.interval
            if self._autoscale:
                idx_l = bisect.bisect_left(self._xdata, xmin)
                idx_r = bisect.bisect_right(self._xdata, xmax)
                if idx_l >= len(self._ydata):
                    idx_l = len(self._ydata) - 1
                ymin = numpy.nanmin(self._ydata[idx_l:idx_r])
                ymax = numpy.nanmax(self._ydata[idx_l:idx_r])
                if ymin > self._ymin:
                    ymin = self._ymin
                if ymax < self._ymax:
                    ymax = self._ymax
                ydiff = (ymax - ymin) / 10
                ymin -= ydiff
                ymax += ydiff
                self.ax.set_xlim(xmin, xmax)
                self.ax.set_ylim(ymin, ymax)
                self.ax.autoscale_view()
            else:
                self.ax.set_xlim(xmin, xmax)
                self.ax.autoscale_view(scalex=True, scaley=False)
            self.fig.canvas.draw()

    def annotate_xaxis(txt, ax=None):
        """
        Write text in-line and to the right of the x-axis tick labels

        Annotates the x axis of an :class:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes` object with text
        placed in-line with the tick labels and immediately to the right of the
        last label. This is formatted to match the existing tick marks.

        Parameters
        ==========
        txt : str
            The annotation text.

        Other Parameters
        ================
        ax : matplotlib.axes.Axes
            The axes to annotate; if not specified, the
            :func:`~matplotlib.pyplot.gca` function will be used.

        Returns
        =======
        out : matplotlib.text.Text
            The :class:`~matplotlib.text.Text` object for the annotation.

        Notes
        =====
        The annotation is placed *immediately* to the right of the last tick label.
        Generally the first character of ``txt`` should be a space to allow some
        room.

        Calls :func:`~matplotlib.pyplot.draw` to ensure tick marker locations are
        up to date.

        Examples
        ========
        .. plot::
            :include-source:

            >>> import spacepy.plot.utils
            >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
            >>> import datetime
            >>> times = [datetime.datetime(2010, 1, 1) + datetime.timedelta(hours=i)
            ...     for i in range(0, 48, 3)]
            >>> plt.plot(times, range(16))
            [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x0000000>]
            >>> spacepy.plot.utils.annotate_xaxis(' UT') #mark that times are UT
            <matplotlib.text.Text object at 0x0000000>
        """
        if ax is None:
            ax = plt.gca()
        #For some reason the last one is sometimes null, so search for non-null
        t = next((t for t in ax.get_xticklabels()[::-1] if t.get_text()), None)
        if not t:
            plt.draw() #force a redraw, try again
            t = next((t for t in ax.get_xticklabels()[::-1] if t.get_text()), None)
            if not t:
                return
        transform = t.get_transform()
        pos = transform.inverted().transform(t.get_window_extent())
        left = pos[1, 0] #line up the left of annotation with right of existing
        bottom = pos[0, 1] #for some reason bottom matches better than top
        props = dict((p, getattr(t, 'get_' + p)()) for p in
             ['color', 'family', 'size', 'style', 'variant', 'weight'])
        return ax.text(left, bottom, txt, transform=transform,
                       ha='left', va='bottom', **props)

    def applySmartTimeTicks(ax, time, dolimit=True, dolabel=False):
        """
        Given an axis *ax* and a list/array of datetime objects, *time*,
        use the smartTimeTicks function to build smart time ticks and
        then immediately apply them to the given axis.  The first and
        last elements of the time list will be used as bounds for the
        x-axis range.

        The range of the *time* input value will be used to set the limits
        of the x-axis as well.  Set kwarg 'dolimit' to False to override
        this behavior.

        Parameters
        ==========
        ax : matplotlib.pyplot.Axes
            A matplotlib Axis object.
        time : list
            list of datetime objects
        dolimit : boolean (optional)
            The range of the *time* input value will be used to set the limits
            of the x-axis as well. Setting this overrides this behavior.
        dolabel : boolean (optional)
            Sets autolabeling of the time axis with "Time from" time[0]

        See Also
        ========
        smartTimeTicks
        """
        Mtick, mtick, fmt = smartTimeTicks(time)
        ax.xaxis.set_major_locator(Mtick)
        ax.xaxis.set_minor_locator(mtick)
        ax.xaxis.set_major_formatter(fmt)
        if dolimit:
            ax.set_xlim([time[0], time[-1]])
        if dolabel:
            ax.set_xlabel('Time from {0}'.format(time[0].isoformat()))
        return True

    def smartTimeTicks(time):
        """
        Returns major ticks, minor ticks and format for time-based plots

        smartTimeTicks takes a list of datetime objects and uses the range
        to calculate the best tick spacing and format.  Returned to the user
        is a tuple containing the major tick locator, minor tick locator, and
        a format string -- all necessary to apply the ticks to an axis.

        It is suggested that, unless the user explicitly needs this info,
        to use the convenience function applySmartTimeTicks to place the
        ticks directly on a given axis.

        Parameters
        ==========
        time : list
            list of datetime objects

        Returns
        =======
        out : tuple
            tuple of Mtick - major ticks, mtick - minor ticks, fmt - format

        See Also
        ========
        applySmartTimeTicks
        """
        from matplotlib.dates import (MinuteLocator, HourLocator,
                                      DayLocator, MonthLocator, YearLocator,
                                      DateFormatter)
        deltaT = time[-1] - time[0]
        nHours = deltaT.days * 24.0 + deltaT.seconds/3600.0
        if deltaT.total_seconds()<600:
            Mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute=list(range(0,60,2)) )
            mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute=list(range(60)), interval=1)
            fmt = DateFormatter('%H:%M UT')
        elif nHours < .5:
            Mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute=list(range(0,60,5)) )
            mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute=list(range(60)), interval=5)
            fmt = DateFormatter('%H:%M UT')
        elif nHours < 1:
            Mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute = [0,15,30,45])
            mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute = list(range(60)), interval = 5)
            fmt = DateFormatter('%H:%M UT')
        elif nHours < 2:
            Mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute=[0,15,30,45])
            mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute=list(range(60)), interval=5)
            fmt =  DateFormatter('%H:%M UT')
        elif nHours < 4:
            Mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute = [0,30])
            mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute = list(range(60)), interval = 10)
            fmt = DateFormatter('%H:%M UT')
        elif nHours < 12:
            Mtick = HourLocator(byhour = list(range(24)), interval = 2)
            mtick = MinuteLocator(byminute = [0,15,30,45])
            fmt = DateFormatter('%H:%M UT')
        elif nHours < 24:
            Mtick = HourLocator(byhour = [0,3,6,9,12,15,18,21])
            mtick = HourLocator(byhour = list(range(24)))
            fmt = DateFormatter('%H:%M UT')
        elif nHours < 48:
            Mtick = HourLocator(byhour = [0,6,12,18])
            mtick = HourLocator(byhour = list(range(24)))
            fmt = DateFormatter('%H:%M UT')
        elif deltaT.days < 8:
            Mtick = DayLocator(bymonthday=list(range(32)))
            mtick = HourLocator(byhour=list(range(0,24,2)))
            fmt =  DateFormatter('%d %b')
        elif deltaT.days < 15:
            Mtick = DayLocator(bymonthday=list(range(2,32,2)))
            mtick = HourLocator(byhour=[0,6,12,18])
            fmt =  DateFormatter('%d %b')
        elif deltaT.days < 32:
            Mtick = DayLocator(bymonthday=list(range(5,35,5)))
            mtick = HourLocator(byhour=[0,6,12,18])
            fmt =  DateFormatter('%d %b')
        elif deltaT.days < 60:
            Mtick = MonthLocator()
            mtick = DayLocator(bymonthday=list(range(5,35,5)))
            fmt =  DateFormatter('%d %b')
        elif deltaT.days < 731:
            Mtick = MonthLocator()
            mtick = DayLocator(bymonthday=15)
            fmt =  DateFormatter('%b %Y')
        else:
            Mtick = YearLocator()
            mtick = MonthLocator(bymonth=7)
            fmt =  DateFormatter('%Y')
        return(Mtick, mtick, fmt)

    def set_target(target, figsize=None, loc=None, polar=False):
        '''
        Given a *target* on which to plot a figure, determine if that *target*
        is **None** or a matplotlib figure or axes object.  Based on the type
        of *target*, a figure and/or axes will be either located or generated.
        Both the figure and axes objects are returned to the caller for further
        manipulation.  This is used in nearly all *add_plot*-type methods.

        Parameters
        ==========
        target : object
            The object on which plotting will happen.

        Other Parameters
        ================
        figsize : tuple
            A two-item tuple/list giving the dimensions of the figure, in inches.
            Defaults to Matplotlib defaults.
        loc : integer
            The subplot triple that specifies the location of the axes object.
            Defaults to matplotlib default (111).
        polar : bool
            Set the axes object to polar coodinates.  Defaults to **False**.

        Returns
        =======
        fig : object
          A matplotlib figure object on which to plot.

        ax : object
          A matplotlib subplot object on which to plot.

        Examples
        ========
        >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
        >>> from spacepy.pybats import set_target
        >>> fig = plt.figure()
        >>> fig, ax = set_target(target=fig, loc=211)

        '''
        # Is target an axes?  Make no new items.
        if isinstance(target, plt.Axes):
            ax  = target
            fig = ax.figure
        else: # Make a new axis
            # Make a new figure if target isn't one
            fig = target if isinstance(target, plt.Figure) \
                  else plt.figure(figsize=figsize)
            if loc is None:
                ax = fig.add_subplot(polar=polar)
                if ax is None: # matplotlib <3.1, no default subplot position
                    ax = fig.add_subplot(111, polar=polar)
            else:
                ax = fig.add_subplot(loc, polar=polar)
        return fig, ax

    def collapse_vertical(combine, others=(), leave_axis=False):
        """
        Collapse the vertical spacing between two or more subplots.

        Useful for a multi-panel plot where most subplots should have
        space between them but several adjacent ones should not (i.e.,
        appear as a single plot.) This function will remove all the
        vertical space between the subplots listed in ``combine`` and
        redistribute the space between all of the subplots in both
        ``combine`` and ``others`` in proportion to their current size,
        so that the relative size of the subplots does not change.

        Parameters
        ==========
        combine : sequence
            The :class:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes` objects (i.e. subplots)
            which should be placed together with no vertical space.

        Other Parameters
        ================
        others : sequence
            The :class:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes` objects (i.e. subplots)
            which will keep their vertical spacing, but will be expanded
            with the space taken away from between the elements of ``combine``.
        leave_axis : bool
            If set to true, will leave the axis lines and tick marks between
            the collapsed subplots. By default, the axis line ("spine") is
            removed so the two subplots appear as one.

        Notes
        =====
        This function can be fairly fragile and should only be used for fairly
        simple layouts, e.g., a one-column multi-row plot stack.

        This may require some clean-up of the y axis labels, as they are likely
        to overlap.

        Examples
        ========
        .. plot::
            :include-source:

            >>> import spacepy.plot.utils
            >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
            >>> fig = plt.figure()
            >>> #Make three stacked subplots
            >>> ax0 = fig.add_subplot(311)
            >>> ax1 = fig.add_subplot(312)
            >>> ax2 = fig.add_subplot(313)
            >>> ax0.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 1]) #just make some lines
            [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x0000000>]
            >>> ax1.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 1])
            [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x0000000>]
            >>> ax2.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 1])
            [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x0000000>]
            >>> #Collapse space between top two plots, leave bottom one alone
            >>> spacepy.plot.utils.collapse_vertical([ax0, ax1], [ax2])
        """
        combine = tuple(combine)
        others = tuple(others)
        #bounding box for ALL subplots/axes
        boxes = dict(((ax, ax.get_position()) for ax in combine + others))
        #vertical sizes
        sizes = dict(((ax, boxes[ax].ymax - boxes[ax].ymin) for ax in boxes))
        #Fraction of vertical for each?
        vtotal = float(sum(sizes.values()))
        for s in sizes:
            sizes[s] /= vtotal
        #get the ones to combine in top-to-bottom order
        c_sort = sorted(combine, key=(lambda x: boxes[x].ymax), reverse=True)
        #and figure out how much space we're going to take away
        v_additional = float(0)
        for i in range(len(c_sort) - 1):
            v_additional += (boxes[c_sort[i]].ymin - boxes[c_sort[i + 1]].ymax)
        #get EVERYTHING in top-to-bottom order
        all_sort = sorted(combine + others, key=(lambda x: boxes[x].ymax),
                          reverse=True)
        shift = 0.0 #how far UP to move each plot
        for i, ax in enumerate(all_sort):
            bb = boxes[ax]
            pos = [bb.xmin, bb.ymin, bb.xmax - bb.xmin, bb.ymax - bb.ymin]
            pos[3] += (sizes[ax] * v_additional) #expand vertically
            shift -= sizes[ax] * v_additional #everything shifted down by expansion
            pos[1] += shift  #slide the bottom by total shift
            ax.set_position(pos)
            if ax in combine: #This subplot is participating in combination
                #Combining with one below?
                if i < len(all_sort) - 1 and all_sort[i + 1] in combine:
                    plt.setp(ax.get_xticklabels(), visible=False) #no labels
                    if not leave_axis:
                        #no bottom ticks
                        ax.tick_params(axis='x', which='both', bottom=False)
                        ax.spines['bottom'].set_visible(False) #no axis line
                    #ALSO slide everything up by difference between these two
                    shift += (bb.ymin - boxes[all_sort[i + 1]].ymax)
                #combining with one above?
                if i > 0 and all_sort[i - 1] in combine:
                    if not leave_axis:
                        #no top ticks
                        ax.tick_params(axis='x', which='both', top=False)
                        ax.spines['top'].set_visible(False) #no axis line

    def printfig(fignum, saveonly=False, pngonly=False, clean=False, filename=None):
        """save current figure to file and call lpr (print).

        This routine will create a total of 3 files (png, ps and c.png) in the
        current working directory with a sequence number attached. Also, a time
        stamp and the location of the file will be imprinted on the figure. The
        file ending with c.png is clean and no directory or time stamp are
        attached (good for PowerPoint presentations).

        Parameters
        ----------
        fignum : integer
            matplotlib figure number
        saveonly : boolean (optional)
            True (don't print and save only to file)  False (print and save)
        pngolny : boolean (optional)
            True (only save png files and print png directly) False (print ps file, and generate png, ps; can be slow)
        clean : boolean (optional)
            True (print and save only clean files without directory info) False (print and save directory location as well)
        filename : string (optional)
            None (If specified then the filename is set and code does not use the sequence number)

        Examples
        ========
        >>> import spacepy.plot.utils
        >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
        >>> p = plt.plot([1,2,3],[2,3,2])
        >>> spacepy.plot.utils.printfig(1, pngonly=True, saveonly=True)
        """
        import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

        try:
            nfigs = len(fignum)
        except:
            nfigs = 1
            fignum = [fignum]

        for ifig in fignum:
            # active this figure
            plt.figure(ifig)

            if filename == None:
                # create a filename for the figure
                cwd = os.getcwd()
                num = len(glob.glob('*.png'))
                fln = cwd+'/figure_'+str(num)
            else:
                fln = filename
            # truncate fln if too long
            if len(fln) > 60:
                flnstamp = '[...]'+fln[-60:]
            else:
                flnstamp = fln

            # save a clean figure without timestamps
            if clean == True:
                plt.savefig(fln+'_clean.png')
                plt.savefig(fln+'_clena.ps')

            timestamp = datetime.datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S  ")
            # add the filename to the figure for reference
            plt.figtext(0.01, 0.01, timestamp+flnstamp+'.png', rotation='vertical', va='bottom', size=8)

            # now save the figure to this filename
            if pngonly == False:
                plt.savefig(fln+'.ps')

            plt.savefig(fln+'.png')

            # send it to the printer
            if saveonly != True:
                if pngonly == False:
                    os.popen('lpr '+fln+'.ps')
                else:
                    os.popen('lpr '+fln+'.png')
        return

    def shared_ylabel(axes, txt, *args, **kwargs):
        """
        Create a ylabel that spans several subplots

        Useful for a multi-panel plot where several subplots have the
        same units/quantities on the y axis.

        Parameters
        ==========
        axes : list
            The :class:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes` objects (i.e. subplots)
            which should share a single label
        txt : str
            The label to place in the middle of all the `axes` objects.

        Other Parameters
        ================
        Additional arguments and keywords are passed through to
        :meth:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes.set_ylabel`

        Returns
        =======
        out : matplotlib.text.Text
            The :class:`~matplotlib.text.Text` object for the label.

        Notes
        =====
        This function can be fairly fragile and should only be used for fairly
        simple layouts, e.g., a one-column multi-row plot stack.

        The label is associated with the bottommost subplot in ``axes``.

        Examples
        ========
        >>> import spacepy.plot.utils
        >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
        >>> fig = plt.figure()
        >>> #Make three stacked subplots
        >>> ax0 = fig.add_subplot(311)
        >>> ax1 = fig.add_subplot(312)
        >>> ax2 = fig.add_subplot(313)
        >>> ax0.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 1]) #just make some lines
        [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x0000000>]
        >>> ax1.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 1])
        [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x0000000>]
        >>> ax2.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 1])
        [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x0000000>]
        >>> #Create a green label across all three axes
        >>> spacepy.plot.utils.shared_ylabel([ax0, ax1, ax2],
        ... 'this is a very long label that spans all three axes', color='g')
        """
        fig = axes[0].get_figure() #better all be the same!
        #these are in Figure coordinate space
        #transform to display coords for sorting
        boxes = dict(((ax, fig.transFigure.transform(ax.get_position()))
                      for ax in axes))
        #top-to-bottom by upper edge
        top = sorted(axes, key=(lambda x: boxes[x][1, 1]), reverse=True)[0]
        #bottom-to-top by lower edge
        bottom = sorted(axes, key=(lambda x: boxes[x][0, 1]))[0]
        #get the TOP of the TOP subplot in axes coordinates of BOTTOM subplot
        top_in_bottom = bottom.transAxes.inverted().transform( #into bottom coords
            boxes[top]) #into display coords from fig
        bottom_in_bottom = bottom.transAxes.inverted().transform( #into bottom
            boxes[bottom]) #into display coords from fig
        #The mean of bottom-of-bottom and top-of-top, in bottom coords
        middle = (top_in_bottom[1, 1] + bottom_in_bottom[0, 1]) / 2
        bottom.set_ylabel(txt, *args, **kwargs)
        lbl = bottom.get_yaxis().get_label()
        lbl.set_verticalalignment('center')
        lbl.set_y(middle)
        return lbl

    def timestamp(position=(1.003, 0.01), size='xx-small', draw=True, strnow=None,
                  rotation='vertical', ax=None, **kwargs):
        """
        print a timestamp on the current plot, vertical lower right

        Parameters
        ==========
        position : list
            position for the timestamp
        size : string (optional)
            text size
        draw : Boolean (optional)
            call draw to make sure it appears
        kwargs : keywords
            other keywords to axis.annotate

        Examples
        ========
        >>> import spacepy.plot.utils
        >>> from pylab import plot, arange
        >>> plot(arange(11))
        [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x49072b0>]
        >>> spacepy.plot.utils.timestamp()
        """
        if strnow is None:
                now = datetime.datetime.now()
                strnow = now.strftime("%d%b%Y %H:%M")
        if ax is None:
            ax=plt.gca()
        ann=ax.annotate(strnow, position,
                        xycoords='axes fraction', rotation=rotation,
                        size=size, va='bottom',  **kwargs)
        if draw:
            plt.draw()
        return ann

    def _used_boxes_helper(obj, renderer=None):
        """Recursively-called helper function for get_used_boxes. Internal."""
        boxes = []
        if hasattr(obj, 'get_renderer_cache'): #I know how to render myself
            renderer = obj.get_renderer_cache()
        #Axis objects are weird, go for the tick/axis labels directly
        if isinstance(obj, matplotlib.axis.Axis):
            boxes = [tl.get_window_extent() for tl in obj.get_ticklabels()
                     if tl.get_text()]
            if obj.get_label().get_text():
                boxes.append(obj.get_label().get_window_extent())
        #Base size on children, *unless* there are none
        elif hasattr(obj, 'get_children') and obj.get_children():
            for child in obj.get_children():
                res = _used_boxes_helper(child, renderer)
                if res is None: #Child can't find its size, just use own bounds
                    boxes = []
                    break
                boxes.extend(res)
        if boxes: #found details from children
            return boxes
        #Nothing from children, try own bounds
        try:
            return [obj.get_window_extent()]
        except (TypeError, RuntimeError): #need a renderer
            if not renderer is None:
                return [obj.get_window_extent(renderer)]
            else: #I can't figure out my size!
                return None

    def get_used_boxes(fig=None):
        """Go through all elements of a figure and find the "boxes" they occupy,
        in figure coordinates. Mostly helper for add_logo
        """
        plt.draw() #invoke the renderer to figure everything out
        if fig is None:
            fig = plt.gcf()
        #Get rid of double-nesting, and don't include top-level z-order 1
        #(background rectangle) OR anything completely degenerate (point only)
        boxes = [box for child in fig.get_children()
                 if (child.get_zorder() == 0 or child.get_zorder() > 1)
                 for box in _used_boxes_helper(child)
                 if (box.xmin != box.xmax or box.ymin != box.ymax)
                 ]
        #Transform to figure
        boxes = [fig.transFigure.inverted().transform(b) for b in boxes]
        return [b for b in boxes if numpy.isfinite(b).all()]

    def filter_boxes(boxes):
        """From a list of boxes, exclude those that are completely contained by another"""
        #Filter exact overlap (any box before this one have same bounds?)
        boxes= [b for i, b in enumerate(boxes) if i==0 or not max(
            [(b[0][0] == other[0][0] and b[1][0] == other[1][0] and
              b[0][1] == other[0][1] and b[1][1] == other[1][1])
             for other in boxes[0:i]])]
        #and filter "completely enclosed"
        return [b for b in boxes
                if not max( #Is this contained in ANY other box? If so, drop it.
                    [(b[0][0] >= other[0][0] and b[0][1] >= other[0][1] and
                        b[1][0] <= other[1][0] and b[1][1] <= other[1][1])
                    for other in boxes if not other is b] #don't compare to self
                    )]

    def get_clear(boxes, pos='br'):
        """Take a list of boxes which *obstruct* the plot, i.e., don't overplot

        Return a list of boxes which are "clear".

        Mostly a helper for add_logo

        pos is where to look for the clear area:
        br: bottom right
        bl: bottom left
        tl: top left
        tr: top right
        """
        pos = pos.lower()
        assert(pos in ('br', 'bl', 'tl', 'tr'))
        clear = []
        if pos[1] == 'l': #sort obstructing boxes on left edge
            sboxes = sorted(boxes, key=lambda b: b[0][0])
        else: #sort on right edge, descending (work in from right edge)
            sboxes = sorted(boxes, key=lambda b: b[1][0], reverse=True)
        if pos[0] == 't':  #There's a clear space across the top of everything
            top = max([b[1][1] for b in sboxes])
            if top < 1.0: # there is space at the top
                clear.append(numpy.array([[0.0, top], [1.0, 1.0]]))
        else: #clear space across bottom of everything
            bottom = min([b[0][1] for b in sboxes])
            if bottom > 0.0: # there is space at the bottom
                clear.append(numpy.array([[0.0, 0.0], [1.0, bottom]]))
        #default corners
        left = 0.0
        right = 1.0
        bottom = 0.0
        top = 1.0
        #Work in from left or right edge, and avoid all boxes that we've
        #reached so far
        for i, box in enumerate(sboxes):
            if pos[0] == 't':
                #bottom of clear zone is top of every box from here to edge
                bottom = 0.0 if i == 0 else max([b[1][1] for b in sboxes[0:i]])
            else:
                #top of clear zone is bottom of every box from here to edge
                top = 1.0 if i == 0 else min([b[0][1] for b in sboxes[0:i]])
            if pos[1] == 'l':
                right = box[0][0] #right edge of clear zone is the left of this box
            else:
                left = box[1][0] #left of clear zone is right of this obstructing box
            clearbox = numpy.array([[left, bottom], [right, top]])
            clearbox = numpy.clip(clearbox, 0, 1)
            clear.append(clearbox)
        return filter_boxes(clear) #and remove overlaps

    def get_biggest_clear(boxes, fig_aspect=1.0, img_aspect=1.0):
        """Given a list of boxes with clear space, figure aspect ratio (width/height),
        and image aspect ratio (width/height), return the largest clear space
        that maintains the aspect ratio of the image

        Mostly a helper for add_logo
        """
        def effective_width(box):
            """Returns "effective" width of the box"""
            width = box[1][0] - box[0][0]
            height = box[1][1] - box[0][1]
            #If figure is wide, each unit of height is smaller than unit of width
            real_height = height / fig_aspect #in width units
            #Box aspect ratio, corrected for figure. Is it "taller" than image?
            if width / real_height <= img_aspect:
                #yes, so the width is the limiter
                return width
            else:
                #no, take the height, correct for figure aspect, and find the
                #width the image would have at this height and its aspect ratio.
                return real_height * img_aspect
        return sorted(boxes, key=effective_width, reverse=True)[0]

    def add_logo(img, fig=None, pos='br', margin=0.05):
        """
        Add an image (logo) to one corner of a plot.

        The provided image will be placed in a corner of the plot and sized
        to maintain its aspect ratio and be as large as possible without
        overlapping any existing elements of the figure. Thus this should
        be the last call in constructing a figure.

        Parameters
        ==========
        img : str or numpy.ndarray
            The image to place on the figure. If a string, assumed to be a
            filename to be read with :func:`~matplotlib.image.imread`; if
            a numpy array, assumed to be the image itself
            (in a simliar format).

        Other Parameters
        ================
        fig : matplotlib.figure.Figure
            The figure on which to place the logo; if not specified, the
            :func:`~matplotlib.pyplot.gcf` function will be used.

        pos : str
            The position to place the logo.
            br: bottom right;
            bl: bottom left;
            tl: top left;
            tr: top right

        margin : float
            Margin to include on each side of figure, as a fraction of the larger
            dimension of the figure (width or height). Default is 0.05 (5%).

        Returns
        =======
        (axes, axesimg) : tuple of Axes and AxesImage
            The :class:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes` object created to hold the iamge,
            and the :class:`~matplotlib.image.AxesImage` object for the image
            itself.

        Notes
        =====
        Calls :func:`~matplotlib.pyplot.draw` to ensure locations are
        up to date.

        Examples
        ========
        >>> import spacepy.plot.utils
        >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
        >>> fig = plt.figure()
        >>> ax0 = fig.add_subplot(211)
        >>> ax0.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 1])
        [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D at 0x00000000>]
        >>> ax1 = fig.add_subplot(212)
        >>> ax1.plot([1, 2, 3], [2, 1, 2])
        [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D at 0x00000000>]
        >>> spacepy.plot.utils.add_logo('logo.png', fig)
        (<matplotlib.axes.Axes at 0x00000000>,
         <matplotlib.image.AxesImage at 0x00000000>)
        """
        #Consider an alpha keyword (for watermarking)
        #Do something about margin/padding
        pos = pos.lower()
        assert(pos in ('br', 'bl', 'tl', 'tr'))
        if not hasattr(img, 'size'):
            img = matplotlib.image.imread(img)
        if fig is None:
            fig = plt.gcf()
        width = float(img.shape[1])
        height = float(img.shape[0])
        #Margin can change effective aspect ratio of figure
        margin_px = round(margin * (width if width > height else height))
        img_aspect = (width + 2 * margin_px) / (height + 2 * margin_px)
        fig_aspect = float(fig.get_figwidth()) / fig.get_figheight()
        clear_boxes = get_clear(filter_boxes(get_used_boxes(fig)), pos)
        clear_box = get_biggest_clear(clear_boxes, fig_aspect, img_aspect)
        box_width = clear_box[1][0] - clear_box[0][0]
        box_height = clear_box[1][1] - clear_box[0][1]
        if box_width / box_height * fig_aspect > img_aspect: #img uses full height
            box_width = box_height / fig_aspect * img_aspect
        else: #img uses full width, correct the height
            box_height = box_width / img_aspect * fig_aspect
        #default corners
        left = 0.0
        bottom = 0.0
        if pos[0] == 't':
            bottom = 1.0 - box_height
        if pos[1] == 'r':
            left = 1.0 - box_width
        ax = fig.add_axes([left, bottom, box_width, box_height])
        ax.axis('off')
        axesimg = ax.imshow(img)
        #Resize to include the margin
        for getter, setter in ((ax.get_xlim, ax.set_xlim),
                               (ax.get_ylim, ax.set_ylim)):
            limits = getter()
            orientation = 1 if limits[1] > limits[0] else -1 #upside-down?
            setter((limits[0] - margin_px * orientation,
                    limits[1] + margin_px * orientation))
        return (ax, axesimg)

    def show_used(fig=None):
        """
        Show the areas of a figure which are used/occupied by plot elements.

        This function will overplot each element of a plot with a rectangle
        showing the full bounds of that element, to see for example
        the margins and such used by a text label.

        Other Parameters
        ================
        fig : matplotlib.figure.Figure
            The figure to mark up; if not specified, the
            :func:`~matplotlib.pyplot.gcf` function will be used.

        Notes
        =====
        Calls :func:`~matplotlib.pyplot.draw` to ensure locations are
        up to date.

        Returns
        =======
        boxes : list of Rectangle
            The :class:`~matplotlib.patches.Rectangle` objects used for the overplot.

        Examples
        ========
        >>> import spacepy.plot.utils
        >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
        >>> fig = plt.figure()
        >>> ax0 = fig.add_subplot(211)
        >>> ax0.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 1])
        [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D at 0x00000000>]
        >>> ax1 = fig.add_subplot(212)
        >>> ax1.plot([1, 2, 3], [2, 1, 2])
        [<matplotlib.lines.Line2D at 0x00000000>]
        >>> spacepy.plot.utils.show_used(fig)
        [<matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>,
         <matplotlib.patches.Rectangle at 0x0000000>]
        """
        colors = itertools.cycle(['r', 'g', 'b', 'c', 'm', 'y', 'k'])
        rects = []
        if fig is None:
            fig = plt.gcf()
        boxes = get_used_boxes(fig)
    #    boxes = [b for b in get_used_boxes(fig)
    #             if b[0, 0] != b[1, 0] and b[0, 1] != b[1, 1]]
        ax = fig.add_axes([0, 0, 1, 1])
        ax.axis('off')
        for b, c in zip(boxes, colors):
            rects.append(ax.add_patch(matplotlib.patches.Rectangle(
                b[0], b[1, 0] - b[0, 0], b[1, 1] - b[0, 1],
                         alpha=0.3, figure=fig, axes=ax, ec='none', fc=next(colors),
                         fill=True)))
        return rects

    def add_arrows(lines, n=3, size=12, style='->', dorestrict=False,
                   positions=False):
        '''
        Add directional arrows along a plotted line.  Useful for plotting flow
        lines, magnetic field lines, or other directional traces.

        *lines* can be either :class:`~matplotlib.lines.Line2D`, a list or tuple
        of lines, or a :class:`~matplotlib.collections.LineCollection` object.

        For each line, arrows will be added using
        :meth:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes.annotate`.  Arrows will be spread evenly
        over the line using the number of points in the line as the metric for
        spacing.  For example, if a line has 120 points and 3 arrows are requested,
        an arrow will be added at point number 30, 60, and 90.
        Arrow color and alpha is obtained from the parent line.

        Parameters
        ==========
        lines : :class:`~matplotlib.lines.Line2D`, a list/tuple, or :class:`~matplotlib.collections.LineCollection`
            A single line or group of lines on which to place the arrows.
            Arrows inherent color and transparency (alpha) from the line on which
            they are placed.

        Other Parameters
        ================
        n : integer
            Number of arrows to add to each line; defaults to 3.

        size : integer
            The size of the arrows in points.  Defaults to 12.

        style : string
            Set the style of the arrow via :class:`~matplotlib.patches.ArrowStyle`,
            e.g. '->' (default) or '-|>'

        dorestrict : boolean
            If True (default), only points along the line within the current
            limits of the axes will be considered when distributing arrows.

        positions : Nx2 array
            N must be the number of lines provided via the argument *lines*.
            If provided, only one arrow will be placed per line.
            *positions* sets the explicit location of each arrow for each line as
            X-Y space in Axes coordinates.

        Returns
        =======
        None

        Notes
        =====
        The algorithm works by dividing the line in to *n*+1 segments and
        placing an arrow between each segment, endpoints excluded.  Arrows span
        the shortest distance possible, i.e., two adjacent points along a line.
        For lines that are long spatially but sparse in points, the arrows will
        have long tails that may extend beyond axes bounds.  For explicit positions,
        the arrow is placed at the point on the curve closest to that position
        and the exact position is not always attainable.  A maximum number of arrows
        equal to one-half of the number of points in a line per line will be
        created, so not all lines will receive *n* arrows.

        Examples
        ========
        >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
        >>> import numpy as np
        >>> x = np.arange(1, 10, .01)
        >>> y = np.sin(x)
        >>> line = plt.plot(x,y)
        >>> add_arrows(line, n=15, style='-|>')

        '''
        from numpy import floor, argmin
        from matplotlib.collections import LineCollection
        from matplotlib.lines import Line2D

        # Convert our line, lines, or LineCollection into
        # a series of arrays with the x/y data.
        # Also, grab the axes, colors, and line alpha.
        def _parse_line_list(lines): #handles lists of lines
            data = [x.get_xydata() for x in lines]
            cols = [x.get_color()  for x in lines]
            alph = [x.get_alpha()  for x in lines]
            ax   = lines[0].axes
            return data, cols, alph, ax

        if hasattr(lines, 'axes'):  # Matplotlib-like objects:
            try: # Collection-like: use "get paths" to extract points into list
                ax   = lines.axes
                data = [x.vertices for x in lines.get_paths()]
                cols = lines.get_colors()
                alph = len(data) * [lines.get_alpha()]
            except AttributeError: # Line2D-like: put in list and parse
                data, cols, alph, ax = _parse_line_list( [lines] )
        elif isinstance(lines, (tuple, list)): # List/tuple of Line-like objects:
            try:
                data, cols, alph, ax = _parse_line_list( lines )
            except AttributeError:
                raise ValueError('Non-Line2d-like item found in list of lines.')
        else:
            raise ValueError('Unknown input type for lines.')

        # Check to make sure that we have as many colors as lines.
        # With LineCollections, this isn't always the case!
        if len(data)>1 and len(cols)==1:
            cols=list(cols)*len(data)

        # Grab plot limits (sometimes needed):
        xlim, ylim = ax.get_xlim(), ax.get_ylim()

        if not isinstance(positions, bool):
            # Explicitly set positions of arrows, one per line.
            for l, c, a, p in zip(data, cols, alph, positions):
                # Get x-y points of line:
                x, y = l[:,0], l[:,1]
                # Get point on line closest to desired position:
                i, j = argmin(abs(x - p[0])), argmin(abs(y - p[1]))
                # Annotate, matching color/alpha:
                ax.annotate('',xytext=(x[i], y[j]), xy=(x[i+1], y[j+1]), alpha=a,
                            arrowprops=dict(arrowstyle=style,color=c),size=size)
            # Nothing else to do at this point.
            return

        # Get positions for arrows and add them:
        for l, c, a in zip(data, cols, alph):
            # Get x-y points of line:
            x, y = l[:,0], l[:,1]
            # Restrict to axes limits as necessary:
            if dorestrict:
                loc = (x>=xlim[0])&(x<=xlim[1])&(y>=ylim[0])&(y<=ylim[1])
                x, y = x[loc], y[loc]

            # Get size of lines.  Skip those with too few points:
            npts = x.size
            if npts <= 3: continue

            # If number of arrows is greater than the number of
            # points along the line/2, reduce the number of arrows.
            # Guarantee at least one arrow per line.
            n_now = max(1, min(n, int(floor(npts/2))) )

            # Place evenly-spaced arrows:
            for iArr in range(0,n_now):
                # Get location as fraction of no. of points along line:
                i  = int( floor((iArr+1) * npts/(n_now+1)) )
                # Place an arrow:
                ax.annotate('',xytext=(x[i], y[i]), xy=(x[i+1], y[i+1]), alpha=a,
                            arrowprops=dict(arrowstyle=style,color=c),size=size)