Question

Background: I am working an a data processing application and am trying to visualize 2D arrays with matplotlib embedded into a tkinter gui. I am trying to update the matplotlib figure by collecting user input (i.e. what frame they want displayed, various other options) so I do not want to generate the animation in advance.

System: Windows xp, Python 2.7, matplotlib 1.1.1rc

Question: How do I update only the image produced by imshow and not the colorbar?

GUI

Notice how color bars write over themselves.

Code: note: the code below is untested, however it is the basic idea of how my current code is setup

import matplotlib
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from matplotlib.backends.backend_tkagg import FigureCanvasTkAgg, NavigationToolbar2TkAgg
import Tkinter as tk
import numpy as np


class MainWindow:
    def __init__(self,application):
        self.mainframe=tk.Frame(application)

        #update button
        ttk.Button(application,text='Update',command=self.update).pack()

        #matplotlib setup
        self.ren2DFig=plt.figure(figsize=(4,4),dpi=100)
        self.renCanvas=FigureCanvasTkAgg(self.ren2DFig,master=self.renWin2D)
        self.renCanvas.show()
        self.renCanvas.get_tk_widget().pack()

        self.subPlot=self.ren2DFig.add_subplot(111)
        self.subPlot.get_yaxis().set_visible(False)
        self.subPlot.get_xaxis().set_visible(False)
        self.subPlot.get_axes().set_frame_on(False)
        frame=np.zeros((20,40),)
        frame[9:11 ,9:11]=1
        frame[5 ,5]=.5
        self.im=self.subPlot.imshow(self.rotate(frame), origin = 'lower')
        self.cbar=self.ren2DFig.colorbar(self.im)
        self.cbar.set_label('Solid Fraction')
        self.renCanvas.draw()
        self.ren2DFig.canvas

    def update(self):
        self.im.set_array(np.zeros((20,40),))
        self.renCanvas.draw() # I think this is the problem?

application=tk.Tk()
application.focus_force()
window=MainWindow(application)
application.protocol("WM_DELETE_WINDOW",window.close)
application.mainloop()

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Update[July 13, 2012]:

If I try clearing the subplot, then adding the image and color bar back, finally re-drawing the canvas I get this:

What the heck am I doing wrong?????? This is really starting to irritate me.

Answer 1

I figure it out. The problem is with

self.subPlot.get_axes().set_frame_on(False)

I guess it is a bug or something but if I change it to True, i.e.

self.subPlot.get_axes().set_frame_on(True)

It works just fine, everything updates like normal.

This little thing stumped me for two days!!! Go figure. lol.