Matplotlib.figure.Figure.set_constrained_layout_pads() in Python

Last Updated : 12 Jul, 2025

Matplotlib is a library in Python and it is numerical – mathematical extension for NumPy library. The figure module provides the top-level Artist, the Figure, which contains all the plot elements. This module is used to control the default spacing of the subplots and top level container for all plot elements.

matplotlib.figure.Figure.set_constrained_layout_pads() method

The set_constrained_layout_pads() method figure module of matplotlib library is used to set padding for constrained_layout.

Syntax: set_constrained_layout_pads(self, **kwargs) Parameters: This method accept the following parameters that are discussed below:

w_pad : This parameter is the Width padding in inches.

h_pad : This parameter is the height padding in inches.

wspace : This parameter is the Width padding between subplots, expressed as a fraction of the subplot width.

hspace : This parameter is the height padding between subplots, expressed as a fraction of the subplot width.

Returns: This method does not returns any value.

Below examples illustrate the matplotlib.figure.Figure.set_constrained_layout_pads() function in matplotlib.figure: Example 1:

Python3 1==

# Implementation of matplotlib function
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from matplotlib.lines import Line2D
import numpy as np
from numpy.random import rand
    
    
fig, ax2 = plt.subplots()
    
ax2.bar(range(10), rand(10), picker = True)
for label in ax2.get_xticklabels(): 
    label.set_picker(True)
    
def onpick1(event):

    if isinstance(event.artist, Line2D):
        thisline = event.artist
        xdata = thisline.get_xdata()
        ydata = thisline.get_ydata()
        ind = event.ind
        print('onpick1 line:', np.column_stack([xdata[ind], ydata[ind]]))

    elif isinstance(event.artist, Rectangle):
        patch = event.artist
        print('onpick1 patch:', patch.get_path())

    elif isinstance(event.artist, Text):
        text = event.artist
        print('onpick1 text:', text.get_text())

fig.set_constrained_layout_pads(w_pad = 4./72., h_pad = 4./72.,
        hspace = 0., wspace = 0.)
  
fig.suptitle("""matplotlib.figure.Figure.set_constrained_layout_pads()
function Example\n\n""", fontweight ="bold") 

plt.show()

Output:

Example 2:

Python3 1==

# Implementation of matplotlib function
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from matplotlib.patches import Ellipse

    
NUM = 200
    
ells = [Ellipse(xy = np.random.rand(2) * 10,
                width = np.random.rand(),
                height = np.random.rand(),
                angle = np.random.rand() * 360)
        for i in range(NUM)]
    
fig, ax = plt.subplots(subplot_kw ={'aspect': 'equal'})

for e in ells:
    ax.add_artist(e)
    e.set_clip_box(ax.bbox)
    e.set_alpha(np.random.rand())
    e.set_facecolor(np.random.rand(4))
    
ax.set_xlim(3, 7)
ax.set_ylim(3, 7)

fig.set_constrained_layout_pads(w_pad = 2./72., h_pad = 2./72.,
        hspace = 0., wspace = 0.)
  
fig.suptitle("""matplotlib.figure.Figure.set_constrained_layout_pads()
function Example\n\n""", fontweight ="bold") 

plt.show()