Changing the image of a matplotlib button widget

Question

I have a matplotlib button widget with an image. After clicking the button, I want to change the image to something else. I tried this:

import matplotlib
matplotlib.use('TkAgg')
import matplotlib.image as mpimg
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from matplotlib.widgets import Button

FIGURE = plt.figure()
ICON_PLAY = mpimg.imread('./ui/images/play.png')
ICON_PAUSE = mpimg.imread('./ui/images/pause.png')

def play(event):
    print "Starting"
    start_button.image = ICON_PAUSE

start_button = Button(plt.axes([0.1, 0.1, 0.8, 0.8]), '', image=ICON_PLAY)
start_button.on_clicked(play)
plt.show()

The event handler is called, but the image is not changed. Does someone know how to change the image of a matplotlib button widget after construction?

Maybe you don't actually need images, but rather use some arrows or so as labels, Button(ax, label=ur'$\u25B6$'), as seen in this answer. — ImportanceOfBeingErnest
– ImportanceOfBeingErnest, Commented Oct 13, 2017 at 15:30

ImportanceOfBeingErnest · Accepted Answer · 2017-10-13 16:16:03Z

5

The image of a matplotlib.widget.Button is an imshow plot in the axes of the button. Hence you may get the existing image from the axes via button_axes.images[0] and set new data on it, button_axes.images[0].set_data(ICON_PAUSE).

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from matplotlib.widgets import Button

fig = plt.figure()
ICON_PLAY =  plt.imread('https://i.sstatic.net/ySW6o.png')
ICON_PAUSE = plt.imread("https://i.sstatic.net/tTa3H.png")

def play(event):
    button_axes.images[0].set_data(ICON_PAUSE)
    fig.canvas.draw_idle()

button_axes = plt.axes([0.3, 0.3, 0.4, 0.4])
start_button = Button(button_axes, '', image=ICON_PLAY)
start_button.on_clicked(play)
plt.show()

answered Oct 13, 2017 at 16:16

ImportanceOfBeingErnest

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1 Comment

Pete Over a year ago

That did it. Thanks!

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