Adjust the width of the black line in bubblelegend
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In the example below, I would like to increase the thickness of the black line that connects the number "88" to the number "486."
x = 1:10;
y = exp(-0.5*x) + .05 * randn(1,10);
sz = randi([20 500],[1,10]);
bubblechart(x,y,sz)
bubblelegend('Population')
4 Comments
Dyuman Joshi
on 9 Dec 2025
There doesn't seem to be any property of the scale line in the bubblelegend object, which can be modified.
Well, those properties do exist, but you're prevented from acessing them.
x = 1:10;
y = exp(-0.5*x) + .05 * randn(1,10);
sz = randi([20 500],[1,10]);
bubblechart(x,y,sz)
hl = bubblelegend('Population');
struct(hl) % there are axle width properties and a (linestrip) axle object available
struct(hl.Axle) % but you're no longer allowed to access private object properties
I don't know if it's the behavior of these newer graphics objects or just the behavior of newer MATLAB versions (or both), but it just feels like everything is becoming ultimately less flexible. There are hardly any public properties for the bubblelegend object. All of the useful ones are hidden and inacessible.
That said, I only have R2019b, which predates bubblelegend. I'm stuck trying to test this in the forum editor. I don't know if any of these restrictions are a consequence of that.
I have just tried the piece of code you used,
x = 1:10;
y = exp(-0.5*x) + .05 * randn(1,10);
sz = randi([20 500],[1,10]);
bubblechart(x,y,sz)
hl = bubblelegend('Population');
struct(hl)
and I got a long list of properties, like these ones:
However, if I try to modify the "DefaultBubbleLineWidth" or the "BubbleLineWidth":
hl.DefaultBubbleLineWidth = 2;
I get this error:
Setting the 'DefaultBubbleLineWidth' property of class 'BubbleLegend' is not supported.
Error in untitled (line 7)
hl.DefaultBubbleLineWidth = 2;
Accepted Answer
Taylor
on 9 Dec 2025
1 vote
The LineWidth property of bubblelegend only adjusts the border around the legend. I have submitted a feature request on your behalf to the development team to add control for the scale line as well.
5 Comments
Sim
on 10 Dec 2025
Dyuman Joshi
on 10 Dec 2025
Sim
on 10 Dec 2025
Taylor
on 11 Dec 2025
Given that this feature request is really just exposing a private property to be public, I would think it would be a fairly quick implementation. It's cutting it close for the R2026a release though so it might not make it into that, but I know for certain that development has seen my feature request and added it to their "to triage" list. MathWorks development is a large ship to steer so even minor changes like this can take longer than one might expect.
Walter Roberson
on 11 Dec 2025
As R2026a pre-release is already out, if I understand correctly, new features are now locked; from now on it is only bug fixes and removing candidate changes.
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