How to assign a different color to lines being plotted in a loop?

Hi All

I am plotting n different lines in one single plot. but what I need it to assign a different color ( even random) for each iteration. and then use it as a Legend.

How do I do this ?

[Stephen23]

The accepted answer states that line color is determined by the lines colormap. This is not correct.

Line colors are determined by the axes ColorOrder property:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/creating_plots/defining-the-color-of-lines-for-plotting.html

https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2019a/matlab/graphics_transition/why-are-plot-lines-different-colors.html

The lines colormap is also defined in terms of the axes ColorOrder.

Answer 1

[Akihumi]

* Edits: Sorry for the wrong information about the default line color.

Otherwise, you can try

figure
hold on
randColor = rand(10,3);
for i = 1:10
    plot(x(:,i),y(:,i),'Color',randColor(i,:));
end
legend

But the color would be ugly. Instead of rand, you can try other available colormap. For example

figure
hold on
cm = parula(10);
for i = 1:10
    plot(x(:,i),y(:,i),'Color', cm(i,:));
end
legend

[Ameer Hamza]

A correction: By default, the color of lines are chosen from ColorOrder property of the axes, not colormap: https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2020a/matlab/ref/matlab.graphics.axis.axes-properties.html#budumk7_sep_shared-ColorOrder

Answer 2

[Isiah Pham]

You can make a cell array for each color you want and the pull from it

colors = {['red'],['blue']}
for rep = 1:2
    plot((x,rep.*x), colors{rep})
    
end

This will plot two lines, the first red and the second blue