ShadePlotForEmphasis

 ShadePlotForEmphasis
 Plots a shaded bar for emphasis as commonly seen on economic charts

 INPUTS:
  x     where the bar is placed.   If you want a bar from x=4:8 then
        use [4 8].  If you want x=[4:8,10:20] then use {4:8,10:20}
 colors Use 'y' to make all bars yellow.  Use {'y','g','r'} for
        yellow, green and red bars.
 alphas Use 0.5 if you want all bars to be translucent.  Use {0,.5,1}
        for transparent, translucet and opaque bars.

 USAGE:
 % DEFINE DATA
 P=[ ...
 98 98 94 91 84 83 82 87 88 89 91 91 90 89 89 90 91 91 87 86 87 84 79 80 ...
 85 86 86 85 93 93 93 93 97 97 95 93 93 94 95 96 96 92 89 90 91 91 91 92 ...
 93 95 99 98 99 97 95 95 94 90 92 93 93 95 94 95 93 92 92 92 91 90 89 89 ...
 90 89 90 89 88 84 84 83 84 85 85 84 82 82 82 79 80 79 80 78 78 81 83 82 ...
 81 79 77 77 78 77 78 79 79 81 81 81 78 78 78 78 77 78 79 79 79 79 81 85 ...
 86 86 86 87 85 84 85 86 88 88 90 88 88 87 86 86 85 87 87 87 86 85 84 83 ...
 82 81 81 82 81 80 82 81 79 80 81 80 80 79 85 85 82 83 84 85 86 87 86 86 ...
 85 85 85 83 79 81 83 83 84 82 80 80 80 80 84 81 80 76 71 70 70 69 69 68 ...
 67 68 68 68 67 68 68 70 70 72 72 71 69 68 68 68 67 68 67 66 67 67 67 66 ...
 65 66 65 62 60 60 59 59 59 59 65 66 63 65 68 68 68 68 69 73 74 71 71 69 ...
 71 72 72 76 76 74 77 80 82 80 78 80 80 80 80 81 80 79 77];
 T=today-length(P)+1:today;
 Y={today-[13 74],today-[142 172]};
 G={today-[30 51]};

 % PLOT THE DATA
 plot(T,P);
 datetick;
 line(get(gca,'Xlim'),[80 80])
 line(get(gca,'Xlim'),[68 68])%
 title({'ShadePlotForEmphasis','(P<80 yellow, P<68 green)'});

 % DRAW SOME YELLOW BARS
 ShadePlotForEmphasis(Y,'y',0.5);

 % DRAW A GREEN BAR
 ShadePlotForEmphasis(G,'g',0.5);


 | ##  _#__/
 | ##  / #
 | ## / #
 | /#\_/  #
 |/ ##   #
 |__##_____#_____

 IT'S NOT FANCY BUT IT WORKS

0001 function h=ShadePlotForEmphasis( x,colors,alphas)
0002 % ShadePlotForEmphasis
0003 % Plots a shaded bar for emphasis as commonly seen on economic charts
0004 %
0005 % INPUTS:
0006 %  x     where the bar is placed.   If you want a bar from x=4:8 then
0007 %        use [4 8].  If you want x=[4:8,10:20] then use {4:8,10:20}
0008 % colors Use 'y' to make all bars yellow.  Use {'y','g','r'} for
0009 %        yellow, green and red bars.
0010 % alphas Use 0.5 if you want all bars to be translucent.  Use {0,.5,1}
0011 %        for transparent, translucet and opaque bars.
0012 %
0013 % USAGE:
0014 % % DEFINE DATA
0015 % P=[ ...
0016 % 98 98 94 91 84 83 82 87 88 89 91 91 90 89 89 90 91 91 87 86 87 84 79 80 ...
0017 % 85 86 86 85 93 93 93 93 97 97 95 93 93 94 95 96 96 92 89 90 91 91 91 92 ...
0018 % 93 95 99 98 99 97 95 95 94 90 92 93 93 95 94 95 93 92 92 92 91 90 89 89 ...
0019 % 90 89 90 89 88 84 84 83 84 85 85 84 82 82 82 79 80 79 80 78 78 81 83 82 ...
0020 % 81 79 77 77 78 77 78 79 79 81 81 81 78 78 78 78 77 78 79 79 79 79 81 85 ...
0021 % 86 86 86 87 85 84 85 86 88 88 90 88 88 87 86 86 85 87 87 87 86 85 84 83 ...
0022 % 82 81 81 82 81 80 82 81 79 80 81 80 80 79 85 85 82 83 84 85 86 87 86 86 ...
0023 % 85 85 85 83 79 81 83 83 84 82 80 80 80 80 84 81 80 76 71 70 70 69 69 68 ...
0024 % 67 68 68 68 67 68 68 70 70 72 72 71 69 68 68 68 67 68 67 66 67 67 67 66 ...
0025 % 65 66 65 62 60 60 59 59 59 59 65 66 63 65 68 68 68 68 69 73 74 71 71 69 ...
0026 % 71 72 72 76 76 74 77 80 82 80 78 80 80 80 80 81 80 79 77];
0027 % T=today-length(P)+1:today;
0028 % Y={today-[13 74],today-[142 172]};
0029 % G={today-[30 51]};
0030 %
0031 % % PLOT THE DATA
0032 % plot(T,P);
0033 % datetick;
0034 % line(get(gca,'Xlim'),[80 80])
0035 % line(get(gca,'Xlim'),[68 68])%
0036 % title({'ShadePlotForEmphasis','(P<80 yellow, P<68 green)'});
0037 %
0038 % % DRAW SOME YELLOW BARS
0039 % ShadePlotForEmphasis(Y,'y',0.5);
0040 %
0041 % % DRAW A GREEN BAR
0042 % ShadePlotForEmphasis(G,'g',0.5);
0043 %
0044 %
0045 % | ##  _#__/
0046 % | ##  / #
0047 % | ## / #
0048 % | /#\_/  #
0049 % |/ ##   #
0050 % |__##_____#_____
0051 %
0052 % IT'S NOT FANCY BUT IT WORKS
0053 
0054 % Michael Robbins
0055 % robbins@bloomberg.net
0056 % michael.robbins@us.cibc.com
0057 
0058 if nargin<1
0059    x={[today-50 today-30],[today-20 today-10]};
0060 end;
0061 if nargin<2 colors='y'; end;
0062 if nargin<2 alphas=.5; end;
0063 
0064 if ~iscell( x)  x={ x}; end;
0065 if ~iscell(colors) colors={colors}; end;
0066 if ~iscell(alphas) alphas={alphas}; end;
0067 
0068 if length(colors)>length( x) colors=colors(1:length( x)); end;
0069 if length(colors)<length( x) t=colors{1}; colors=[]; for i=1:length( x) colors{i}=t; end; end;
0070 
0071 if length(alphas)>length( x) alphas=alphas(1:length( x)); end;
0072 if length(alphas)<length( x) t=alphas{1}; alphas=[]; for i=1:length( x) alphas{i}=t; end; end;
0073 
0074 for i=1:length( x)
0075   h(i)=patch([repmat( x{i}(1),1,2) repmat( x{i}(2),1,2)], ...
0076     [get(gca,'YLim') fliplr(get(gca,'YLim'))], ...
0077     [0 0 0 0],colors{i});
0078     set(h(i),'FaceAlpha',alphas{i});
0079 end;