# How to set x-axis positions in StatPlots' violin plot?
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-x-axis-positions-in-statplots-violin-plot/15421
**Category:** Visualization
**Tags:** dataframes
**Created:** [September 24, 2018, 10:11am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-x-axis-positions-in-statplots-violin-plot/15421 "2018-09-24T10:11:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@rickhg12hs](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/rickhg12hs)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2018, 10:11am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-x-axis-positions-in-statplots-violin-plot/15421/1 "2018-09-24T10:11:15Z")
I’d like to create a violin plot of a `DataFrame` and set each “violin” at its linear respective position. For example, this plot:
```julia
# some data to play with
n = 10000
f(k) = randn(k)
df2 = DataFrame(hcat(f(n).+1, f(n).-1, 2*f(n), 0.5*f(n)-3, 2*f(n).^2, abs.(f(n))),
map(num->Symbol(num),[4,10,15,20,22,30]));
# Now plot a violin of each "Set" on the same graph
@df df2 violin(cols(), xticks=(1:ncol(df2), names(df2)))
```
… has all the “violins” evenly spaced. I’d like to place them according to their numeric column name. I.e., the x-axis would be linear and the first “violin” would be centered above `4`, the next would be centered above `10`, …, and the last “violin” would be centered above `30`.
How can this `violin` plot be created?
---
### Author:  [@mkborregaard](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkborregaard)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2018, 12:25pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-x-axis-positions-in-statplots-violin-plot/15421/2 "2018-09-24T12:25:06Z")
As usual, this is an issue with DataFrame formatting. The names of a DataFrame are Symbols and are not intended to be parsed as numbers.
Instead, your DataFrame should have a long format:
```julia
df2 = DataFrame(a = repeat([4,10,15,20,22,30], inner = n), b = vcat(f(n).+1, f(n).-1, 2*f(n), 0.5*f(n).-3, 2*f(n).^2, abs.(f(n))))
@df df2 violin(:a, :b)
```
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### Author:  [@rickhg12hs](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/rickhg12hs)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-x-axis-positions-in-statplots-violin-plot/15421/3 "2018-09-24T12:35:43Z")
Nice!
Any way for multicolor and (multitrace?) legend as before?
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### Author:  [@mkborregaard](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkborregaard)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2018, 12:48pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-x-axis-positions-in-statplots-violin-plot/15421/4 "2018-09-24T12:48:24Z")
You can specify the colors as a vector of length 6. Or if you want it automatic like in your previous example, use the `group` keyword: `@df df2 violin(:a, :b, group = :a)`
---
### Author:  [@rickhg12hs](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/rickhg12hs)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2018, 1:00pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-x-axis-positions-in-statplots-violin-plot/15421/5 "2018-09-24T13:00:53Z")
Super! Thanks!