subplot automatically fill in next position for selection of plots in for loop

I have a state variable that ranges from 1:20 but I only want to plot 4:11 in a 2x4 grid.

I'm trying to use the subplot function, but I can't figure out how to make the plots show up in the position I want them to.

Essential what I have is

  state = 4;
    subplot(2,4,1)

  for state = 5:11;
    subplot(2,4,state)
  end
  

but when I have the position for states 5:11 as "state" it offsets them as if those other states I'm not selecting were there, and I end up with this

is there a way to have the 5:11 plots just fill in the next position without having to write them out one at a time? I've tried [2:8] and that didn't work.

Answer 1

[dpb]

The subplots are sequentially numbered from 1:N as given in the construction. To use yours just

  ...
  for state = 5:11
    subpltIdx=state-4;
    subplot(2,4,subpltIdx)
    ...
    % plot stuff goes here...
  end
  ...

You might find the newer tiledlayout and nexttile helpful here ...

tiledlayout(2,4)
...
for state = 5:11
  nexttile
  ...
  % plot stuff goes here...
end

While neither requires it, I would strongly recommend you save the handles to the axes in a 2D array on creation -- then one can access whichever axis is needed directly to make any later changes needed.

[Kitt]

Oh duh, that's where the nexttile would go, within the for loop!

I had tried tiledlayout but couldn't get it to work because I was putting the nexttile above for state = 5:11. Very silly now, realizing my mistake there.

[dpb]

Just a comment on the indexing...when have something of this sort with the subplot() construct where need the second counter, the alternate way besides the difference is something like

...
subpltIdx=0;                % initialize a second counter
for state = 5:11
  subpltIdx=subpltIdx+1;    % increment the counter
  ...

This can be very effective in many situations to decouple the other counter from the loop index but keep in synch...

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

subplot(2,4,state-4)