Control legend size when autoLegend is used with LinTicks [closed]

Question

It looks simple, but I'm been trying to solve this issue for days, but no luck yet. So, here I used LinTicks, as customized option and another graphic option.

Here is my code. I'm always trying to make it simple, but this thing gets heavier with a graphic option (autoLegend). If you know better way, please, let me know.

Please, find more information about autoLegend here. In addition, you can find CustomTicks here, which I had to run the package before running my code.

ClearAll["Global`*"]

(autoLegend inserted here)

σ = 5.67*^-8;(*Stefan-Boltzmann Constant*)
ϵ = 1;(*Emissivity*)
α = 1;(*Absorbtivity*)
τ = 1;(*Transmittance*)
g = 1*^3;(*Solar radiation 1Kw/m^2" *)
c = 2.28;(*Concentration*)
receff[x_] := α τ - (σ ϵ (x^4 - 293.15^4))/(c g);
syseff[x_] := (α τ - (σ ϵ (x^4 - 293.15^4))/(c g)) (1 - 293.15/x);
without = 
  Plot[Evaluate[{receff[x], syseff[x]}], {x, 293.15, 1073.15}, 
    PlotStyle -> (Directive @@@ 
      Transpose[{Join[ConstantArray[Dashed, 1], 
         ConstantArray[Thick, 1]], 
        Flatten[ConstantArray[{Black, Red}, 1]]}]), Frame -> True, 
   PlotRange -> {{250, 1000}, {0, 1.05}}, 
   FrameLabel -> {"Temperature (K)", "Efficiency (%)"}, 
   FrameStyle -> Directive[Black, 18], 
   FrameTicks -> {LinTicks[0, 1100, 200, 5], LinTicks[0, 1, 0.4, 5], None, None}, 
   ImageSize -> Large];

autoLegend[
 Show[without], {"Reciever w/ 2.28 Sun", "System w/ 2.28 Sun"}, 
 Background -> Directive[None, Opacity[.5]], Alignment -> {0.43, 0.8}]

I was able to make big text for Ticks, but I couldn't get Legend big. I used Lintick to keep Ticks with high resolution image. When I enlarge an image without LinTicks, I lost Ticks. That's why I used LinTicks. But if you guys know to get around this, please, let me know too. Because I have to run the LinTicks package every time before I run this code to work.

If you know how to make it big, please, help me. It would be very appreciable. Thank you.

---

Here was what I got. As you can see, ticks are big as I wish, but I wasn't able to control the size of legend.

Answer 1

My main suggestion would be to use existing legending functionality in version 9+, e.g. LineLegend rather than hack things together from scratch like this.

I think the main issue with your code and the reason it does not work, is that you are not actually providing any means for text-formatting options to affect your labels. The relevant piece of code in legendMaker is

Text[#3, FormatType -> TraditionalForm]

You should change this to something like

Style[Text[#3, FormatType -> TraditionalForm], FilterRules[opts, Style]]

You then need to make the functions actually accept and pass the options to Style. The way you are using OptionsPattern, this won't work currently. As the documentation says,

OptionsPattern[] uses the default options of the nearest enclosing function.

So an option that is not explicitly defined for autoLegend or makeLegend won't get passed down. The way around that is to change the function definition from

legendMaker[textLabels_, opts : OptionsPattern[]]

to

legendMaker[textLabels_, opts : OptionsPattern[{legendMaker, Style}]]

And similarly for autoLegend.

I won't fix up the code for you completely because I honestly think that you should base your autoLegend function on the existing built-in legending functionality. You could then just use LabelStyle to style your text.

Answer 2

Following Verbeia's advice, I tried to use the existing functions built in Mathematica and tried to make simple as possible. I was able to slim down my code. It looks simpler and cleaner. Thank you Verbeia for your advice.

ClearAll["Global`*"]
σ = 5.67*^-8;(*Stefan-Boltzmann Constant*)
ϵ = 1;(*Emissivity*)
α = 1;(*Absorbtivity*)
τ = 1;(*Transmittance*)
g = 1*^3;(*Solar radiation 1Kw/m^2" *)
c = 2.28;(*Concentration*)
receff[x_] := α τ - (σ ϵ (x^4 - 
     293.15^4))/(c g);
syseff[x_] := (α τ - (σ ϵ (x^4 - 
        293.15^4))/(c g)) (1 - 293.15/x);
Plot[Evaluate[{receff[x], syseff[x]}], {x, 293.15, 1073.15}, 
 PlotStyle -> (Directive @@@ 
    Transpose[{Join[ConstantArray[Dashed, 1], 
       ConstantArray[Thick, 1]], 
      Flatten[ConstantArray[{Black, Red}, 1]]}]), Frame -> True, 
 PlotRange -> {{250, 1000}, {0, 1.05}}, 
 FrameLabel -> {"Temperature (K)", "Efficiency (%)"}, 
 FrameStyle -> Directive[Black, 18], FrameTicks -> Automatic, 
 ImageSize -> Large, 
 PlotLegends -> 
   Placed[LineLegend[{"Reciever w/ 2.28 Sun", "System w/ 2.28 Sun"}, 
     LegendMarkers -> Automatic, LegendMarkerSize -> {12, 24}, 
     LabelStyle -> 20], {0.73, 0.8}]]