Positioning and aligning nodes

We have already learned how to place nodes at coordinates and use anchors for that. Let’s explore more options.

Using anchors and relative positioning

First, perhaps you noticed that positioning based on anchors can feel counterintuitive: to place a node above an object (north of it), we use the south anchor.

For example, here we draw a node above a circle:

\draw circle [fill, radius=2pt] node [anchor=south] {text};

The output of that command is shown in the following picture:

Figure 3.13 – A node above a circle

For more intuitive positioning, TikZ offers other statements. We can write the same line in this way:

\draw circle [fill, radius=2pt] node [above] {text};

That gives the same output as in Figure 3.13, and feels more natural.

In that spirit, these are the new relative positioning options:

• above: Similar to anchor=south
• below: Similar to anchor=north
• left: Similar...