DOC: seaborn.set_context should note that it sets the global defaults for all plots using the matplotlib rcParams system

[rootsmusic]

Unless I'm mistaken, the doc for seaborn.set_context should note that it sets the global defaults for all plots using the matplotlib rcParams system.

[mwaskom]

This is called out in a few places including the Intro page, aesthetics tutorial, and in the docs for the main set_theme function:

This function changes the global defaults for all plots using the matplotlib rcParams system. The themeing is decomposed into several distinct sets of parameter values.

Always hard to know when it becomes counterproductive to redundantly explain basic principles (which I'd consider this) on more focused documentation pages...

[mwaskom]

Additionally, the page you link says

This affects things like the size of the labels, lines, and other elements of the plot, but not the overall style. This is accomplished using the matplotlib rcParams system.

So I am not sure how much additional explanation to add here? The matplotlib <> seaborn interaction can be a little bit confusing but I'd think that this is conveying the relevant information.

[rootsmusic]

Additionally, the page you link says

This affects things like the size of the labels, lines, and other elements of the plot, but not the overall style. This is accomplished using the matplotlib rcParams system.

When I read the quoted sentences above, I interpreted "this" to be referring to seaborn.set_context. So my understanding was that they're explaining how this function works. My understanding wasn't that this function sets the global defaults for all plots using the rcParams system.

Indeed, the doc for set_theme does note that "function changes the global defaults for all plots using the matplotlib rcParams system". Since I'm not familiar with rcParams, I'm looking up the doc for set_context to learn if it requires set_theme to also be explicitly called in conjunction.

[mwaskom]

I'm looking up the doc for set_context to learn if it requires set_theme to also be explicitly called in conjunction.

It does not. set_theme changes multiple parameter groups in one call. set_context changes only a subset of those parameters. Mostly you'll want to be calling set_theme. Probably I wouldn't have added separate set_context, set_style functions these days, but they've been around basically forever.

[rootsmusic]

This is called out in a few places including the Intro page, aesthetics tutorial, and in the docs for the main set_theme function:

Because I directly referenced the API docs, I didn't come across the tutorials. "Controlling figure aesthetics" is a helpful tutorial. It's linked in the doc for set_style, which similarly explained: "The style parameters control properties like the color of the background and whether a grid is enabled by default. This is accomplished using the matplotlib rcParams system." (You can close this issue. Thanks for clarifying!)

[mwaskom]

Good point that this docstring should cross-reference to the tutorial page. Thanks!