matplotlib · NelleV · Oct 30, 2019 · Oct 27, 2019
diff --git a/doc/users/next_whats_new/2019-10-27-savefig-backend.rst b/doc/users/next_whats_new/2019-10-27-savefig-backend.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+``savefig()`` gained a ``backend`` keyword argument
+---------------------------------------------------
+
+The ``backend`` keyword argument to ``savefig`` can now be used to pick the
+rendering backend without having to globally set the backend; e.g. one can save
+pdfs using the pgf backend with ``savefig("file.pdf", backend="pgf")``.
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backend_bases.py b/lib/matplotlib/backend_bases.py
@@ -1951,18 +1951,35 @@ def get_supported_filetypes_grouped(cls):
             groupings[name].sort()
         return groupings
 
-    def _get_output_canvas(self, fmt):
+    def _get_output_canvas(self, backend, fmt):
         """
-        Return a canvas suitable for saving figures to a specified file format.
+        Set the canvas in preparation for saving the figure.
 
-        If necessary, this function will switch to a registered backend that
-        supports the format.
-        """
-        # Return the current canvas if it supports the requested format.
-        if hasattr(self, 'print_{}'.format(fmt)):
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        backend : str or None
+            If not None, switch the figure canvas to the ``FigureCanvas`` class
+            of the given backend.
+        fmt : str
+            If *backend* is None, then determine a suitable canvas class for
+            saving to format *fmt* -- either the current canvas class, if it
+            supports *fmt*, or whatever `get_registered_canvas_class` returns;
+            switch the figure canvas to that canvas class.
+        """
+        if backend is not None:
+            # Return a specific canvas class, if requested.
+            canvas_class = (
+                importlib.import_module(cbook._backend_module_name(backend))
+                .FigureCanvas)
+            if not hasattr(canvas_class, f"print_{fmt}"):
+                raise ValueError(
+                    f"The {backend!r} backend does not support {fmt} output")
+        elif hasattr(self, f"print_{fmt}"):
+            # Return the current canvas if it supports the requested format.
             return self
-        # Return a default canvas for the requested format, if it exists.
-        canvas_class = get_registered_canvas_class(fmt)
+        else:
+            # Return a default canvas for the requested format, if it exists.
+            canvas_class = get_registered_canvas_class(fmt)
         if canvas_class:
             return self.switch_backends(canvas_class)
         # Else report error for unsupported format.
@@ -1972,7 +1989,7 @@ def _get_output_canvas(self, fmt):
 
     def print_figure(self, filename, dpi=None, facecolor=None, edgecolor=None,
                      orientation='portrait', format=None,
-                     *, bbox_inches=None, **kwargs):
+                     *, bbox_inches=None, backend=None, **kwargs):
         """
         Render the figure to hardcopy. Set the figure patch face and edge
         colors.  This is useful because some of the GUIs have a gray figure
@@ -2012,6 +2029,13 @@ def print_figure(self, filename, dpi=None, facecolor=None, edgecolor=None,
             A list of extra artists that will be considered when the
             tight bbox is calculated.
 
+        backend : str, optional
+            Use a non-default backend to render the file, e.g. to render a
+            png file with the "cairo" backend rather than the default "agg",
+            or a pdf file with the "pgf" backend rather than the default
+            "pdf".  Note that the default backend is normally sufficient.  See
+            :ref:`the-builtin-backends` for a list of valid backends for each
+            file format.  Custom backends can be referenced as "module://...".
         """
         if format is None:
             # get format from filename, or from backend's default filetype
@@ -2026,7 +2050,7 @@ def print_figure(self, filename, dpi=None, facecolor=None, edgecolor=None,
         format = format.lower()
 
         # get canvas object and print method for format
-        canvas = self._get_output_canvas(format)
+        canvas = self._get_output_canvas(backend, format)
         print_method = getattr(canvas, 'print_%s' % format)
 
         if dpi is None:

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/cbook/__init__.py b/lib/matplotlib/cbook/__init__.py
@@ -2212,3 +2212,12 @@ def __init__(self, fget):
 
     def __get__(self, instance, owner):
         return self._fget(owner)
+
+
+def _backend_module_name(name):
+    """
+    Convert a backend name (either a standard backend -- "Agg", "TkAgg", ... --
+    or a custom backend -- "module://...") to the corresponding module name).
+    """
+    return (name[9:] if name.startswith("module://")
+            else "matplotlib.backends.backend_{}".format(name.lower()))
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/figure.py b/lib/matplotlib/figure.py
@@ -2131,6 +2131,14 @@ def savefig(self, fname, *, transparent=None, **kwargs):
             A list of extra artists that will be considered when the
             tight bbox is calculated.
 
+        backend : str, optional
+            Use a non-default backend to render the file, e.g. to render a
+            png file with the "cairo" backend rather than the default "agg",
+            or a pdf file with the "pgf" backend rather than the default
+            "pdf".  Note that the default backend is normally sufficient.  See
+            :ref:`the-builtin-backends` for a list of valid backends for each
+            file format.  Custom backends can be referenced as "module://...".
+
         metadata : dict, optional
             Key/value pairs to store in the image metadata. The supported keys
             and defaults depend on the image format and backend:

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/pyplot.py b/lib/matplotlib/pyplot.py
@@ -212,10 +212,7 @@ def switch_backend(newbackend):
             rcParamsOrig["backend"] = "agg"
             return
 
-    backend_name = (
-        newbackend[9:] if newbackend.startswith("module://")
-        else "matplotlib.backends.backend_{}".format(newbackend.lower()))
-
+    backend_name = cbook._backend_module_name(newbackend)
     backend_mod = importlib.import_module(backend_name)
     Backend = type(
         "Backend", (matplotlib.backend_bases._Backend,), vars(backend_mod))

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_figure.py b/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_figure.py
@@ -391,6 +391,16 @@ def test_savefig():
         fig.savefig("fname1.png", "fname2.png")
 
 
+def test_savefig_backend():
+    fig = plt.figure()
+    # Intentionally use an invalid module name.
+    with pytest.raises(ModuleNotFoundError, match="No module named '@absent'"):
+        fig.savefig("test", backend="module://@absent")
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError,
+                       match="The 'pdf' backend does not support png output"):
+        fig.savefig("test.png", backend="pdf")
+
+
 def test_figure_repr():
     fig = plt.figure(figsize=(10, 20), dpi=10)
     assert repr(fig) == "<Figure size 100x200 with 0 Axes>"

diff --git a/tutorials/introductory/usage.py b/tutorials/introductory/usage.py
@@ -350,6 +350,7 @@ def my_plotter(ax, data1, data2, param_dict):
 #    use a different backend.  Therefore, you should avoid explicitly calling
 #    `~matplotlib.use` unless absolutely necessary.
 #
+# .. _the-builtin-backends:
 #
 # The builtin backends
 # --------------------