Adding a color scale to loop script

Hey. So I have a loop script plotting lines ontop of each other on the same figure. Its messy but it works.

function TempSalplot(datafile)
datafile=importdata(datafile);
A=datafile.data;
%depth,distance,salinity,temp are in column 28,2,14,11 of datafile respectively;  
    for z=[1:2:max(datafile.data(:,28))];
        for depthi=[1:length(A(:,28))];
            if A(depthi,28)>z-0.5 & A(depthi,28)<z+0.5;
            B(depthi,1)=A(depthi,2);
            B(depthi,2)=A(depthi,14);
            B(depthi,3)=A(depthi,11);
            %delete zero rows in new matrix 'B'
            B(all(B==0,2),:)=[];
            % average repeated measurements for same distances 
            [C,ia,idx]=unique(B(:,1),'stable');
            val=accumarray(idx,B(:,2),[],@mean);  
            M12=[C val];
            [C,ia,idx]=unique(B(:,1),'stable');
            val=accumarray(idx,B(:,3),[],@mean);  
            M13=[C val];
            M=[M12,M13(:,2)];
            end
        end
        plot(M(:,2),M(:,3),'.-','color',rand(1,3))
        hold on
    end
end

I would like it, to rather than plot each line with a random colour, to plot each new line according to a colour scale so I can put a color bar on it. Or at least represent that each new line is increasing depth of 1m. Thanks for any help.

[Walter Roberson]

At the time of that plot(), which variable holds the depth that you would like to color code by?

[aaron Harvey]

It would be z at that point, defined in the beginning of the for loop,

for z=[1:2:max(datafile.data(:,28))];

Answer 1

[Marius]

Hi Aaron, What I do when I plot many plots in a for-loop (N plots) is first create a "colour matrix" (col) based on a colormap (e.g. 'jet'):

col = jet(N);
for i = 1:N
  plot( myXYvals(:,N), 'Color', col(N,:) )
end

Hope this helps, at least giving you an idea... Marius

[aaron Harvey]

Thank-you, That worked perfectly! but is there also a way I can add a colorbar to this? labeled with my N values (or z in my code)

[Alexandar]

^Can somebody help with the question above on how to display the colorbar. I have already looked at multiple questions for displayinc colorbars but none of them work since I am also inputting this into a forloop.