Box Plot¶
Note
This widget already supports the new configuration panel, and this topic describes the new panel by default. You can switch panels at any time in the upper right corner of the chart configuration panel without affecting your configuration.
A box plot shows the distribution range and dispersion of a data set through its maximum value, minimum value, median value, upper quartile value, and lower quartile value. It suits comparing the fluctuation of temperature, quality, and output across devices, batches, or time periods.
This topic describes the configuration items specific to the box plot. For the items common to all charts, such as the Filter tab and the Others tab, see Common Configurations for Charts.
Note
The box plot is a preset in the bar chart group and shares one widget and one configuration panel with the Bar Chart, Line Chart, and Scatter Chart. It can therefore also mix bar, line, area, and other series types.
Data of Box Plot¶
The box plot centers on measurements and uses dimensions to define the category axis. For data sources, data fields, aggregation, and sorting, see Common Configurations for Charts > Configuring Data.
Dimension¶
Dimension defines the labels on the category axis, with one box per dimension value. A box plot accepts up to 2 dimension fields, but the chart only uses the first dimension as the category axis; the second has no effect on the display. In the vertical layout the categories appear on the X-axis; in the horizontal layout they appear on the Y-axis.
Comparison¶
Comparison is optional and accepts up to 1 field, which splits the boxes into groups by the values of that field. A comparison field only takes effect once Comparison is selected in the series. See Common Configurations for Charts > Series.
Measurement¶
Measurement provides the five statistics of a box. Boxes are not calculated automatically from ordinary measurements; you must bind a measurement field to each of the following five roles in the series:
Maximum Value
Minimum Value
Median Value
Upper Quartile Value
Lower Quartile Value
A box plot therefore usually needs 5 measurements, with no upper limit on the number. When any statistical role is missing, that box plot series produces no displayable box.
Extension¶
Extension fields are not drawn on the box plot directly, and there is no limit on the number. They serve only as the data source of a highlight area: the Data Field of Highlight Area lists only the extension fields you have added, and the chart determines the range to highlight from the value of that field.
The tooltip of the box plot does not show extension fields. Adding extension fields without referencing them in a Highlight Area changes nothing in the chart.
Style of Box Plot¶
The style items are organized into six sections: Title, Widget, Series, Coordinate Axis, Legend, and Mark. For the items common to all charts, see Common Configurations for Charts > Configuring Style.
Series¶
The items of the Boxplot series type differ structurally from the other types in two ways:
There is no Data Field; instead, the five dropdowns Maximum Value, Minimum Value, Median Value, Upper Quartile Value, and Lower Quartile Value bind measurement fields. Each dropdown lists only the measurements currently configured; when a measurement is removed, the statistical role referencing it is cleared automatically.
There is no Color; the corresponding item is called Box Background Color.
In addition to the common items, the Boxplot series provides the following type-specific items:
Box Background Color: Sets the fill color of the box, with solid and gradient colors supported.
Border: Sets the Color and width of the box border, with a default width of 1 px.
Note
If a Bar series is mixed into a box plot, the Series section additionally shows Bar Spacing and Stacked Bar Chart; Maximum Bar Width has no such condition and is shown even without a bar series. For descriptions of all three, see Common Configurations for Charts > Series.
Interactions at Runtime¶
The box plot shares one widget with the bar chart, the line chart, and the scatter chart, and its runtime interactions are identical. The tooltip content follows the structure of the box plot: hovering over a category lists the Maximum Value, Minimum Value, Median Value, Upper Quartile Value, and Lower Quartile Value of that box on five rows, with -- on any row whose value cannot be retrieved.
For the other behaviors (legend filtering, scalar bar zooming, selection zooming, widget linkage, and zoom synchronization) and their trigger conditions, see Bar Chart > Interactions at Runtime.