OptionalaxisWhether the plot uses the chart's primary or secondary axes. A plot uses one axis group, so bars on both groups are two plots.
The plot's scales and axes are still named through encoding. This says which group they
belong to, which the legend order and export depend on.
A chart has at most two axis groups, and each group has its own category (or X) axis and value axis, even when one of them is hidden. An arc plot (pie, doughnut, pie-of-pie, or bar-of-pie) has no axes, but it still takes up an axis group of its own. So a chart with an arc plot can have axis-based plots on the other group only.
OptionalcoordinatesWhether the plot is drawn on horizontal and vertical axes (cartesian), or around a center
point (polar). Pie and doughnut charts (arc plots) and radar charts (line or area
plots) are polar.
The dataset or transform whose records the plot draws, named by its id.
Which fields the plot draws on which visual channels. See ChartEncoding for the channels each mark needs.
OptionalgroupingHow the plot's series are arranged in each category.
| Value | Arrangement |
|---|---|
standard |
Each series is drawn on its own, from zero, so they can overlap. |
clustered |
Bars are drawn side by side. Only for bar plots. |
stacked |
Each series is drawn on top of the ones before it. |
percentStacked |
Stacked, and scaled so that each category adds up to 100%. |
In a 3D chart, standard gives each series its own row, front to back.
Identifies the plot within the chart.
OptionallabelsData labels for every series in the plot. A series' labels override these property by
property. When absent, the plot has no labels of its own.
OptionallayoutVisual settings for the plot, such as bar gap widths or a pie's start angle.
The primary mark that the plot draws.
Logical series in this plot, in ascending ChartSeries.order.
The series define the plot's data through their bindings. An importer creates one entry for every series in the source, including series with no data and series that aren't drawn (such as all but the first series of a pie), so each keeps its name, ranges, formatting, and position. A plot whose source has no series has an empty list.
OptionalvaryWhether each data point gets its own color, rather than each series. Pie charts usually set this.
This only takes effect when the plot draws exactly one series. With more than one, colors are per series, but the flag may be kept around in case it becomes relevant again.
A group of series drawn with one mark and one set of scales.
A chart can layer any number of plots, for example a bar plot and a line plot that share a category scale. Excel's "combo chart" is only a menu shortcut for this, not a separate type.