Box Plots

A box plot is a statistical representation of the distribution of a column through its quartiles. The ends of the box represent the lower and upper quartiles, while the median (second quartile) is marked by a line inside the box. You can create grouped box plots to compare distributions across categories, and apply styles and customizations like colors, orientations, and point display.

Basic box plot example

Here's an example of how to create a basic box plot showing the distribution of a single column.

Create a box plot of <Y> by <X>.

The following example uses this prompt structure with the factory_location and weight columns from the built-in Plotly Studio dataset:

Create a box plot of weight by factory location.

Grouped box plots

Compare distributions across multiple categories by adding color to create side-by-side box plots.

Create a box plot of <Y> by <X>, color by <Column>.

The following example uses this prompt structure with the factory_location, weight, and defect columns from the built-in Plotly Studio dataset:

Create a box plot of weight by factory location, color by defect.

Display the underlying data

Display underlying data points with the box plot to show all points, outliers only, or hide them completely.

Create a box plot of <Y> by <X>. Show all points.

The following example uses this prompt structure with the factory_location and weight columns from the built-in Plotly Studio dataset:

Create a box plot of weight by factory location. Show all points.

Interactive controls

Add dropdowns and other controls to make your box plots interactive. Controls let users filter and explore the data dynamically.

Create a box plot of weight by factory location, color by defect.
Add a dropdown to select factory
(All, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Los Angeles, Montreal, Randstad) - Default All.
Add a checkbox to toggle point display - Default hide points.

Prompt keywords reference

Use these keywords and phrases in your prompts to customize your box plot.

Chart

Here are some keyword suggestions to create and customize a chart:

Keyword/Phrase	Description	Example
X	The categorical variable for grouping	factory location
Y	The numeric variable to show distribution for	weight
Color	Color box plots by different groups	color by defect
Facet columns	Create multiple subplots side-by-side for each category	facet by defect
Facet rows	Create multiple plots stacked vertically by group	facet vertically by factory location

Data

Specify data instructions in your prompt to transform, filter, or aggregate your data before visualization.

Calculate weight category based on weight ranges.
Filter to show only defect = true.

Here are some keyword suggestions:

Keyword/Phrase	Description	Example
Aggregation	Specify how to aggregate data	average weight by factory location
Computed field	Create new calculated fields from existing data	calculate weight category based on weight ranges
Filter	Filter data to show only specific records	filter to show only defect = true

Options

Specify options in your prompt to add interactive controls that allow users to dynamically filter, transform, and visualize data without regenerating the chart.

Add a dropdown to select factory (All, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore) - Default All.
Add a checkbox to toggle point display - Default hide points.

Here are some keyword suggestions. See App Controls for a complete list of control types and additional examples.

Keyword/Phrase	Description	Example
Dropdown	Add a dropdown menu to filter by categories	Add a dropdown to select factory (All, Osaka, Seoul) - Default All
Checkbox	Add a checkbox to toggle options	Add a checkbox to toggle point display - Default hide points

Chart styles

Specify chart styles in your prompt to control the visual appearance and formatting of your box plot.

Use custom colors: #FF5733, #33FF57.
Make the chart horizontal.
Show all points.

Here are some keyword suggestions:

Keyword/Phrase	Description	Example
Custom colors	Specify exact colors for box plots	Use custom colors: #FF5733, #33FF57
Horizontal orientation	Flip box plots to horizontal orientation	Make the chart horizontal
Show points	Display individual data points on the box plot	Show all points
Show outliers only	Display only outlier points	Show outliers only
Point position	Control how points are displayed (jittered, overlaid)	Show points with jitter
Box mode	Set how grouped boxes are displayed (group, overlay)	Use overlay mode
Notched boxes	Add notches to show confidence interval around median	Show notched boxes
Quartile method	Specify quartile calculation method	Use inclusive quartile method
Hover text	What to show when hovering over boxes	Show factory location on hover
Axis labels	Rename axis labels to be more readable	Label x-axis as "Factory" Label y-axis as "Product Weight (kg)"
Axis range	Set minimum and maximum values for axes	Set y-axis range from 0 to 3
Legend	Control legend display and position	Show legend at top right