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Scatter

Summary

The Scatter class creates scatter plots. Scatter plots visualize the relationship between two numeric variables, where one variable is displayed on the x-axis, and the other variable is displayed on the y-axis. For each record, a point is plotted where the two variables intersect in the chart. When the resulting points form a nonrandom structure, a relationship exists between the two variables.

Learn more about scatter plots in ArcGIS Pro

Discussion

When creating this object, optional arguments for the class constructor must be specified using the argument name; they cannot be specified by argument position. See the Code sample section for an example of how to specify arguments using keywords.

Syntax

Scatter(x, y, {splitCategory}, {sizeField}, {sizeMin}, {sizeMax}, {multiSeriesDisplay}, {miniChartsPerRow}, {showPreviewChart}, {displayType}, {sort}, {sortBy}, {showPValue}, {showTrendLine}, {trendLineType}, {trendOrder}, {title}, {description}, {xTitle}, {yTitle}, {dataSource}, {displaySize}, {theme})

Name Explanation Data type

x

The field name for the x-axis variable. The field must be a numeric type, or a string type with band names (for raster layers).

String

y

The field name for the y-axis variable. The field must be a numeric type, or a string type with band names (for raster layers).

String

splitCategory

(Optional)

A categorical field that adds a separate series for each unique value in the field.

String

sizeField

(Optional)

The field used to determine the size of the proportional symbol when creating a bubble plot.

String

sizeMin

(Optional)

The minimum size for points in a bubble plot.

Integer

sizeMax

(Optional)

The maximum size for points in a bubble plot.

Integer

multiSeriesDisplay

(Optional)

The display type for a scatter plot with multiple series.

  • singleChart—Display all series in a single chart.

  • grid—Display each series in a separate mini chart.

String

miniChartsPerRow

(Optional)

The number of mini charts that will be shown per row.

Integer

showPreviewChart

(Optional)

Specifies whether the preview chart will be displayed for grid charts.

  • True—The preview chart will be displayed.

  • False—The preview chart will not be displayed.

The default value is False.

Boolean

displayType

(Optional)

Specifies the display type for the mini charts in a grid scatter plot.

  • R_SQUARED—Mini charts display the r-squared values.

  • PEARSONS_R—Mini charts display the Pearson's r values.

  • SCATTERPLOTS—Mini charts display as scatter plots.

String

sort

(Optional)

Specifies the sorting method applied to the mini charts in a grid scatter plot.

  • ASC-Sorts the mini charts in ascending order based on the metric scores specified by the sortBy property.

  • DESC-Sorts the mini charts in descending order based on the metric scores specified by the sortBy property.

  • NONE-Mini charts are displayed in the order of the series.

String

sortBy

(Optional)

Specifies the metric score used to sort the mini charts in a grid scatter plot. This property is only applicable when sort is set to ASC or DESC.

  • R_SQUARED-The mini charts are sorted by r-squared values.

  • PEARSONS_R-The mini charts are sorted by Pearson's r values.

String

showPValue

(Optional)

Specifies whether p-value indicators are visible in a grid scatter plot.

Boolean

showTrendLine

(Optional)

Indicates whether the trend line is visible in the scatter plot.

  • True—Displays the trend line.

  • False—Hides the trend line.

Boolean

trendLineType

(Optional)

Specifies the type of trend line displayed in the scatter plot.

  • LINEAR—Displays a linear trend line.

  • EXPONENTIAL—Displays an exponential trend line.

  • LOGARITHMIC—Displays a logarithmic trend line.

  • POWER—Displays a power trend line.

  • POLYNOMIAL—Displays a polynomial trend line.

String

trendOrder

(Optional)

Specifies the order for a polynomial trend line.

Integer

title

(Optional)

The title of the chart. The title text appears at the top of the chart view and is used as the label for the chart in the Contents pane.

String

description

(Optional)

The description of the chart. The description text appears at the bottom of the chart view.

String

xTitle

(Optional)

The title of the x-axis of the chart.

String

yTitle

(Optional)

The title of the y-axis of the chart.

String

dataSource

(Optional)

The data source of the chart. When a chart is exported using the exportToSVG method or displayed in ArcGIS Notebooks, the data source will be read and rendered on the chart. Valid data sources include the following:

  • Paths to datasets, including local datasets, UNC paths, and service URLs

  • Apache Arrow table objects

  • Layer or Table objects

Object

displaySize

(Optional)

The size of the chart when exported using the exportToSVG method or displayed in ArcGIS Notebooks. The value must be specified as a two-item list in which the first item is the width of the chart and the second item is the height of the chart.

List

theme

(Optional)

Specifies the theme that will be applied to the chart.

  • Light—The Light theme will be applied.

  • Medium—The Medium theme will be applied.

  • Dark—The Dark theme will be applied.

String

Properties

Name Explanation Data type

color

(Read and Write)

The colors that will be applied to each chart series. The value should be a list of hexadecimal string values. If this property is not set, the series colors will match symbology colors where applicable; otherwise, a standard color palette will be applied.

List

dataSource

(Read and Write)

The data source of the chart. When a chart is exported using the exportToSVG method or displayed in an ArcGIS notebook, the data source will be read and rendered on the chart. Valid data sources include the following:

  • Paths to datasets, including local datasets, UNC paths, and service URLs

  • Apache Arrow table objects

  • Layer or Table objects

Object

description

(Read and Write)

The description of the chart. The description text appears at the bottom of the chart view.

String

displaySize

(Read and Write)

The size of the chart when exported using the exportToSVG method or displayed in an ArcGIS notebook. The value must be specified as a two-item list in which the first item is the width of the chart and the second item is the height of the chart.

List

displayType

(Read and Write)

Specifies the display type for the mini charts in a grid scatter plot.

  • R_SQUARED—Mini charts display the r-squared values.

  • PEARSONS_R—Mini charts display the Pearson's r values.

  • SCATTERPLOTS—Mini charts display as scatter plots.

String

enableServerSideProcessing

(Read and Write)

Specifies whether server-side processing will be used when data comes from an enterprise database or cloud data warehouse.

  • True—Server-side processing will be enabled.

  • False—Server-side processing will be disabled.

Boolean

legend

(Read and Write)

The properties of the chart legend.

  • alignment—Specifies the alignment of the legend. Alignment options are left, bottom, top, and right.

  • title—The title of the legend.

  • visible—Specifies whether the legend will be displayed in the chart view. True displays the legend, and False hides the legend.

Object

miniChartsPerRow

(Read and Write)

The number of mini charts that will be shown per row.

Integer

multiSeriesDisplay

(Read and Write)

Specifies the display type for a scatter plot with multiple series.

  • singleChart—All series will be displayed in a single chart.

  • grid—Each series will be displayed in a separate mini chart.

String

showPreviewChart

(Read and Write)

Specifies whether the preview chart will be displayed for grid charts.

  • True—The preview chart will be displayed.

  • False—The preview chart will not be displayed.

Boolean

showPValue

(Read and Write)

Specifies whether p-value indicators are visible in a grid scatter plot.

Boolean

showTrendLine

(Read and Write)

Specifies whether the trend line will be visible in the scatter plot.

  • True—The trend line will be displayed.

  • False—The trend line will be hidden.

Boolean

sizeField

(Read and Write)

The field that will be used to determine the size of the proportional symbol when creating a bubble plot.

String

sizeMax

(Read and Write)

The maximum size for points in a bubble plot.

Integer

sizeMin

(Read and Write)

The minimum size for points in a bubble plot.

Integer

sort

(Read and Write)

Specifies the sorting method applied to the mini charts in a grid scatter plot.

  • ASC-Sorts the mini charts in ascending order based on the metric scores specified by the sortBy property.

  • DESC-Sorts the mini charts in descending order based on the metric scores specified by the sortBy property.

  • NONE-Mini charts are displayed in the order of the series.

String

sortBy

(Read and Write)

Specifies the metric score used to sort the mini charts in a grid scatter plot. This property is only applicable when sort is set to ASC or DESC.

  • R_SQUARED-The mini charts are sorted by r-squared values.

  • PEARSONS_R-The mini charts are sorted by Pearson's r values.

String

splitCategory

(Read and Write)

A categorical field that will add a separate series for each unique value in the field.

String

theme

(Read and Write)

Specifies the theme that will be applied to the chart.

  • Light—The Light theme will be applied.

  • Medium—The Medium theme will be applied.

  • Dark—The Dark theme will be applied.

String

title

(Read and Write)

The title of the chart. The title text appears at the top of the chart view and is used as the label in the Contents pane on the List By Drawing Order tab .

String

trendLineType

(Read and Write)

Specifies the type of trend line displayed in the scatter plot.

  • LINEAR—Displays a linear trend line.

  • EXPONENTIAL—Displays an exponential trend line.

  • LOGARITHMIC—Displays a logarithmic trend line.

  • POWER—Displays a power trend line.

  • POLYNOMIAL—Displays a polynomial trend line.

String

trendOrder

(Read and Write)

Specifies the order for a polynomial trend line.

Integer

type

(Read only)

The string value indicating the chart type.

String

x

(Read and Write)

The field name for the x-axis variable. The field must be a numeric field.

String

xAxis

(Read and Write)

Specifies the properties of the x-axis.

  • addGuide—Adds a guide to the axis using a Guide object.

  • field—The field name for the x-axis variable. The field must be a numeric field.

  • invert—Specifies whether the axis is inverted. True inverts the axis, and False does not invert the axis.

  • logarithmic—Specifies whether the axis is logarithmic. True displays the logarithmic axis. False displays the linear axis.

  • listGuides—A list of Guide objects for the axis.

  • maximum—The maximum axis bound.

  • minimum—The minimum axis bound.

  • removeGuide—Removes the guide specified by the Guide object argument.

  • sort—This property is not supported for the Scatter class.

  • title—The label of the axis that displays on the chart.

  • useAdaptiveBounds—Specifies whether a grid chart displays with adaptive or fixed axis bounds. True displays the axis with adaptive bounds. False displays the axis with fixed bounds.

Object

y

(Read and Write)

The field name for the y-axis variable. The field must be a numeric field.

String

yAxis

(Read and Write)

Specifies the properties of the y-axis.

  • addGuide—Adds a guide to the axis using a Guide object.

  • field—The field name for the y-axis variable. The field must be a numeric field. When creating a bubble plot, field optionally accepts a two-item list, where the first item is the y-axis field and the second item is the proportional symbol field.

  • invert—Specifies whether the axis is inverted. True inverts the axis, and False does not invert the axis.

  • logarithmic—Specifies whether the axis is logarithmic. True displays the logarithmic axis. False displays the linear axis.

  • listGuides—A list of Guide objects for the axis.

  • maximum—The maximum axis bound.

  • minimum—The minimum axis bound.

  • removeGuide—Removes the guide specified by the Guide object argument.

  • sort—This property is not supported for the Scatter class.

  • title—The label of the axis that displays on the chart.

  • useAdaptiveBounds—Specifies whether a grid chart displays with adaptive or fixed axis bounds. True displays the axis with adaptive bounds. False displays the axis with fixed bounds.

Object

Methods

addToLayer(layer_or_layerfile)

The addToLayer method adds the chart object to a layer or table view.

Adding the chart object to a layer or table using the addToLayer method is often the final step after defining chart properties.

Name Explanation Data type

layer_or_layerfile

The chart will be added to the target object. This argument can be a Layer or Table object.

Object

Add a chart to an existing layer.

import arcpy

# Insert creation of chart object here
# ...

aprx = arcpy.mp.ArcGISProject("current")
map = aprx.listMaps()[0]
censusLayer = map.listLayers('Census Block Groups')[0]

# Add chart object to a layer
chart.addToLayer(censusLayer)

exportToJPEG(path, width, height)

The exportToJPEG method exports a chart to JPEG format.

The chart is exported to a .jpg file that can be shared and viewed outside of ArcGIS Pro. JPEG is a raster image format that uses lossy compression to reduce file size.

Name Explanation Data type

path

The path where the chart will be exported in JPEG format.

String

width

The width of the output graphic.

Integer

height

The height of the output graphic.

Integer

Export a chart that has a feature service data source to a .jpeg file.

import arcpy

# Insert creation of chart object here
# ...

featureServiceURL = r'https://services1.arcgis.com/hLJbHVT9ZrDIzK0I/arcgis/rest/services/CrimesChiTheft/FeatureServer/0'

# Set data source of chart object to a feature service URL
chart.dataSource = featureServiceURL

# Save the chart to file with dimensions width=800, height=600
chart.exportToJPEG('theftsPerBeat.jpg', 800, 600)

exportToPNG(path, width, height)

The exportToPNG method exports a chart to PNG format.

The chart is exported to a .png file that can be shared and viewed outside of ArcGIS Pro. PNG is a raster image format that uses lossless compression to preserve image quality.

Name Explanation Data type

path

The path where the chart will be exported in PNG format.

String

width

The width of the output graphic.

Integer

height

The height of the output graphic.

Integer

Access an existing chart from a layer, update the title, and export it to a .png file.

import arcpy

lyr = arcpy.mp.ArcGISProject('current').listLayers()[0]

# Retrieve the first chart belonging to the layer
chart = lyr.listCharts()[0]

# Update chart title
chart.title = 'Voter Turnout by State'

# Save the chart to PNG file with dimensions width=800, height=600
chart.exportToPNG('populationByState.png', 800, 600)

exportToSVG(path, width, height)

The exportToSVG method exports a chart to SVG format.

The chart is exported to an .svg file that can be shared and viewed outside of ArcGIS Pro. SVG is a vector image format that allows for editing and infinite scaling of the graphic without a loss in quality.

Name Explanation Data type

path

The path where the chart will be exported in SVG format.

String

width

The width of the output graphic.

Integer

height

The height of the output graphic.

Integer

Export a chart that has a project layer data source to an .svg file.

import arcpy

# Insert creation of chart object here
# ...

aprx = arcpy.mp.ArcGISProject('current')
censusLayer = aprx.listMaps()[0].listLayers('Census Block Groups')[0]

# Set data source of chart object to a layer in current project
chart.dataSource = censusLayer

# Save the chart to file with dimensions width=500, height=500
chart.exportToSVG('populationByState.svg', 500, 500)

updateChart()

The updateChart method updates chart properties to sync changes between the object and the chart previously added to a layer.

Adding the chart object to a layer using the addToLayer method is often the final step after defining chart properties.

You can also modify the properties of the original chart instead of starting with a new chart. You can then use the updateChart method to synchronize any changes into the chart that was added to the layer. This allows the changes you make to be presented in the Chart properties pane and chart view.

Use the updateChart method to synchronize chart property changes into a layer.

import arcpy

# Insert creation of chart object here
# ...

chart.addToLayer(myLayer)

# Further modification is necessary
chart.description = "Data from the U.S. Census Bureau"
chart.updateChart()

Code sample

Create a scatter plot and add it to a layer from the current project.

import arcpy

aprx = arcpy.mp.ArcGISProject("current")
map = aprx.listMaps()[0]
censusLayer = map.listLayers("Census Block Groups")[0]

chart = arcpy.charts.Scatter(x="Per_Vacant", y="Pop_Density", xTitle="Vacant Housing %",
                             yTitle="Population Density (per Sq. Mile)")

chart.addToLayer(censusLayer)