Skip to content

Drawing graphs

Graphs in VisiData can be used to visualise the relationship between numeric dependent variables vs a numeric independent variable. Optionally, a second independent variable, which is categorical, adds an additional colored scatter plot for each category.

This example uses the file StatusPR.csv.


How to graph a single column

  1. Press ! to set a column as the x-axis. This column must be numeric.
  2. Set that column to a numeric type by pressing # (int), % (float), $ (currency), or @ (date).
  3. Optional: Press ! on a categorical key column to add it as an additional independent variable.
  4. Set the type of the column you wish to set as the dependent variable with a numeric type.
  5. Press . (dot=plot) on that column.

How to graph multiple columns

  1. Press ! to set a column as the x-axis. This column must be numeric.
  2. Set that column to a numeric type.
  3. Optional: Press ! on a categorical key column to add it as an additional independent variable.
  4. Type all of the columns you wish to set as the dependent variables with a numeric type.
  5. Press - (dash) to hide any numeric columns you don't wish graphed.
  6. Press g..

How to interact with graphs

With the keyboard
Command(s) Operation
1-9 toggles display of each scatterplot layer
h j k l moves the cursor
H J K L expands and shrinks the cursor
+ - increases/decreases the zoomlevel, centered on the cursor
zz zooms into the cursor
_ (underscore) zooms to fit the full extent
s t u selects/toggles/unselects rows on the source sheet contained within the cursor
gs gt gu selects/toggles/unselects rows visible as points on the screen
d deletes rows on the source sheet contained within the cursor
gd deletes all rows visible as points on the screen
Enter opens sheet of source rows contained within the cursor
gEnter opens sheet of source rows which are visible on screen
v toggles the visibility of graph labels
With the mouse
Command Operation
Left-click and drag sets the cursor
Right-click and drag scrolls
Scroll-wheel zooms in/out

Corporate Sponsors

Sponsor saulpw on Github