Box

Summary

Box plots allow you to visualize and compare the distribution and central tendency of numeric values through their quartiles.

Learn more about box plots in ArcGIS Pro

Discussion

When creating a chart 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

Box (y, {x}, {splitCategory}, {splitCategoryAsMeanLine}, {standardizeValues}, {showOutliers}, {rotated}, {title}, {description}, {xTitle}, {yTitle}, {dataSource}, {displaySize})

Parameter	Explanation	Data Type
y	The fields to display as boxes. Specify a single field name or a list of field names.	String
x	The x-axis field is used to create multiple series box plots by setting the category. See the documentation on box plots for more information.	String
splitCategory	A second categorical field that adds a separate series or box for each unique value in the field.	String
splitCategoryAsMeanLine	Multiple-series box plots created with a split field can be displayed as mean lines or as side-by-side boxes. True displays split multiple series as mean lines. False displays multiple series as side-by-side boxes. (The default value is False)	Boolean
standardizeValues	Box plots created from multiple fields are standardized by default. True displays standardized values. False displays nonstandardized values. (The default value is True)	Boolean
showOutliers	Indicates whether outliers are shown as points extending beyond the whiskers. True displays outliers as points. False includes outliers in whiskers. (The default value is False)	Boolean
rotated	Indicates whether boxes are viewed vertically or horizontally. Boxes are displayed vertically by default. True rotates boxes horizontally. False displays boxes vertically. (The default value is False)	Boolean
title	Sets 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	Sets the description of the chart. The description text appears at the bottom of the chart view.	String
xTitle	Sets the title for the x-axis of the chart.	String
yTitle	Sets the title for the y-axis of the chart.	String
dataSource	Sets the data source of the chart. When a chart is exported using the exportToSVG method or displayed in an ArcGIS Notebook, the data source is read and rendered on the chart. Valid data sources include paths to datasets, including local datasets, UNC paths, and service URLs, and arcpy.mp Layer objects.	Object
displaySize [displaySize,...]	Sets 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, where the first item is the width of the chart and the second item is the height of the chart.	List

Properties

Property	Explanation	Data Type
dataSource (Read and Write)	Sets the data source of the chart. When a chart is exported using the exportToSVG method or displayed in an ArcGIS Notebook, the data source is read and rendered on the chart. Valid data sources include paths to datasets, including local datasets, UNC paths, and service URLs, and arcpy.mp Layer objects.	Object
description (Read and Write)	Sets the description of the chart. The description text appears at the bottom of the chart view.	String
displaySize (Read and Write)	Sets 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, where the first item is the width of the chart and the second item is the height of the chart.	List
legend (Read and Write)	Sets the properties of the chart legend. visible—Indicates whether the legend is visible in the chart view. True displays the legend. False hides the legend. title—The title to display for the legend.	Object
rotated (Read and Write)	Indicates whether the chart is viewed vertically or horizontally. The chart displays vertically by default. True rotates the chart horizontally. False displays the chart vertically.	Boolean
showOutliers (Read and Write)	Indicates whether outliers are shown as points extending beyond the whiskers. True displays outliers as points. False includes outliers in whiskers.	Boolean
splitCategory (Read and Write)	A second categorical field that adds a separate series or box for each unique value in the field.	String
splitCategoryAsMeanLine (Read and Write)	Multiple series box plots created with a split field can be displayed as mean lines or as side-by-side boxes. True displays split multiple series as mean lines. False displays split multiple series as side-by-side boxes.	Boolean
standardizeValues (Read and Write)	Box plots created from multiple fields are standardized by default. True displays standardized values. False displays nonstandardized values.	Boolean
title (Read and Write)	Sets 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
type (Read Only)	The string value indicating the chart type.	String
x (Read and Write)	The field name used to create multiple series box plots by setting the category. See the documentation on box plots for more information.	String
xAxis (Read and Write)	Sets the properties of the x-axis. field—The field name used to create multiple series box plots by setting the category. logarithmic—This property is not supported for the Box class. maximum—The maximum axis bound. minimum—The minimum axis bound. sort—The sorting method applied to this axis. ASC is for ascending sorting and DESC is for descending sorting. title—The label of the axis that displays on the chart.	Object
y (Read and Write)	The field or fields to display as boxes. Must specify a single field name or a list of field names.	String
yAxis (Read and Write)	Sets the properties of the y-axis. field—The field or fields to display as boxes. Must specify a single field name or a list of field names. logarithmic—This property is not supported for the Box class. maximum—The maximum axis bound. minimum—The minimum axis bound. sort—The sorting method applied to this axis. MEAN_ASC or MEAN_DESC are used to sort the boxes by the mean values. MEDIAN_ASC or MEDIAN_DESC are used to sort the boxes by the median values. title—The label of the axis that displays on the chart.	Object

Method Overview

Method	Explanation
addToLayer (layer_or_layerfile)	Adds the chart object to a layer or stand-alone table.
exportToSVG (path, width, height)	Exports the chart to SVG format.
updateChart ()	Updates chart properties to sync changes between the object and the chart previously added to a layer.

Methods

addToLayer (layer_or_layerfile)

Parameter	Explanation	Data Type
layer_or_layerfile	The chart will be added to the target object. The layer_or_layerfile argument can be a Layer or a Table object.	Object

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

Add a chart to an existing layer.

import arcpy

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)

exportToSVG (path, width, height)

Parameter	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

In some cases, you may want to save the chart as a graphic that can be shared and viewed outside of ArcGIS Pro. Exporting to the SVG graphic format is beneficial, as the chart elements and text are stored as vector elements that can be independently modified in a vector graphics software. An SVG graphic can also be resized to any scale without pixelation or loss in quality.

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

import arcpy

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

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

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

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

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.exportToSVG('theftsPerBeat.svg', 800, 600)

updateChart ()

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

To further modify the chart properties, you can modify the properties of the original chart instead of starting from scratch 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 will allow 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.

chart.addToLayer(myLayer)

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

Code sample

Create a box plot using a .csv file and export the box plot to an .svg file.

import arcpy
chart = arcpy.charts.Box(y=["pct_diabetes", "pct_asthma", "pct_heart"], 
                         splitCategory="State", 
                         dataSource="chronic_health_conditions.csv")
chart.title = "Distribution of Chronic Health Conditions by State"
chart.exportToSVG("box.svg", width=700, height=600)