CSV de ejemplo
| Month | Organic Search | Paid Search | Direct | Referral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12400 | 3200 | 5100 | 1800 |
| Feb | 13100 | 3450 | 5300 | 1750 |
| Mar | 14200 | 3600 | 5250 | 2000 |
| Apr | 15800 | 4100 | 5400 | 2100 |
| May | 16500 | 4300 | 5600 | 2050 |
| Jun | 17900 | 4550 | 5800 | 2200 |
How to Create an Area Chart
A walkthrough for turning a spreadsheet of values over time into a published area chart in PlotSet, from shaping the columns to styling the fill and exporting the result.
Unos 8 minutosThis walkthrough covers how to create an area chart in PlotSet, moving from a spreadsheet of values over time to a published, interactive chart you can embed or export. You'll finish with the fill styled on purpose (stacked, overlapping, or a single band), a baseline that actually sits at zero, and series names that mean something in the legend, not a screenshot of someone else's example.
If your data is already one time column plus one or two measure columns, this takes about eight minutes. Add a few more if you're deciding between stacked and percentage mode, or if your source export needs reshaping from long to wide first. Budget the eight minutes below and treat the rest as buffer.
Los datos que necesitas
One row per time point, one column per series: a date or period label first, one number per series after it. No merged cells, one header row.
Keep the date column as an actual date, not text. If a spreadsheet stores "Jan" as a plain string, PlotSet spaces the points evenly instead of by the real gap between them.
This is wide format: one column per series. If your source data is long format, a category column and a value column with one row per date and series, pivot it in your spreadsheet tool first, or the series won't split into separate bands.
Blank cells in a measure column render as a gap in that band rather than being skipped. Fill them with zero or the last known value, whichever matches what actually happened during that period.
Keep header names short. They become the series names in the legend and in the hover tooltip, so a column called "Organic Search Sessions (All Devices)" will crowd both.
Los pasos
El camino exacto en PlotSet, desde una plantilla en blanco hasta el gráfico terminado.
- 01
Open the area chart template
From the PlotSet dashboard, start a new project and choose the Area Chart template. It loads with sample data already bound, so you can see how the time column and the measure columns map onto filled bands before you touch your own file.
Todas las guías empiezan aquí. Elige la categoría y luego la plantilla. Es la misma cuadrícula sea cual sea el tipo de gráfico que busques. - 02
Shape your sheet with time in the first column
One row per period, with the date or time label first and one column per series after it. If your source is long format, one row per date and category rather than one row per date, pivot it into wide format before uploading.
- 03
Upload the file or connect a live sheet
Use the data panel to import a CSV or .xlsx file, paste rows directly from a spreadsheet, or connect a Google Sheet if you want the chart to refresh later without a re-upload. PlotSet reads the first row as headers automatically.
La vista de datos, aquí en un proyecto de gráfico de barras. Sube un CSV, saca los números de una imagen con Magic Import o sincroniza una Google Sheet. El panel es el mismo en todos los tipos de gráfico. - 04
Map the time column and your measures
Confirm which column feeds the x-axis and which numeric columns feed the bands. If the points along the axis look evenly spaced even though your periods aren't, the date column is likely being read as text rather than a date.
Las asignaciones deciden qué columna se convierte en la etiqueta, cuál aporta los valores y cuál define el color. Auto Binding las deduce de tus encabezados, así que revísalas en lugar de darlas por buenas. - 05
Choose stacked, percentage or overlapping
Stack the series when the running total matters. Switch to percentage stacking when only the changing mix matters and the total would be a distraction. Reach for overlapping only with two or three series and real transparency on the fill.
- 06
Set the stacking order and pick colours
Drag the series order so the one you most want understood sits at the bottom, since only the bottom band has a flat baseline to read against. Give each series its own colour; a repeated colour from the default palette makes two bands look like one.
La pestaña Preview de un gráfico de tipo Area Chart. Todos los controles de estilo están en el panel enmarcado: apariencia, encabezado, pie de página y las opciones propias de este tipo de gráfico, cada grupo en su propia pestaña. - 07
Check the baseline and add a title
Confirm the value axis starts at zero. It should, because the fill is measured from there and a truncated axis on an area chart fills in a shape that doesn't exist. Add a title that says what's accumulating, not just the metric name.
- 08
Publish, embed or export the chart
Publish for a live, interactive chart with hover tooltips that show every series at a given date, grab the embed code to drop it into a page, or export a PNG, SVG or PDF for a deck.
Empieza con la plantilla de Area Chart, que ya trae datos de ejemplo cargados, y sustitúyelos por los tuyos.
Abrir la plantillaPublícalo, incrústalo o expórtalo
El último tramo es igual en todos los tipos de gráfico: Share convierte el gráfico en un enlace público en vivo y un código de incrustación, y Export lo guarda como un archivo estático.
Share: enlace público y código de incrustación
Al activar el código de incrustación y el enlace público, el gráfico queda publicado. El enlace se lo puedes enviar a cualquiera sin problema, y el código de incrustación se coloca en cualquier página como un iframe que conserva los tooltips al pasar el cursor y toda la interactividad. Si editas el gráfico más adelante, haz clic en Recreate para llevar esos cambios a ambos.
Export: SVG, PNG o JPG
Export guarda una copia estática en el tamaño que necesites. El SVG se mantiene nítido a cualquier escala y se puede seguir editando en una herramienta de diseño; PNG y JPG son la opción segura para diapositivas y documentos. El multiplicador de escala es lo que te da una imagen nítida en una pantalla retina.
Consejos de estilo para un Area Chart
Put the series you most need read at the bottom
In a stacked area chart, only the bottom band sits on a flat baseline. Every band above it is judged against a wavy line, which the eye does badly, so the bottom slot should go to the series your reader most needs to track accurately.
Never move the baseline off zero
The filled region is measured from the baseline, so shifting it exaggerates or hides volume that isn't real. If you want to zoom in on a narrow range, turn on value labels and hover tooltips instead of touching the axis.
Cap stacked bands at four or five
Past that, the bands in the middle get thin, wavy and impossible to compare. Group the smaller series into an "Other" band and name it in the legend rather than letting six or seven colours fight for space.
Say so when you switch to percentage mode
A 100% stacked area looks perfectly stable even if the underlying total collapsed. Label the axis and add a line in the caption noting that the chart shows mix, not magnitude.
Errores comunes al hacer un Area Chart
The x-axis spaces every point evenly, even though your periods aren't
This means the time column is being read as text rather than a date, so PlotSet is placing the labels in order rather than by calendar distance. Reformat the column as an actual date in your source sheet and re-map it.
The bands overlap into one muddy colour instead of stacking
Check two things: the chart's stacking mode may still be set to overlapping, and your data may still be in long format with one series column instead of one column per series. Switch the mode to stacked and confirm each series has its own column.
A stray total row shows up as a spike at the end of the chart
A "Total" or "Average" row left at the bottom of the sheet gets read as an extra time point, not a summary, and appears as an odd extra point past your real data. Delete it from the source file or remove the row in PlotSet's data table before publishing.
Aprende más sobre el Area Chart
¿No estás seguro de que el Area Chart sea la opción correcta? Descubre qué es, cuándo usarlo y cuándo no.
Area Chart: preguntas frecuentes
Wide format, with one header row: a date or period label in the first column and one number per series in the columns after it. CSV and .xlsx both work, and a pasted range from any spreadsheet tool is fine too.
Crea tu Area Chart ahora
Gratis para empezar con más de 300 plantillas. No se necesita tarjeta de crédito.