Sample CSV
| Quarter | Revenue |
|---|---|
| Q1 2023 | 182400 |
| Q2 2023 | 205100 |
| Q3 2023 | 198750 |
| Q4 2023 | 241300 |
| Q1 2024 | 229600 |
| Q2 2024 | 256900 |
How to Create a Column Chart
A step by step walkthrough for turning a spreadsheet into a published column chart in PlotSet, from ordering the rows to exporting or embedding the finished chart.
About 7 minutesCategories in the order you want them, a value axis that starts at zero: how to create a column chart in PlotSet covers exactly that, styled on purpose and either embedded on a page or exported as an image. Not a copy of someone else's demo, your own periods and your own numbers, going through the same click path a real PlotSet chart takes from upload to publish.
If your spreadsheet is already two columns, category and value, with the rows already in the order you want to see, this takes about five minutes. Add a couple more if you're dealing with dates that keep auto-converting into something else, or a totals row you need to strip out first. Budget the seven minutes below and treat the rest as a buffer.
The data you need
Two columns, one row per category: the category label first, usually a time period, and the number second. Rows should already sit in the order you want the columns to appear, since PlotSet reads them top to bottom.
Keep the category column as plain text, not a date. If a spreadsheet auto-converts "Q1 2023" into a date serial number, PlotSet charts that serial number, not the label you typed.
Row order is chart order. PlotSet lists categories top to bottom exactly as they sit in your sheet, so put Q1 2023 above Q2 2023 rather than relying on a sort step afterward.
One number per category. Comparing this year against last year in the same chart needs an extra column and a grouped or stacked column chart, not this one.
Delete any totals row before uploading. A "Total 2023" row becomes a column of its own, usually the tallest, and breaks the chronological order of everything after it.
The steps
The exact click path in PlotSet, from a blank template to a finished chart.
- 01
Open the column chart template
From the PlotSet dashboard, start a new project and pick the Column Chart template. It loads with sample data already in place so you can see the exact layout, category then value, before you bring your own sheet.
Every guide starts here. Pick the category, then the template: it is the same grid whichever chart type you are after. - 02
Shape your sheet into two columns, in order
Put the category label in the first column and its number in the second, one row per category, arranged in the order you want the columns to appear. For time periods, that means Q1 sitting above Q2 in the sheet itself, not sorted after upload.
- 03
Bring in the file or connect a sheet
Use the data panel to import a CSV or .xlsx file, paste rows straight from a spreadsheet, or connect a Google Sheet if you want the chart to refresh when the source changes. PlotSet reads the first row as headers automatically.
The data view, shown here on a bar chart project. Upload a CSV, lift the numbers out of an image with Magic Import, or sync a Google Sheet. The panel is identical for every chart type. - 04
Map the category and value columns
Confirm which column feeds the horizontal axis and which feeds the column height. PlotSet usually guesses right when your headers are clear, like "Quarter" and "Revenue", but check it manually if your sheet carries extra columns.
Bindings decide which column becomes the label, which supplies the values and which drives the colour. Auto Binding guesses them from your headers, so check it rather than assume it. - 05
Turn off auto sort for ordered categories
PlotSet defaults to ranking columns by value, which is wrong for anything with a natural sequence. Switch the sort control to source order so Q1 2023 through Q2 2024 stay chronological instead of jumping around by size.
- 06
Format the value axis and set the gap width
Add thousands separators or a currency symbol under number formatting, name the unit on the value axis, and confirm the axis minimum is 0. Set the gap between columns to roughly half a column's width: tight enough to compare, loose enough not to read like a histogram.
The Preview tab for a Column Chart. Every styling control lives in the outlined panel, each on its own tab: appearance, header, footer and the options specific to this chart type. - 07
Pick one colour, then publish
One consistent colour is correct for a single series; save a second colour for the one column you want to highlight, such as the most recent quarter. Add a title that states the comparison, then publish for a live interactive chart, grab the embed code, or export a PNG, SVG or PDF.
Start from the Column Chart template with sample data already loaded, then swap in your own.
Open the templatePublish, embed or export it
The last stretch is the same for every chart type: Share turns the chart into a live public link and an embed code, Export writes it out as a static file.
Share: public link and embed code
Activating the embed code and public link publishes the chart. The link is safe to send to anyone, and the embed code drops into any page as an iframe that keeps the hover tooltips and the interactivity. Edit the chart later and hit Recreate to push those changes out to both.
Export: SVG, PNG or JPG
Export writes a static copy at whatever size you need. SVG stays sharp at any scale and can still be edited in a design tool; PNG and JPG are the safe choices for slides and documents. The scale multiplier is what gets you a crisp image on a retina screen.
Styling tips for a Column Chart
Keep the sort control off for time periods
If your categories are months, quarters or years, turn off value based sorting entirely. A chronological column chart tells a trend story; a value sorted one scrambles it into a ranking that doesn't exist in time.
Fit no more than about fifteen columns
Past that, labels start tilting or truncating and the columns thin into a picket fence. Group extra categories into an "Other" bucket, or switch to a horizontal bar chart, which handles a long list better than a column chart ever will.
Set the gap width around fifty percent
Too wide and the eye has to travel between columns to compare them; too narrow and the chart starts to look like a histogram, where touching bars mean something different: a continuous number line underneath. Fifty percent of a column's width is a safe middle.
Reserve a second colour for exactly one column
A highlight colour on the current quarter, or the category you're actually discussing, earns its place. A different hue on every column asks the reader to hunt for a grouping that isn't there.
Common mistakes when making a Column Chart
Quarters or months come out alphabetical, not chronological
This means the sort control is still set to rank by value or by category name instead of source order. Open the sort setting in the chart panel, switch it to source order, and check that your sheet already lists the periods top to bottom in the sequence you want.
Labels are tilted at an angle and hard to read
This shows up once you're past ten or so categories, or once a label runs longer than a word or two. Shorten the labels first, "Q1 2024" instead of "First Quarter 2024", and if that's still not enough, take it as the cue to switch to a bar chart instead.
The columns look flat, all close to the same height
Check the axis minimum. If it's been nudged above zero, by hand or by an auto-scale setting, every column's true height gets compressed and small real differences look identical. Reset the value axis minimum to 0.
Learn more about the Column Chart
Not sure the Column Chart is the right choice? See what it is, when to use it and when not to.
Column Chart: common questions
Two columns and one header row: a category label, usually a time period, in the first column and one number per category in the second. CSV and .xlsx both work, and a pasted range from any spreadsheet tool is fine too.
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