Introduction
Highcharts scatter charts can draw a single point for each point of data in a series without connecting the points. The main difference between scatter series and line series is that sorting is not required in scatter series because the mouse tracker for the tooltip is activated on each single marker. By setting the lineWidth option to greater than 0, a line can be drawn between the markers. This chapter, explains how to create Highcharts Scatter charts.
Description
Highcharts Scatter Charts are used to represent the given data as a series of points with respect to X and Y axis co-ordinates, the vertical and horizontal axes are the value axes. The scatter plot is similar to a line chart. Usually, the scatter plots are used to show the difference between the given variables and this relation is known as 'correlation'.
Each point on a chart is a marker, which can be customized by the user as per the requirements. If the dots on a chart flow from lower left to upper right, then it is called as positive correlation,whereas, if the dots flow from upper left to lower right, it is called as negative correlation.
Example
Below example demonstrates how to create a scatter plot using the CDN access for both Highcharts and jQuery.
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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Scatter plot charts</title>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.2.0/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script src="http://code.highcharts.com/highcharts.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="container" style="width: 600px; height: 400px; margin: 0 auto"></div>
<script language="JavaScript">
$(function () {
$('#container').highcharts({
chart: {
type: 'scatter',
zoomType: 'xy'
},
title: {
text: 'Height Versus Weight of 507 Individuals by Gender'
},
xAxis: {
title: {
enabled: true,
text: 'Height (cm)'
},
startOnTick: true,
endOnTick: true,
showLastLabel: true
},
yAxis: {
title: {
text: 'Weight (kg)'
}
},
legend: {
layout: 'vertical',
align: 'left',
verticalAlign: 'top',
x: 100,
y: 70,
floating: true,
backgroundColor: (Highcharts.theme && Highcharts.theme.legendBackgroundColor) || '#EEEEEE',
borderWidth: 1
},
plotOptions: {
scatter: {
marker: {
radius: 5,
states: {
hover: {
enabled: true,
lineColor: 'rgb(100,100,100)'
}
}
},
states: {
hover: {
marker: {
enabled: false
}
}
},
tooltip: {
headerFormat: '<b>{series.name}</b><br>',
pointFormat: '{point.x} cm, {point.y} kg'
}
}
},
series: [{
name: 'Female',
color: 'rgba(223, 83, 83, .5)',
data: [[161.2, 51.6], [167.5, 59.0], [159.5, 49.2], [157.0, 63.0], [155.8, 53.6],
[170.0, 59.0], [159.1, 47.6], [166.0, 69.8], [176.2, 66.8], [160.2, 75.2],
[172.5, 55.2], [170.9, 54.2], [172.9, 62.5], [153.4, 42.0], [160.0, 50.0],
[147.2, 49.8], [168.2, 49.2], [175.0, 73.2], [157.0, 47.8], [167.6, 68.8],
[159.5, 50.6], [175.0, 82.5], [166.8, 57.2], [176.5, 87.8], [170.2, 72.8],
[174.0, 54.5], [173.0, 59.8], [179.9, 67.3], [170.5, 67.8], [160.0, 47.0],
[154.4, 46.2], [162.0, 55.0], [176.5, 83.0], [160.0, 54.4], [152.0, 45.8],
[162.1, 53.6], [170.0, 73.2], [160.2, 52.1], [161.3, 67.9], [166.4, 56.6],
[168.9, 62.3], [163.8, 58.5], [167.6, 54.5], [160.0, 50.2], [161.3, 60.3],
[167.6, 58.3], [165.1, 56.2], [160.0, 50.2], [170.0, 72.9], [157.5, 59.8],
[167.6, 61.0], [160.7, 69.1], [163.2, 55.9], [152.4, 46.5], [157.5, 54.3],
[168.3, 54.8], [180.3, 60.7], [165.5, 60.0], [165.0, 62.0], [164.5, 60.3],
[156.0, 52.7], [160.0, 74.3], [163.0, 62.0], [165.7, 73.1], [161.0, 80.0],
[162.0, 54.7], [166.0, 53.2], [174.0, 75.7], [172.7, 61.1], [167.6, 55.7],
[151.1, 48.7], [164.5, 52.3], [163.5, 50.0], [152.0, 59.3], [169.0, 62.5],
[164.0, 55.7], [161.2, 54.8], [155.0, 45.9], [170.0, 70.6], [176.2, 67.2],
[170.0, 69.4], [162.5, 58.2], [170.3, 64.8], [164.1, 71.6], [169.5, 52.8],
[163.2, 59.8], [154.5, 49.0], [159.8, 50.0], [173.2, 69.2], [170.0, 55.9],
[161.4, 63.4], [169.0, 58.2], [166.2, 58.6], [159.4, 45.7], [162.5, 52.2],
[159.0, 48.6], [162.8, 57.8], [159.0, 55.6], [179.8, 66.8], [162.9, 59.4],
[161.0, 53.6], [151.1, 73.2], [168.2, 53.4], [168.9, 69.0], [173.2, 58.4],
[171.8, 56.2], [178.0, 70.6], [164.3, 59.8], [163.0, 72.0], [168.5, 65.2],
[166.8, 56.6], [172.7, 105.2], [163.5, 51.8], [169.4, 63.4], [167.8, 59.0],
[159.5, 47.6], [167.6, 63.0], [161.2, 55.2], [160.0, 45.0], [163.2, 54.0],
[162.2, 50.2], [161.3, 60.2], [149.5, 44.8], [157.5, 58.8], [163.2, 56.4],
[172.7, 62.0], [155.0, 49.2], [156.5, 67.2], [164.0, 53.8], [160.9, 54.4],
[162.8, 58.0], [167.0, 59.8], [160.0, 54.8], [160.0, 43.2], [168.9, 60.5],
[158.2, 46.4], [156.0, 64.4], [160.0, 48.8], [167.1, 62.2], [158.0, 55.5],
[167.6, 57.8], [156.0, 54.6], [162.1, 59.2], [173.4, 52.7], [159.8, 53.2],
[170.5, 64.5], [159.2, 51.8], [157.5, 56.0], [161.3, 63.6], [162.6, 63.2],
[160.0, 59.5], [168.9, 56.8], [165.1, 64.1], [162.6, 50.0], [165.1, 72.3],
[166.4, 55.0], [160.0, 55.9], [152.4, 60.4], [170.2, 69.1], [162.6, 84.5],
[170.2, 55.9], [158.8, 55.5], [172.7, 69.5], [167.6, 76.4], [162.6, 61.4],
[167.6, 65.9], [156.2, 58.6], [175.2, 66.8], [172.1, 56.6], [162.6, 58.6],
[160.0, 55.9], [165.1, 59.1], [182.9, 81.8], [166.4, 70.7], [165.1, 56.8],
[177.8, 60.0], [165.1, 58.2], [175.3, 72.7], [154.9, 54.1], [158.8, 49.1],
[172.7, 75.9], [168.9, 55.0], [161.3, 57.3], [167.6, 55.0], [165.1, 65.5],
[175.3, 65.5], [157.5, 48.6], [163.8, 58.6], [167.6, 63.6], [165.1, 55.2],
[165.1, 62.7], [168.9, 56.6], [162.6, 53.9], [164.5, 63.2], [176.5, 73.6],
[168.9, 62.0], [175.3, 63.6], [159.4, 53.2], [160.0, 53.4], [170.2, 55.0],
[162.6, 70.5], [167.6, 54.5], [162.6, 54.5], [160.7, 55.9], [160.0, 59.0],
[157.5, 63.6], [162.6, 54.5], [152.4, 47.3], [170.2, 67.7], [165.1, 80.9]]
}, {
name: 'Male',
color: 'rgba(75, 139, 223, .5)',
data: [[174.0, 65.6], [175.3, 71.8], [193.5, 80.7], [186.5, 72.6], [187.2, 78.8],
[181.5, 74.8], [184.0, 86.4], [184.5, 78.4], [175.0, 62.0], [184.0, 81.6],
[180.0, 76.6], [177.8, 83.6], [192.0, 90.0], [176.0, 74.6], [174.0, 71.0],
[184.0, 79.6], [192.7, 93.8], [171.5, 70.0], [173.0, 72.4], [176.0, 85.9],
[176.0, 78.8], [180.5, 77.8], [172.7, 66.2], [176.0, 86.4], [173.5, 81.8],
[178.0, 89.6], [180.3, 82.8], [180.3, 76.4], [164.5, 63.2], [173.0, 60.9],
[183.5, 74.8], [175.5, 70.0], [188.0, 72.4], [189.2, 84.1], [172.8, 69.1],
[170.0, 59.5], [182.0, 67.2], [170.0, 61.3], [177.8, 68.6], [184.2, 80.1],
[186.7, 87.8], [171.4, 84.7], [172.7, 73.4], [175.3, 72.1], [180.3, 82.6],
[182.9, 88.7], [188.0, 84.1], [177.2, 94.1], [172.1, 74.9], [167.0, 59.1],
[169.5, 75.6], [174.0, 86.2], [172.7, 75.3], [182.2, 87.1], [164.1, 55.2],
[163.0, 57.0], [171.5, 61.4], [184.2, 76.8], [174.0, 86.8], [174.0, 72.2],
[177.0, 71.6], [186.0, 84.8], [167.0, 68.2], [171.8, 66.1], [182.0, 72.0],
[167.0, 64.6], [177.8, 74.8], [164.5, 70.0], [192.0, 101.6], [175.5, 63.2],
[171.2, 79.1], [181.6, 78.9], [167.4, 67.7], [181.1, 66.0], [177.0, 68.2],
[174.5, 63.9], [177.5, 72.0], [170.5, 56.8], [182.4, 74.5], [197.1, 90.9],
[180.1, 93.0], [175.5, 80.9], [180.6, 72.7], [184.4, 68.0], [175.5, 70.9],
[180.6, 72.5], [177.0, 72.5], [177.1, 83.4], [181.6, 75.5], [176.5, 73.0],
[175.0, 70.2], [174.0, 73.4], [165.1, 70.5], [177.0, 68.9], [192.0, 102.3],
[176.5, 68.4], [169.4, 65.9], [182.1, 75.7], [179.8, 84.5], [175.3, 87.7],
[184.9, 86.4], [177.3, 73.2], [167.4, 53.9], [178.1, 72.0], [168.9, 55.5],
[157.2, 58.4], [180.3, 83.2], [170.2, 72.7], [177.8, 64.1], [172.7, 72.3],
[165.1, 65.0], [186.7, 86.4], [165.1, 65.0], [174.0, 88.6], [175.3, 84.1],
[185.4, 66.8], [177.8, 75.5], [180.3, 93.2], [180.3, 82.7], [177.8, 58.0],
[177.8, 79.5], [177.8, 78.6], [177.8, 71.8], [177.8, 116.4], [163.8, 72.2],
[188.0, 83.6], [198.1, 85.5], [175.3, 90.9], [166.4, 85.9], [190.5, 89.1],
[166.4, 75.0], [177.8, 77.7], [179.7, 86.4], [172.7, 90.9], [190.5, 73.6],
[185.4, 76.4], [168.9, 69.1], [167.6, 84.5], [175.3, 64.5], [170.2, 69.1],
[190.5, 108.6], [177.8, 86.4], [190.5, 80.9], [177.8, 87.7], [184.2, 94.5],
[176.5, 80.2], [177.8, 72.0], [180.3, 71.4], [171.4, 72.7], [172.7, 84.1],
[172.7, 76.8], [177.8, 63.6], [177.8, 80.9], [182.9, 80.9], [170.2, 85.5],
[167.6, 68.6], [175.3, 67.7], [165.1, 66.4], [185.4, 102.3], [181.6, 70.5],
[172.7, 95.9], [190.5, 84.1], [179.1, 87.3], [175.3, 71.8], [170.2, 65.9],
[193.0, 95.9], [171.4, 91.4], [177.8, 81.8], [177.8, 96.8], [167.6, 69.1],
[167.6, 82.7], [180.3, 75.5], [182.9, 79.5], [176.5, 73.6], [186.7, 91.8],
[188.0, 84.1], [188.0, 85.9], [177.8, 81.8], [174.0, 82.5], [177.8, 80.5],
[171.4, 70.0], [185.4, 81.8], [185.4, 84.1], [188.0, 90.5], [188.0, 91.4],
[182.9, 89.1], [176.5, 85.0], [175.3, 69.1], [175.3, 73.6], [188.0, 80.5],
[188.0, 82.7], [175.3, 86.4], [170.5, 67.7], [179.1, 92.7], [177.8, 93.6],
[175.3, 70.9], [182.9, 75.0], [170.8, 93.2], [188.0, 93.2], [180.3, 77.7]]
}]
});
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
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Key Points
- Highcharts Scatter Charts represent the data based on two parameters.
- Scatter charts are similar to Line charts.
Programming
Tips
- Add the JavaScript file to the head section of the HTML page for creating a chart.
- Ensure that all the chart options or settings are correct before running the application.
- Give the chart type as scatter in the chart.type option.
- Using CDN access for both jQuery and Highcharts is an easy way for the end-user to create Highcharts.