Set titles, dimensions, and margins for a polished figure.
Presentation charts
Plotly · Module
fig.update_layout
Updates a Plotly figure's layout-level properties, including titles, dimensions, margins, axes, legends, and interaction settings. Properties can be passed as nested dictionaries or compound keyword arguments.
How it works
Call this method on a Figure to change layout-level chart properties such as the title, dimensions, margins, axes, legend, colors, and interaction settings. Pass properties as keyword arguments; nested layout objects use dictionaries, and compound properties can also be addressed with underscore-separated keyword names.
Syntax
fig.update_layout(dict1=None, overwrite=False, **kwargs)Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
**kwargs | layout property keywords | Layout properties supplied as keyword arguments, including title, dimensions, margins, axes, legend, and other figure-level settings. |
Returns
The updated Figure object.
Key points
- The method accepts a structured title object through the
titlekeyword. - A title can also be set directly with the
title_textcompound property. - Use
widthto set the plot's horizontal size in pixels. - Use
heightto set the plot's vertical size in pixels. - Compound margin keywords let you set an individual margin, such as the top margin.
- The layout can include a structured
transitionconfiguration for animated updates.
Common mistakes
- Width must be at least 10 pixels according to the documented constraint.
Example: Configure a figure layout
import plotly.graph_objects as go
fig = go.Figure(go.Scatter(x=[1, 2, 3], y=[2, 1, 3]))
fig.update_layout(
title="Example chart",
width=700,
height=400,
margin=dict(l=50, r=20, t=60, b=40),
)
fig.show()Creates a figure, then changes its title, dimensions, and margins before displaying it.
When to use it
Configure autosizing and layout spacing for embedded charts.
Responsive dashboards
Adjust axes, legends, hover behavior, transitions, and other figure-level controls.
Interactive analysis
Interview questions
QWhat does fig.update_layout change?
fig.update_layout modifies properties stored in the figure's layout. It accepts layout attributes such as title, width, height, and margin as keyword arguments.
Follow-up: How would you configure a nested axis property? Pass a dictionary such as xaxis=dict(title='Time'), or use a supported compound keyword such as xaxis_title='Time'.
QHow do you control figure size and whitespace?
Use width and height for plot dimensions in pixels, and use margin with keys such as l, r, t, and b to control surrounding space. The layout reference documents these properties and their defaults or constraints.
Follow-up: How can you make the dimensions responsive instead? Use the layout's autosizing behavior rather than forcing fixed width and height values.
QHow are nested layout objects represented?
Layout properties can be supplied in nested dictionaries, as shown by the documented title=dict(...) form. This is useful when configuring structured objects with multiple related attributes.
Follow-up: What is the alternative for a simple title string? Supply title='Example chart' or use the documented title_text layout property.
Related
plotly.graph_objects.Figure.update_layoutlayouttitletitle_textwidthheightmargintransition