Adjusting the drawing order of markers

When markers cover each other, partly or totally, it can be useful to specify an order in which the markers are drawn. Markers of certain interest can then be brought forward in the visualization, and other markers backward.

About this task

When adjusting the default drawing order, you let the values in a specified data column define the order in which the markers are drawn. For numerical columns, markers representing the lowest values can be drawn first and the highest last or vice versa, and for text-based columns, the drawing order can be alphabetical. However, it is possible to change the sort order of the values in a column.

Here is an example of adjusting the drawing order. The visualization to the left shows the default drawing of the markers that are colored by a specified column. The visualization to the right is identical except for the drawing order of markers. By using the color column also for defining a drawing order, the blue markers have been drawn first, then the green markers, and last the yellow markers on top of the others.

Tip: If you have added coloring rules, for example assigned top values a certain color, consider specifying the column on the color axis also as drawing order column. These top values will then be drawn on top and do not risk to be covered.

Before you begin

A visualization with markers is created. It can be a scatter plot or a map chart with markers.

Procedure

Open the visualization properties for the scatter plot or map chart marker layer.
Locate the Drawing order section.
Select the column to use for defining in which order markers should be drawn.
The markers are drawn using the sort order of the column values.

Results

The markers are drawn using the sort order of the column values.

Tip: If you want to draw the markers in the opposite order, select the Reverse drawing order of markers check box. Front markers will then be sent backwards and vice versa.

Reversing the drawing order in the upper-right visualization will draw the yellow markers first and the blue markers last.
Reverses drawing order of markers