Filters

Learn how to add filter elements that let your users refine data used in charts, maps, and tables.

Overview

Filter elements let your users control which records (rows) from a dataset are displayed in visual elements like charts, maps, and tables. They introduce dynamic interactivity to your visualization, supporting a wide range of use cases, such as filtering by categories, dates, or numerical ranges.

Filter elements are highly flexible:

They can be displayed as checkboxes, dropdown menus, or sliders.
A single filter element can connect to multiple visual elements, and multiple filters can be connected to the same element.
Filters can connect to elements that use different datasets by matching field names across datasets.
Filters can be connected to other filters to create a hierarchical filtering system.

You can add a Filter element to your visualization by selecting Insert in the Toolbar and dragging a Filter onto the canvas. Alternatively, click the Filter icon that appears when hovering on an empty Section.

Filters can be configured by selecting an existing filter element and using the options available in the Filter tab in the right panel. These options are detailed below.

TIP

if you need to control the visibility of data series in wide-format datasets, use Selector elements instead of filters. Selectors manage which dataset fields (columns) are shown, while filters control which dataset records (rows) are shown.

Setup

In the Setup section, under the Filter tab, you can configure the following options:

Name: Enter the filter’s name to identify it in the Layers tab and on the canvas.
Display Style: Select how the filter appears by choosing "Checkbox", "Dropdown", or "Slider."
Margin: Specify the space around the filter element in pixels.
Alignment: Align the filter element to the left, center, or right.

If the filter is displayed in the Checkbox style, two additional options are available:

Gap: Set the horizontal gap between checkbox items and the vertical gap between checkbox rows.
Direction: Choose whether the checkboxes are displayed in rows (wrapping down) or in a single column.

Connecting to Datasets

Use the Dataset section under the Filter tab to control your filter's data source:

Choose a Dataset and, from within that dataset, a Filter Field. This field (dataset column) determines the values that are displayed in the filter. If you are using the "Slider" display style, the minimum and maximum values from the field will be used as the slider's default range. Otherwise, all unique values from the field will be displayed, either as checkbox items (for the "Checkbox" display style) or dropdown menu items (for the "Dropdown" display style).
Prefilter Dataset: Optionally, apply a fixed filter to the dataset before it reaches the visualization. This step is not visible to end users.

Sliders can be used to filter quantitative dataset records, such as the year and mass of recorded meteor strikes in this example.

Establishing Connections

In the Connections section, under the Filter tab, you can establish two types of connections to the selected filter. The connection section displays these in order of data flow:

Before the data reaches the selected filter, you can add one or more Filters. These are other filter elements on the canvas that will control the dataset records displayed in your selected filter. In the example below, a "Continent Filter" refines the list of countries displayed in the selected "Country Filter".
After the data is passed through the selected filter, you can add Target Elements, which could be charts, maps, tables, or other filter elements. Once a connection is established, the selected filter will dynamically control the dataset records that reach the selected elements. In the example below, the "Country Filter" controls the records that reach the "World Map" element.

In this example, the selected "Country" filter element controls the dataset records that reach the target element, "World Map". The "Continent Filter" also controls the records that reach the selected filter, dynamically updating the list of countries displayed.

In addition to the methodology described above, you can also establish connections to filter elements directly on a selected map, chart, or table. Once the map, chart, or table is selected, open the Connections section of the right panel, and select the filter element that should control it.

Checkbox Settings

Depending on the selected Display Type, different options will appear in the Settings section. When the filter is being displayed as "Checkboxes," the following formatting options appear:

Add Label: Place label text above the checkboxes. Optionally, when more information may be needed to explain the filter element, add a Tooltip adjacent to the label text.
Enable Multiple Values: When this value is not selected, the checkboxes will be displayed in the radio button style, and the end user will only be able to select one at a time. Enabling multiple values changes the style to multi-select checkboxes.
Enable Color Formatting: The checkboxes will be colored according to any color formatting found in connected chart or map elements. View the color formatting section for a more detailed explanation.‍
Default Values: Choose the checkbox item that will be selected when the page first loads. If Enable Multiple Values has been selected, more than one default value can be specified.‍

TIP

If you are using placeholder text, ensure that the text corresponds with the selected fallback behavior.

Slider Settings

When the filter is being displayed as a "Slider," the following options are available in the Settings section:

Add Label: Place label text above the slider. Optionally, when more information may be needed to explain the filter element, add a Tooltip adjacent to the label text.‍
Enable Multiple Values: When enabled, the user will be able to select multiple values using the slider. Choose in the Multiple Values Format dropdown whether to allow the end user to select two points on the slider ("Range Slider"), or to only select the end point ("Fixed Start"), or to only select the start point ("Fixed End").‍
Default Values: Choose the dropdown menu item that will be selected when the page first loads. If Enable Multiple Values has been selected, more than one menu item can be specified.‍
Customize Range: Specify the minimum and maximum selectable values on the slider. If no values are specified, these default to the minimum and maximum values in the Filter Field.
Set Total Steps: Choose how many steps on the slider the user will be able to select. For instance, if the slider range is set from 0 to 10, specifying 5 total steps would allow the end user to select the values 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 on the slider. By default, if total steps are not specified, a suitable default is calculated based on the size of the range.

Color Formatting

An Enable Color Formatting option is available on filters that use the "Checkbox" or "Dropdown" display style. When selected, the system will attempt to assign colors to the individual checkboxes or dropdown menu items, based on colors assigned in connected chart or map elements.

Here's how color formatting works:

The filter element processes color assignments from all connected chart and map elements in the order specified under Target Elements in the Connections section. Earlier connections take precedence over later ones when assigning colors.
Colors can only be assigned by charts and maps that use Long Data format. If you wish to dynamically control the color field on a chart or map that uses Wide Data format, use a Selector element.
If a connected chart or map uses the same dataset as the filter and the Color Field matches the filter's Filter Field, the colors assigned in the chart or map are applied to the filter's checkboxes or dropdown items.
If a connected chart or map uses a different dataset but has a Color Field with the same name as the filter’s Filter Field, the filter will attempt to apply colors from the chart or map. Colors are assigned only for values that match between the two datasets. If there are additional values in the connected chart or map's Color Field, they will not be displayed in the filter.

TIP

To use the same filter element to control multiple elements with different datasets—especially when the values in their respective Color Fields don’t align perfectly—consider creating a separate dataset containing a field with all values you wish to assign colors to. Then, configure the filter element to use this dataset and select the comprehensive field as the Filter Field. This approach ensures the filter lists all possible values while still applying colors from the connected charts and maps.

Advanced Logic

Filter elements can be adapted for several use cases in the Advanced Logic section:

Select Apply to Annotations if you are connecting the filter to a line or area chart which contains annotations. When enabled, the filter will control the visibility of these annotations, assuming the Filter Field matches the field used for the chart's independent axis.‍
Fallback Behavior: When no filter items are selected by the user, or (in the case of a dropdown) the placeholder text is selected, this option defines whether all values ("Select All") or no values ("Select None") should be displayed in connected elements.
Show Null Values: When enabled, the filter element will never filter out empty values in the filter field.

TIP

To keep certain records visible in charts, maps, or tables without listing them in a filter element, leave the Filter Field blank for those records and enable Show Null Values. For example, if you want a baseline variable to always appear while letting the user switch between comparison variables, create a Filter Field that is empty for baseline records and contains values for comparison variables; then set this as the Filter Field and turn on Show Null Values.

Overview
Setup
Connecting to Datasets
Establishing Connections
Checkbox Settings
Dropdown Settings
Slider Settings
Color Formatting
Advanced Logic