Python Bokeh Hover Tool: Enhancing Interactive Plots

Bokeh plots are highly customizable and offer various interactive tools to enhance user experience. One such tool is the hover tool, which provides additional information about data points when hovered over. In this article, we will explore the features of the hover tool in Bokeh.

The Reset Tool

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The reset tool is a helpful feature that restores the plot ranges to their original values. This ensures that users can easily revert back to the initial state of the plot if needed. The redo tool, on the other hand, reverses the last action performed by the undo tool, allowing users to experiment with different settings and quickly go back to previous states.

Undo Tool

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The undo tool is a valuable feature in Bokeh that allows users to restore the previous state of the plot. This can be particularly useful when working with complex data sets or experimenting with different visualization options. The undo tool works by storing each action performed on the plot, allowing users to easily revert back to earlier states.

Actions

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Actions are operations that are activated only when their button in the toolbar is pressed. These actions include zooming, panning, and resetting the plot ranges. Bokeh offers a range of actions that can be customized to suit specific use cases.

Wheel Pan Tool

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The wheel pan tool translates the plot window along a specified dimension without changing the window's aspect ratio. This allows users to zoom in and out of plots while maintaining the correct proportions. The wheel pan tool is particularly useful when working with large data sets or complex visualizations.

Configuring the Wheel Zoom Tool

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The wheel zoom tool can be configured to act only on either the x-axis or y-axis by setting the dimensions property to a list containing width or height. This allows users to customize the behavior of the wheel zoom tool to suit specific use cases.

Using the Scroll/Pinch Tool

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Users can use the scroll/pinch tool to zoom in and out of plots, centering on the current cursor position. The scroll/pinch tool is available on both touch devices and desktop computers.

Making Multiple Selections

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To make a multiple selection, users need to press the SHIFT key while selecting data points. This allows for quick and easy selection of multiple data points.

Toolbar Location

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By default, Bokeh plots come with a toolbar above the plot. However, users can customize the location of the toolbar by passing the `toolbar_location` parameter when creating the plot. For example, you can position the toolbar below the plot by setting `toolbar_location='below'`.

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Bokeh offers a range of interactive tools that enhance user experience and provide additional functionality for data visualization. The hover tool is just one such feature that provides valuable information about data points. By understanding how to use these tools effectively, users can create highly interactive and engaging plots that facilitate better data exploration and analysis.

Python bokeh hover tool