Scatter charts display data differently from the other kinds of charts. They require at least two columns of data to plot values for a single data series. Each pair of values determines the position of one data point. The first data value in the pair is the x-axis of the point. The second data value is the y-axis of the point. You can show multiple data series on the same scatter chart, by using additional paired columns of data.

If you’ve already created a chart with data points that don’t occur in pairs, and then you change your chart to a scatter chart, Keynote may not plot the data as you expect. Depending on how the the data is arranged in the table, it may not be possible to create any plot at all. Make sure you have entered x and y point values for each data series you want to plot before choosing to create a scatter chart.

To learn about entering data for your chart, see Adding a New Chart and Entering Your Data.

Before you can change the look of data point symbols or lines, you must select a symbol or line of interest, and then open the Chart inspector. (See The Inspector Window to learn about opening the Inspector.)

To create a scatter chart with multiple data series:

Click Add Column in the Chart Data Editor, and then enter your data into the columns.

A pair of adjacent columns is created when you click Add Column. Each set of values in the pair of columns is plotted as the x- and y- coordinates of a point in the chart.

To change the look of selected data point symbols and lines, do any of the following:
  • Make a selection from the Data Symbol pop-up menu, and then adjust the symbol’s size by entering a value or using the stepper in the adjacent field.

  • To connect the points of the selected series, with a straight or curved line, choose an option from the Connect Points pop-up menu.

  • To change the color of the data points or lines in your chart, select a data point or line that you want to change, and then click the Graphic inspector. (Note that you can change the colors separately for the data points, line, and trend line, even though they represent the same data series.) In the Graphic inspector, click the Stroke color well, and then select a color from the Colors window.

  • To change the style and thickness of any line in your chart, select it and then choose a line style from the Stroke pop-up menu. Enter a value or use the stepper in the adjacent field to adjust the line thickness.

To learn about showing a trendline for the selected series, see Showing Trendlines in Charts. In scatter charts, you can display error bars for both x and y axis measurements. To understand more about showing error bars, see Showing Error Bars in Charts.

Keynote also provides other ways to customize scatter charts, including the following:

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