---
title: "Polar chart"
description: "Radial categorical. What the polar chart is for, the data it needs and every option it has."
section: "Widgets"
canonical: "https://banksync.io/docs/widgets/chart-polar"
specs: ["dashboards"]
operationBindings: [{"capability":"dashboards","operation":"dashboards.author"}]
---

Radial categorical. It sits in the **Radial** group of the widget library.

![Example polar chart on a BankSync dashboard](https://cdn.banksync.io/screenshots/docs/charts/polar.73ffcac9c608a718.png)

## When to use it

Use a polar chart to compare values around a short cycle, such as spending by day of the week or by quarter. Each category gets an equal slice, and the slice reaches further from the centre as the value grows.

## When to pick something else

- Precise comparison between categories? Use a **Column chart** or **Bar chart**.
- Shares of a whole? Use a **Donut chart**.
- Small values that should still register visually? Use a **Nightingale**.

## The data it needs

Pick these in the **Data** tab of the inspector. BankSync suggests a column for each when your source has an obvious match.

| Field      | Needed   | Pick                 | Notes |
| ---------- | -------- | -------------------- | ----- |
| **X axis** | Yes      | a category or a date |       |
| **Y axis** | Yes      | a number             |       |
| **Series** | Optional | a category           |       |
| **Color**  | Optional | a category           |       |

Rows that share a category are combined before drawing: choose **Sum**, **Average**, **Count**, **Min** or **Max** on the value field. See [Binding data](/docs/widgets/binding-data).

## Polar chart options

This chart has no options of its own; everything on its **Style** tab is the shared chart styling below.

## Shared chart styling

Every chart also has the shared styling options. These apply to this one:

- [Legend](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#legend): position, layout and which series show.
- [Axes](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#axes): titles, tick labels and number format.
- [Grid](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#grid), [title](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#title), [padding](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#padding) and [background](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#background).
- [Value labels](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#value-labels) on the marks.
- [Categories and labels](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#categories-and-labels): top N with "Other", sort order, readable labels, the handwritten callout.
- [Style](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#style): corner radius, line width, opacity and animation.
- [Tooltip](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#tooltip) on hover.
- Click to filter: clicking a mark can filter the rest of the dashboard. See [Filters and cross-filtering](/docs/dashboards/filters-and-cross-filtering).
- [Colours](/docs/widgets/chart-styling#palette): follow the dashboard palette or pick one for this chart.

## Messy data

- Rows in the same category are added together. Slices keep your data's order unless you sort by size.
- Past eight categories, the smallest fold into one grey "Other" slice, so twelve months will not all show. Use a **Column chart** or **Circular bar** for a full year.
- Negative values are left out, and the tooltip says how many were dropped. If only negatives remain you see "Only negative values; nothing to show".
- All zeros show "Everything is zero for this period".

## On a phone

On a phone the circle shrinks to fit the card. If labels won't fit around the edge, a legend with shares moves below the chart. Value labels only appear inside slices big enough to hold them.

## Related charts

- [Radar chart](/docs/widgets/chart-radar): Multi-axis comparison
- [Circular bar](/docs/widgets/chart-circular-bar): Bars around a circle