(Last Updated On: February 6, 2023)

Polar Area charts are quite similar to Pie charts. However, this chart type is widely used to plot cyclic data. If you want to create a Polar Area chart then ActivePresenter 9 will help you in no time. 

If you are new to the Polar Area chart, you can search for one of the most famous use cases of this chart type. That is the “Diagram of the causes of mortality in the army in the East” by Florence Nightingale. In fact, this chart shares almost the same properties as the Pie chart but is more complex. Although both present data in a circular graphic, the Polar Area has segments with equal angles. And the radius varies with the value. In other words, this chart type displays data along the angular and radial axes.

For example, you can use a Polar Area chart to illustrate the average daily social media usage in minutes in the U.S., ranked by the number of active users. 

Polar area chart data example

Data source: techjuri.net

Follow the steps below: 

  1. Insert Polar Area Charts
  2. Edit Data for Polar Area Charts
  3. Change Polar Area Charts’ Styles
  4. Adjust Chart Layout
  5. Preview and Export the Charts

Insert Polar Area Charts

To insert a Polar Area chart, do the following: 

  1. Click the Insert tab > Chart
  2. Click the Polar Area chart type on the left pane in the Insert Chart dialog that appears.  
Insert polar area chart
  1. Click OK to insert.

Edit Data for Polar Area Charts

After inserting, you can see the Chart Data window shows up on the Canvas with default values.   

Default chart data

Note: When you select the chart, this window should pop up. If not, you can right-click the chart > select Edit Chart Data

Now, let’s change the defaults with your data: 

  • Change texts in the Category cells into social media sites.
  • Optionally select and change the text in the Dataset cell into other text. Just like the Pie chart, a Polar Area chart has only one dataset.
  • Select the value cells and enter your data values.

For more information, please refer to the Edit Chart Data section in this tutorial.

After that, you will see all the changes are reflected in the chart below:

Chart output-polar area chart

Change Polar Area Charts’ Styles

To customize the Polar Area chart’s styles, you should know the elements available on it first. 

Elements on Polar Area charts

Note: Some elements are not shown by default. You can select the chart > click on the plus button > choose to show or hide any elements. 

After that, just navigate to the Properties pane > Chart > Style. Here, you are free to edit styles for the chart dataset, categories, and scaling options the way you want. 

Style section-polar area chart

Customize Dataset

The Dataset section allows you to set the line border of the dataset and the border between categories. 

Change Categories’ Background Fill

The Category means data values depicted in colored segments. In this section, you can customize the background fill of each category. 

Customize Scale Options

In this section, you can adjust the gridlines, angle lines, tick labels, and point labels of the chart. 

Scale options section-polar area chart

Gridlines 

Gridlines are circles around the chart area to indicate the divisions on the chart. They also play the role of radial axes. You can choose to draw gridlines in a single color or not. Adjust the transparency, width, and pattern of the gridlines the way you want.

Angle Lines

Angle lines are line borders of angles, which extend from the center point to the maximum magnitude of the gridlines. They serve as angular axes. It is up to you whether you want grid lines drawn in a single color or not. Make the gridlines transparent, wide, or pattern as you like.

Tick Labels

This section lets you customize the tick labels of the chart such as text color, transparency, font, and font size.

Point Labels

In this section, you can customize the point labels of the chart just like the tick labels above.

Adjust Chart Layout

If you are not satisfied with the default chart layout, you can change it in the chart Properties pane > Size & Properties > Container Layout

polar area chart container layout

The Flex layout is set by default. That means you cannot reposition chart parts manually. Instead, you can select each chart part, then adjust it in the Properties pane > Size & Properties > Flex Child

In the end, the final result may look like this: 

Customized Polar Area chart

Preview and Export Polar Area Charts

Data labels can be revealed when viewers hover the mouse over a category on HTML5 preview or HTML5 output. 

Data values in the HTML5

That’s all about working with Polar Area charts in ActivePresenter 9. 

Why don’t you download the app and try this chart type right now? 
Download ActivePresenter

Also, there are many tutorials about the brand-new features on our Tutorials page. Curious? Let’s come and learn. 

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