# Notebook charts

Draw charts from SQL in QuestDB Web Console notebooks. Nine chart types, chart settings, combining multiple queries on one canvas, and zooming.

Any query in a notebook cell can render as a chart in place: press **Draw**
and the cell plots the result, picking a sensible chart type from its shape.
Charts live inside their cells, refresh on a schedule, and combine several
queries on one canvas.

[Screenshot: A chart cell combining 1-minute OHLC candles with traded volume on the right axis](https://questdb.com/docs/images/docs/console/notebook-chart-candlestick.webp)

## Drawing a chart

**Draw** runs the cell's query and charts the result. The initial chart type
is inferred from the columns the query returns: a timestamp and a number
become a line chart; a timestamp, a symbol, and a number become a line per
symbol; a category and a number become a bar or pie chart. You can change
everything afterwards in [Chart settings](#chart-settings).

Only `SELECT` queries can be drawn. A cell containing DDL/DML is refused with
a message telling you to run it with **Run** instead. Each statement plots up
to the per-statement row cap (see
[Storage and limits](/docs/getting-started/web-console/notebooks/manage-share#storage-and-limits)).

## Chart types

Nine chart types are available: **Line**, **Area**, **Step line**,
**Step area**, **Bar**, **Stacked bar**, **Scatter**, **Pie**, and
**Candlestick**. The type picker only offers types that fit the result's
columns.

[Screenshot: Eight chart types side by side in a notebook grid: line, area, candlestick, step area, bar, stacked bar, scatter, and pie](https://questdb.com/docs/images/docs/console/notebook-chart-types.webp)

## Chart settings

Open the drawer from the cell's **⋮** menu → **Chart settings**. Nothing is
applied until you press **Save**, and saving never re-runs the query.

[Screenshot: The chart settings drawer beside an OHLC and volume chart, showing X-axis, right axis bounds, query tabs, and the candlestick OHLC mapping](https://questdb.com/docs/images/docs/console/notebook-chart-settings.webp)

From top to bottom:

- **X-axis**: the column that drives the x-axis, from the first query's
  columns.
- **Right axis**: appears once any query is assigned to the right axis; set
  its name and optional min/max bounds. For example, capping the volume
  axis at 150 keeps the bars in the bottom quarter of the chart.
- **Queries**: with several statements in the cell, a Q1/Q2… tab strip selects
  which query you are configuring.

Each query's panel then offers: the read-only SQL with a copy button,
**Include in chart** (for queries after the first), **Type**, the **Series**
columns (or **Value** for pie, or the OHLC mapping for candlestick),
**Partition by**, **Y-axis** (Left or Right), and **Reset to auto**.

**Partition by** splits one query into a separate series per distinct value of
a category column, e.g. one line per symbol.

## Combining multiple queries

A cell with several `SELECT` statements draws them all on one
chart. The first successful statement anchors the x-axis; other queries join
when their x-axis is the same kind: time with time, categories with
categories. A query that cannot combine is left out of the chart and flagged
with a warning on its tab in the drawer.

Each query keeps its own chart type on the shared canvas. Below, one
statement returns 1-minute OHLC candles and a second computes a running
session VWAP; drawn together, the VWAP line overlays the candles:

[Screenshot: Candlestick and session VWAP queries combined on one chart](https://questdb.com/docs/images/docs/console/notebook-chart-ohlc-vwap.webp)

## Reading the chart

The y-axes fit the data instead of forcing zero, and re-fit as new data
arrives. A scrolling legend sits below the plot; click a legend entry to hide
or show that series. Hovering shows a tooltip with the value of every series
at that point.

## Zooming

When a result has more points than the chart can show at once, a range slider
appears under the plot. Drag it to select a window, or scroll to zoom
and drag on the plot to pan. A **Reset zoom** button appears beside the view
toggle while zoomed.

[Video: Zooming and panning a notebook chart](https://questdb.com/docs/images/docs/console/notebook-chart-zoom.mp4)

## Keeping charts fresh

**Refresh now** in the cell menu re-runs a chart on demand. Charts can also
refresh automatically on a schedule, with a notebook-wide default and
per-cell overrides. See
[Live dashboards](/docs/getting-started/web-console/notebooks/live-dashboards#auto-refresh) for details.

## Next steps

- [Notebook variables](/docs/getting-started/web-console/notebooks/variables) covers parameterizing chart queries with `@name` values
- [Live dashboards](/docs/getting-started/web-console/notebooks/live-dashboards) covers the grid layout and chart
  auto-refresh