Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. This chapter provides the context that we need to go beyond copying existing plotly examples to having a useful mental model of the underlying framework, its capabilities. It primarily focuses on features that are unique to the plotly package. Programming interactive graphics allows us to leverage all the benefits of a code-based workflow while also helping with tasks that are difficult to accomplish with code alone. For an example, if we were to visualize engine displacement versus miles per gallon using the mpg dataset. Programming interactive graphics may not be as intuitive as using a Graphical User Interface-based system, but making the investment pays dividends in terms of workflow improvements: automation, scaling, provenance, and flexibility.