`plot_barv_chart()`

Plots a vertical bar chart in the Economist style. Best for comparing ordinal data or short-label categories like quarters, months, or single-letter codes.

Quick Example

import pandas as pd
import clean_charts as cc

df = pd.DataFrame({
    "Quarter": ["Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"],
    "Revenue": [12.5, 14.2, 11.8, 16.5]
})

cc.plot_barv_chart(
    data=df,
    title="Quarterly Revenue",
    subtitle="Vertical orientation is best for short labels or time series",
    value_suffix="M"
)

Example output for Barv.

Data Requirements

Identical to plot_barh_chart() — a 2-column DataFrame with [Category labels, Values].

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Scope	Description
`data`	`pd.DataFrame`	Built-in	Common	2-column DataFrame: [Category labels, Values].
`output_path`	`str \| None`	`None`	Common	File path to save the chart.
`width`	`int \| None`	Auto	Common	Image width in pixels.
`height`	`int \| None`	Auto	Common	Image height in pixels.
`aspect_ratio`	`str \| None`	`None`	Common	`"square"`, `"landscape"`, `"vertical"`, `"1:1"`, `"2:1"`, `"1:2"`.
`title`	`str \| None`	`None`	Common	Bold header text.
`subtitle`	`str \| None`	`None`	Common	Secondary text below title.
`bg_color`	`str \| None`	`"#f4f3f0"`	Common	Background hex color.
`scale_text`	`bool`	`True`	Common	Scale fonts proportionally with image size.
`value_suffix`	`str`	`""`	Common	String appended to value labels.
`show_percentages`	`bool`	`False`	Common	Format values as percentages.
`color`	`str`	`"#000000"`	Unique	Hex color for all bars.
`bar_padding`	`float`	`0.35`	Unique	Fraction of bar slot left as gap (0–1).

Common Scenarios

Timeline Histogram

Visualize discrete time periods as a histogram-style chart:

df = pd.DataFrame({
    "Salary Range": ["$30k-$50k", "$50k-$70k", "$70k-$90k", "$90k-$110k", "$110k-$130k", "$130k+"],
    "Employees": [45, 120, 210, 150, 60, 15]
})

cc.plot_barv_chart(
    data=df,
    aspect_ratio="2:1",
    title="Company Salary Distribution",
    subtitle="Number of employees per salary bracket",
    bar_padding=0,
)

Example output for Barv.

Square Tile

Compact square aspect ratio for dashboard panels:

df = pd.DataFrame({"Quarter": ["Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"], "Revenue": [12.5, 14.2, 11.8, 16.5]})

cc.plot_barv_chart(
    data=df,
    title="Quarterly Revenue",
    aspect_ratio="square",
    bar_padding=0.4
)

Example output for Barv.