1.13 FAQ-124 How to change the order of tick labels of categorical graph?

Last Update: 4/6/2020

When a graph is plotted from categorical data (when you right-click on a selected data column there is a check mark beside Set as Categorical), categorical index is assigned by the order of categories listed in the column (i.e. the first-occurring category is assigned a category index of 1, the next-occurring category is assigned an index of 2, and so on. This is an "Unsorted" list of categories.

FAQ 124 sort order.png

Alternately, you can sort categories in ascending or descending order, which will change how category indices are assigned; or you can sort categories in an arbitrary manner, establishing a custom sort order.

To change the category sort order, you can:

  1. Right-click on the data column and make sure Set as Categorical is chosen in the shortcut menu, or select the column and click the Categorical Mini Toolbar button.
  2. Double-click on the Categories column label row to open the Categories dialog.
  3. In the Sort drop-down list, select Ascending or Descending.
  4. For further customization on categories entries, select the Customize Categories (Add, Delete, Set Arbitrary Order) check box to establish a custom order for categories.

Beginning with Origin 2020b, you can toggle between display of Category and Category Index in the worksheet column by clicking the Show Category Indices button on the worksheet page-level Mini Toolbar.

Keywords:categorical, sort, tick labels, alphabetical, order

Minimum Origin Version Required: 2015 SR0