Introduction to Plotly and Dash in Python

This chapter provides a brief introduction to Plotly and Dash Python libraries. It will allow you to:

• Set up your Python working environment

• Create your first interactive charts using Plotly

• Get a better understanding of the Figure objects: how to create them, manipulate them, and export them.

Technical requirements

Over this book we will be working with the Plotly, and Dash Python libraries. Hence, you will require access to Python 3.10 or higher. In addition to plotly and dash, we will use numpy, scipy, and yfinance.

While working through the examples and exercises in the book, you can, there are two options:

• Use an integrated development environment (IDE) such as Visual Studio Code (VS Code) or Pycharm

• Use the Jupyter ecosystem.

• 1. Setting up your Python environment
• 2. Installing Dash and Plotly
• 3. Working in the Jupyter ecosystem
• 4. Working with Dash and Plotly in Jupyter
• 5. Understanding the Figure Object
• 6. Using Dictionaries to make Figures
• 7. Saving Plotly Figures