How to Display Interactive Plotly Figures in HTML from Jupyter?

When converting your Jupyter Notebook which contains Plotly figures to HTML, you might encounter issues where the interactive visualizations do not display correctly. This can occur due to misconfigured renderers or the conversion process not properly embedding the necessary JavaScript for Plotly. Understanding the Issue The reason behind your Plotly figures not appearing in the HTML file lies in the default renderer configuration and how nbconvert processes outputs. The notebook_connected renderer is designed for use in Jupyter notebooks, but when you convert to HTML, this renderer does not inject the interactive components required for Plotly figures to function correctly within a standalone HTML document. Ensuring Plotly Displays in HTML To resolve the issue, you need to properly configure the rendering settings and correctly convert your notebook. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you accomplish this: Step 1: Set the Correct Renderer First, you must set the Plotly renderer to browser prior to displaying the figures. This can be done using the following code: import plotly.io as pio pio.renderers.default = 'browser' Step 2: Generate the Plot Next, you can create your figure as follows: import plotly.express as px fig = px.scatter(x=[1, 2, 3], y=[1, 2, 3]) fig.show() This will ensure that the output opens in a new browser tab, where all interactive features will work seamlessly. Step 3: Convert the Notebook to HTML Now, to convert your notebook to HTML with the interactive plots, use the following command: jupyter nbconvert --to html --execute try.ipynb This command renders the Jupyter Notebook and executes all cells, ensuring that outputs are reflected in the generated HTML. Using the Classic Template If you prefer using a template, the classic template retains the standard style of Jupyter Notebooks and allows for better compatibility with different output types. To ensure your HTML file is structured correctly, use this command: jupyter nbconvert --to html --execute --template classic try.ipynb This could help avoid any unexpected rendering issues while converting. Embedding Images As you are also interested in embedding images for other outputs, appending the --embed-images flag is the right way to do this: jupyter nbconvert --to html --execute --template classic --embed-images try.ipynb Final Notes While setting the renderer to svg works for static output, it lacks interactivity which is a defining feature of Plotly visualizations. Instead, focusing on the browser or html renderer helps maintain the interactive capabilities of your figures. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Q1: Why are my Plotly figures displaying as images in HTML? A1: If they are rendering as images, it’s likely the renderer is set to svg or similar. Ensure it's set to browser or html. Q2: Can I customize the appearance of Plotly figures in HTML? A2: Yes, you can modify Figure aesthetics using various Plotly styling options before executing the show() command. Q3: What if I get an error during conversion? A3: Check if you have all required packages installed and ensure your notebook does not have any code errors before executing the conversion command.

May 12, 2025 - 01:06

How to Display Interactive Plotly Figures in HTML from Jupyter?

When converting your Jupyter Notebook which contains Plotly figures to HTML, you might encounter issues where the interactive visualizations do not display correctly. This can occur due to misconfigured renderers or the conversion process not properly embedding the necessary JavaScript for Plotly.

Understanding the Issue

The reason behind your Plotly figures not appearing in the HTML file lies in the default renderer configuration and how nbconvert processes outputs. The notebook_connected renderer is designed for use in Jupyter notebooks, but when you convert to HTML, this renderer does not inject the interactive components required for Plotly figures to function correctly within a standalone HTML document.

Ensuring Plotly Displays in HTML

To resolve the issue, you need to properly configure the rendering settings and correctly convert your notebook. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you accomplish this:

Step 1: Set the Correct Renderer

First, you must set the Plotly renderer to browser prior to displaying the figures. This can be done using the following code:

import plotly.io as pio
pio.renderers.default = 'browser'

Step 2: Generate the Plot

Next, you can create your figure as follows:

import plotly.express as px

fig = px.scatter(x=[1, 2, 3], y=[1, 2, 3])
fig.show()

This will ensure that the output opens in a new browser tab, where all interactive features will work seamlessly.

Step 3: Convert the Notebook to HTML

Now, to convert your notebook to HTML with the interactive plots, use the following command:

jupyter nbconvert --to html --execute try.ipynb

This command renders the Jupyter Notebook and executes all cells, ensuring that outputs are reflected in the generated HTML.

Using the Classic Template

If you prefer using a template, the classic template retains the standard style of Jupyter Notebooks and allows for better compatibility with different output types. To ensure your HTML file is structured correctly, use this command:

jupyter nbconvert --to html --execute --template classic try.ipynb

This could help avoid any unexpected rendering issues while converting.

Embedding Images

As you are also interested in embedding images for other outputs, appending the --embed-images flag is the right way to do this:

jupyter nbconvert --to html --execute --template classic --embed-images try.ipynb

Final Notes

While setting the renderer to svg works for static output, it lacks interactivity which is a defining feature of Plotly visualizations. Instead, focusing on the browser or html renderer helps maintain the interactive capabilities of your figures.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why are my Plotly figures displaying as images in HTML?
A1: If they are rendering as images, it’s likely the renderer is set to svg or similar. Ensure it's set to browser or html.

Q2: Can I customize the appearance of Plotly figures in HTML?
A2: Yes, you can modify Figure aesthetics using various Plotly styling options before executing the show() command.

Q3: What if I get an error during conversion?
A3: Check if you have all required packages installed and ensure your notebook does not have any code errors before executing the conversion command.