plotly / plotly/plotly.js

Scattergl plot rendering issues in Firefox – Missing traces on updates

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bug P3
Dominant language
JavaScript
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

When updating scattergl plots in Firefox, some traces do not render as expected. This issue does not appear in other browsers, such as Chrome or Edge, where the scattergl traces are rendered as expected. When using scattergl, certain traces may not be displayed properly, resulting in missing visualizations on the graph despite their presence in the data. This issue is particularly noticeable with scattergl plots utilizing WebGL rendering.

The problem is absent when using scatter traces, which rely on SVG rendering, suggesting a potential WebGL compatibility or rendering issue specific to Firefox. The observed behavior occurs consistently across different datasets and setups, suggesting a deeper compatibility problem between WebGL rendering in Firefox and the Plotly scattergl implementation. Furthermore, there are no error messages in the browser console during the issue.

Here is a really simple reproducing example:
https://codepen.io/Puneet-Sharma112/pen/NWQOyVv

I also see a related issue which was created long back but was closed as non-reproducible.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the linked CodePen reproduction in Firefox and compare scattergl updates with the working scatter/SVG case and Chrome or Edge. Trace the JavaScript scattergl WebGL rendering path implicated by the reproduction. Done means all traces remain visible after updates in Firefox while existing scatter behavior and other browsers remain unaffected.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
computer-graphics, data-visualization, frontend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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