plotly / plotly/plotly.py

[BUG]: barmode="group" not working with second y axis

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bug P3 size: 3
Dominant language
Python
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Description

import plotly.graph_objects as go

def bar_chart_with_error_bars():
    # Trace C
    trace_c = go.Bar(
        x=["Trial 1", "Trial 2", "Trial 3"],
        y=[3, 6, 4],
        name="Trace C",
        error_y=dict(
            type="data",
            array=[1, 0.5, 1.5]
        )
    )

    # Trace E (secondary y-axis)
    trace_e = go.Bar(
        x=["Trial 1", "Trial 2", "Trial 3"],
        y=[400, 700, 300],
        name="Trace E",
        yaxis="y2",
        error_y=dict(
            type="data",
            array=[50, 100, 200]
        )
    )

    # Layout
    layout = go.Layout(
        barmode="group",
        yaxis=dict(title="Trace C"),
        yaxis2=dict(
            title="Trace E",
            overlaying="y",
            side="right"
        )
    )

    # Create figure
    fig = go.Figure(data=[trace_c, trace_e], layout=layout)

    # Save to HTML
    fig.write_html("/tmp/trials.html")


# Call the function
bar_chart_with_error_bars()

Resulting chart. Stack instead of group.
Image

rust version is also broken, but in different way - overlay instead of group: https://github.com/plotly/plotly.rs/issues/391

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 by running the inline Python reproducer and opening the generated /tmp/trials.html to compare barmode="group" with traces on separate y axes. Trace the chart-rendering entry point responsible for bar positioning; done means the two traces render side by side rather than stacked, while preserving their secondary-axis settings and error bars.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
data-visualization
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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