How to make the x axis of a graph sequential dates when dates in the dataframe are not sequential?

Question

let's say I have

df = pd.DataFrame([{'Date': '3/4/2021', 'count': 2}, {'Date': '3/6/2021', 'count': 3}, {'Date': '3/12/2021', 'count': 5}], columns = ['Date', 'count'])

If I graph simply

df.plot(x = 'Date, y='count')

Then the dates on the x axis will be woefully un-sequential and I won't have a useable time horizon on the x axis. How can I make the x axis just a sequential list of dates and then have the plot populated based on whether the value of df['Date'] matches the date on the x axis?

You will probably have to format the date as time and not as string — ai2ys
– ai2ys, Commented Apr 23, 2021 at 20:31

tdy · Accepted Answer · 2021-04-24 02:47:30Z

1

Format the date as date time instead of string.

df.Date = pd.to_datetime(df.Date,format='%d/%m/%Y')
df.plot(x='Date', y='count')

Depending on your localization you will have to change the format to ‘%m/%d/%Y’

edited Apr 24, 2021 at 2:47

tdy

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answered Apr 23, 2021 at 20:40

ai2ys

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1 Comment

tdy Over a year ago

note that format generally isn't needed. pandas has pretty good auto-detection.

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