Step lines and jump lines

With a mark type of Line, click the Path shelf and you’ll see three options for Line Type:

Figure 10.4: Change the type of Line by clicking Path on the Marks card

The three options are:

1. Linear: Use angled lines to emphasize movement or transition between values. This is the default and every example of a line chart in this book so far has made use of this line type.
2. Step lines: Remain connected but emphasize discrete steps of change. This is useful when you want to communicate that there is no transition between values or that the transition is a discrete step in value. For example, you might want to show the number of generators running over time. The change from 7 to 8 is a discrete change that might be best represented by a step line.
3. Jump lines: Are not connected, and when a value changes, a new line starts. Jump lines are useful when you want to show values that indicate a certain state that may exist for a...