# Ridgeline Plume: every field and setting explained

> Every field well and every setting in the Format pane and Analytics pane of Ridgeline Plume: what each one does, its possible values and its default value.

- Language: English
- Web page: https://plumevisuals.com/en/tutorials/ridgeline-plume-champs-et-reglages
- Published: 2026-10-14
- Visual: Ridgeline Plume, technical reference: https://plumevisuals.com/ai/visuals/ridgeline-pulse.md
- If an option name in this tutorial differs from the technical reference, the reference is right (it is generated from the visual's code).

This page describes everything Ridgeline Plume offers: the field wells, then each card of the Format pane, in the order they appear. The default value of each setting is in **bold**, and premium features carry a ★. For a guided first visual, see the [getting started guide](/en/tutorials/ridgeline-climatique). This page describes version 1.8 (Format pane reorganized like the other Plume visuals: **Layout**, **Data colors**, **Data labels**, **Category labels**, **Gridlines**, **Sort**, **Playback ★** cards, new **Comparison ★** card, shared **Tooltips**, **Frame** and **Language and numbers** cards). Existing reports keep their settings.

## The visual's fields

| Field (exact name) | Required? | How many fields | What you drag in | What it's for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge (one per value) | No (without it: a single ridge) | 1 | Column (text, number) | One ridge per distinct value | `Year`, `Station`, `Product` |
| X axis | Yes | 1 | Column (number, date or text) | Position along each ridge | `DayOfYear`, `Month`, `Delivery bin` |
| Height | Yes | 1 | Measure (number) | Height of the curve at each point | `Smoothed temp 7d` |
| Color | No | 1 | Measure (number) | Colors the ridge (point by point or per ridge) | `Smoothed temp 7d`, `Anomaly` |
| Tooltips | No | Several | Measures | Values added to the tooltip | `Precipitation` |
| Order | No | 1 | Measure (number) | Sorts the ridges (and picks a top N ★) | `Avg max temp` |
| Ridge label | No | 1 | Measure (text) | Text shown instead of the ridge name | "2003 — heat wave" |
| Reference ★ | No | 1 | Measure (number) | Dotted curve on each ridge (normal, target, prior year) | `Normal 1995-2004` |
| Band low ★ | No | 1 | Measure (number) | Lower bound of a shaded envelope | `Decade min temp` |
| Band high ★ | No | 1 | Measure (number) | Upper bound of the envelope | `Decade max temp` |
| Cursor: current ridge ★ | No | 1 | Measure (a single value) | "You are here" marker on a ridge | `Selected year` |
| Cursor: X position ★ | No | 1 | Measure (a single value) | Vertical line at this X | `Selected day` |
| Annotation text ★ | No | 1 | Measure (text) | Text placed on a ridge at a given X | `Event` |
| Dynamic format | No | Several | Measures named `card.setting` | Drives a Format pane setting with DAX | `title.fontSize` |

**Ridge (one per value).** Each distinct value in the column becomes a ridge. Without a Ridge field, the visual draws a single ridge, named after the Height measure. The default order is *Oldest on top* (see **Sort › Ridge order**).

**X axis.** The column's type determines the axis (see ["The data to provide"](/en/tutorials/ridgeline-climatique#the-data-to-provide)). A Date column with `Year` in Ridge works right away: each date is converted to its day of the year.

**Height.** The field accepts a single measure. If you drag a numeric column into it, Power BI summarizes it automatically (sum by default): prefer an explicit measure, so you know what is being calculated.

**Can you put several series in it?** No: each field takes a single field, except **Tooltips** and **Dynamic format**. To compare two series, you have three options:
- put the second series in **Reference ★**: it appears as a dotted line on each ridge;
- "unpivot" your data (Power Query › **Transform › Unpivot Columns**) so that the series becomes a column value, then put it in **Ridge**;
- use the **Comparison (overlay) ★** mode (**Layout** card) to overlay ridges on the same axes.

**Color.** A measure read for each point. With **Data colors › Color by** = *Gradient along the curve* (default), the color varies along the ridge; with *One color per ridge (mean of Color)*, each ridge takes the color of the measure's average. It can differ from the height: height = temperature, color = deviation from the normal.

**Order.** A measure calculated for each point, then **averaged per ridge** (blank points are ignored). It is used when **Sort › Ridge order** is *By 'Order' field ↑ / ↓*, or when **Keep** is *Top N by 'Order'*.

**Ridge label.** The visual takes the first non-blank value per ridge. Example:

```dax
Label text =
VAR y = SELECTEDVALUE ( Weather[Year] )                  -- the ridge's year
RETURN IF ( y = 2003, "2003 — heat wave", FORMAT ( y, "0" ) )   -- special text for 2003, otherwise the year
```

**Reference ★, Band low ★, Band high ★.** Measures read for each point. The reference draws a dotted curve on each ridge; the two bands draw a shaded envelope (min–max, confidence interval). Their look is set in the **Analytics** pane (see ["Format pane settings"](#format-pane-settings)).

**Cursor: current ridge ★ and Cursor: X position ★.** These measures must return **a single value** (the visual takes the first non-blank one). The current ridge is compared with the ridge name (number or text) or with its label. The X position has the same type as the X axis field (a date is converted to a day of the year). They are usually fed with `SELECTEDVALUE` on a **disconnected table** (a table with no relationship to the others, used only as a slicer): see the [how-to guide "How do I show 'you are here' when a slicer filters the page?"](/en/tutorials/ridgeline-plume-cas-pratiques#how-do-i-show-you-are-here-when-a-slicer-filters-the-page).

**Annotation text ★.** A measure read for each point: return `BLANK ()` everywhere, except where a text should appear.

**Tooltips and Dynamic format**: see [the common basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume).

## Format pane settings

The cards are described in the order of the **Format** pane, followed by those of the **Analytics** pane.

The cards shared by all Plume visuals (**Plume Studio License**, **Style**, **Tooltips**, **Title**, **Source note**, **Frame**, **Language and numbers**) are described once in [the shared basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume): they are not repeated here. The background and rounded corners are set in the **Frame** card, and the **fx** button (conditional formatting from a measure) is available on every color and every text.

### Style

The **Style** card now follows the shared card (see [the shared basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume)): the font is in the **Text** group, the background in the **Frame** card. Here it has these extra settings. With the *None* style, the **Series 1** to **Series 8** colors color the first eight ridges when each ridge has its own color.

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Color 1 (appears if Gradient palette = *Custom*) | Colors of the *Custom ★* palette (**Gradient palette**), from the first to the fifth | **#264653** |
| Color 2 (appears if Gradient palette = *Custom*) | Second color | **#2a9d8f** |
| Color 3 (appears if Gradient palette = *Custom*) | Third color | **#e9c46a** |
| Color 4 (appears if Gradient palette = *Custom*) | Fourth color | **#f4a261** |
| Color 5 (appears if Gradient palette = *Custom*) | Fifth color | **#e76f51** |
| Filter change transition (ms) | When a filter changes, ridges glide to their new shape over this time (0 = no transition); this setting used to be in "Time animation" | 0 to 5000, **400** |

### Layout

This card (formerly "Display") picks the display mode, orientation, plot margins and scrolling.

**Mode group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Display mode | *Ridgeline*: the classic ridgeline. *Minimal / sparkline*: the curves without axes or labels, for a small tile. *Comparison*: ridges overlaid on the same axes, with a Y axis, all ridges drawn as lines on the same scale. *Heatmap / stripes*: each ridge becomes a colored stripe, *warming stripes* style. *Perspective*: tilted 3D view | ***Ridgeline*** · *Minimal / sparkline* · *Comparison (overlay) ★* · *Heatmap / stripes ★* · *Perspective ★* |
| Mode buttons in visual ★ | Shows buttons that let report readers change the mode themselves | On / **Off** |
| Orientation | *Vertical* rotates the chart a quarter turn (ridges and heatmap) | ***Horizontal*** · *Vertical ★* |
| Perspective tilt (appears if Display mode = *Perspective*) | The higher the value, the more tilted the view | 0 to 80, **35** |

**Plot margins group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Empty space at the top of the plot, in pixels | 0 to 200, **8** |
| Right | Empty space on the right | 0 to 200, **12** |
| Bottom | Empty space at the bottom | 0 to 200, **6** |
| Left | Empty space on the left | 0 to 200, **6** |

**Size and scrolling group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Scroll when crowded ★ | Adds a scroll bar instead of squeezing the ridges when there are too many; the watermark only appears if scrolling is actually used | On / **Off** |
| Min. ridge spacing (px) (appears if Scroll when crowded ★ is on) | Minimum space between two ridges before scrolling kicks in | 4 to 200, **14** |
| Adapt to small sizes | Automatically hides labels and axes when the visual is small | **On** / Off |

### Data colors

This card (formerly "Colors") picks what color represents and sets the fill and outline of the ridges.

**Coloring group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Color by | *Gradient along the curve*: the color changes at each point according to the **Color** measure. *One color per ridge*: the average of **Color** gives one color to the whole ridge. *Color chosen per ridge*: you pick each ridge's color by hand in the **Colors** card, which then shows one color per ridge (requires a **Ridge (one per value)** field). *Single color*: all ridges in the same color | ***Gradient along the curve (each X value)*** · *One color per ridge (mean of Color)* · *Color chosen per ridge* · *Single color* |
| Apply color to | *Area*: the whole surface under the curve is colored. *Crest line only*: only the line is colored (*Unknown Pleasures* look) | ***Area under the curve*** · *Crest line only* |
| Color (appears if Color by = *Single color*) | The color of all the ridges | **#1d3557** |

**Fill and outline group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Fill opacity (%) (appears if Apply color to = *Area under the curve*) | Transparency of the surface. 100: opaque | 0 to 100, **90** |
| Fill style (appears if Apply color to = *Area under the curve*) | *Solid*; *Fade to baseline*: the color fades toward the bottom; *Hatched*: stripes | ***Solid*** · *Fade to baseline ★* · *Hatched ★* |
| Outline color (appears if Apply color to = *Area under the curve*) | Color of the line around each ridge; it separates overlapping ridges | **#ffffff** |
| Outline width (appears if Apply color to = *Area under the curve*) | Width of this line. 0: no outline | 0 to 10, **1** |
| Outline on top edge only (appears if Apply color to = *Area under the curve*) | Draws the outline only along the top of the curve, not on the sides or the base | **On** / Off |
| Crest line width (appears if Apply color to = *Crest line only*) | Width of the colored line | 0.5 to 10, **2** |
| Hide ridges behind (opaque) (appears if Apply color to = *Crest line only*) | Each ridge hides the ones behind it, like opaque mountains | **On** / Off |
| Color under the line (appears if Apply color to = *Crest line only*) | Color that fills the area under the line to hide the ridges behind. Use your report's background color | **#ffffff** |
| Shadow | Adds a shadow under each ridge or a glow (neon effect, on a dark background) | ***None*** · *Drop shadow ★* · *Glow ★* |

### Ridges

What this card is for: setting the shape of the ridges and their scale (order and number of ridges are now in the **Sort** card).

**Shape group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Overlap (%) | Height of a ridge relative to the space allotted to it. 100%: each ridge touches the next one; 200%: it climbs onto the one above. This is the key setting for the "mountain" effect | 0 to 600, **120** |
| Ridge spacing px (0 = auto) | Fixed space between two ridges, in pixels. 0: the space is calculated to fill the visual | 0 to 400, **0** |
| Curve | How the points are connected. *Linear*: straight segments. *Smooth*: a rounded curve that doesn't overshoot the values. *B-spline*: even more rounded. *Step*: steps | *Linear* · ***Smooth*** · *B-spline ★* · *Step ★* |
| Moving average (points) ★ | Smooths the curve by averaging N neighboring points, without writing any DAX. 0 or 1: no smoothing (free) | 0 to 60, **0** |

**Scale group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Height scale | *Shared by all ridges*: all ridges share the same scale and stay comparable. *Per ridge*: each ridge uses its full height (useful if values vary little). *Clip at percentile*: extreme values are clipped so they don't flatten the others. *Logarithmic*: compresses large gaps | ***Shared by all ridges*** · *Per ridge* · *Clip at percentile ★* · *Logarithmic ★* |
| Percentile (appears if Height scale = *Clip at percentile*) | Clipping threshold. 98: the top 2% of values are clipped. A percentile is the value below which that percentage of the data falls | 50 to 100, **98** |
| Baseline | Starting point of each ridge. *Zero*: the height starts at 0. *Minimum*: it starts at the smallest value (emphasizes differences). *Centered (stream)*: the curve is centered on its line, *streamgraph* style | ***Zero*** · *Minimum ★* · *Centered (stream) ★* |
| Negative values | What to do with values below zero: draw them downward, in another color, or hide them | ***Below baseline*** · *Other color ★* · *Hide ★* |
| Negative color (appears if Negative values = *Other color*) | Color of the negative parts | **#2166ac** |

### Data labels

This card writes values: next to each ridge's name, or on the curve (at the peak or at the end), like the data labels of the native area chart.

**Value next to the ridge name group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Value next to label ★ | Writes a value calculated on each ridge next to its name | ***None*** · *Maximum ★* · *Mean ★* · *Last ★* · *Sum ★* · *Mean of Color ★* |
| Show rank ★ | Adds the ridge's rank ("3rd") | On / **Off** |

**Value on the curve group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Label on each ridge | One value per ridge on the curve, at the peak or at the end; overlapping labels are dropped | ***None*** · *At the peak (maximum)* · *At the end of the curve* |
| Size (appears if Label on each ridge = *At the peak (maximum)* or *At the end of the curve*) | Size of these labels | 6 to 30, **9** |
| Color (empty = text) (appears if Label on each ridge = *At the peak (maximum)* or *At the end of the curve*) | Color of these labels | **empty** |

**Number format group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Decimals | Number of decimal places of the displayed value | 0 to 6, **1** |
| Prefix | Text before the value | **empty** |
| Suffix (°C, mm…) | Text after the value | **empty** |

### Category labels

This card (the ridge names, formerly in "Ridge labels") sets the name written next to each ridge. The font is set in **Style › Text**. It is turned on by the toggle in its header.

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the ridge names | **On** / Off |
| Position | Where to write the name | ***Left*** · *Right* · *On baseline* · *End of curve* |
| Show 1 label every N | Writes only one name in N (e.g. 10: one year in ten) | 1 to 100, **1** |
| Size | Text size | 6 to 40, **10** |
| Bold | Makes the labels bold | On / **Off** |
| Italic | Italic names | On / **Off** |
| Color (empty = text) | Text color | **empty** |

### X axis

What this card is for: setting the horizontal axis shared by all the ridges (its grid is now in the **Gridlines** card). It is turned on by the toggle in its header.

**Values group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the axis | **On** / Off |
| Format | How the tick labels are written. The month and day formats are used when X is a date (converted to the day of the year) | ***Automatic*** · *Month (January)* · *Month (Jan)* · *Day + month* · *Number* · *Full date* |
| Unit of numeric values | Added after each number of a numeric X axis (e.g. "10 km"); not repeated when the label already ends with it | **empty** |
| Tick count (0 = auto) | Desired number of ticks | 0 to 50, **0** |
| Label rotation | Angle of the labels, in degrees | -90 to 90, **0** |
| Size | Size of the text | 6 to 30, **9** |
| Color | Color of the text | **#6B6862** |

**Title group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Axis title | Text under the axis | **empty** |

### Y axis

What this card is for: setting the vertical axis, which only appears in **focus mode ★** and in **Comparison ★** mode (a classic ridgeline has no Y axis).

**Values (focus and comparison) group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the vertical axis | **On** / Off |
| Decimals | Decimal places of the tick labels | 0 to 6, **0** |
| Unit suffix | Text after each value (°C, $…) | **empty** |

**Range group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Start (empty = auto) | Start of the axis; empty = automatic | **empty** |
| End (empty = auto) | End of the axis; empty = automatic | **empty** |

**Title group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Axis title | Text along the axis | **empty** |

### Gridlines

This card groups the guide lines (they used to be in the **X axis** and **Y axis** cards): vertical lines over the full height, and horizontal lines in focus and comparison modes. The former "Dashed grid" setting becomes **Line style** (*Dashed* or *Solid*).

**Vertical group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical gridlines | Vertical guide lines over the full height | **On** / Off |
| Color (appears if Vertical gridlines is on) | Color of these lines | **#E4E2DD** |
| Line style (appears if Vertical gridlines is on) | Look of the lines (the former "Dashed grid" turned on gives *Dashed*) | *Solid* · ***Dashed*** · *Dotted* |
| Width (appears if Vertical gridlines is on) | Line width | 0.5 to 6, **1** |

**Horizontal (focus and comparison) group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal gridlines | Horizontal guide lines, in focus and comparison modes | **On** / Off |
| Color (appears if Horizontal gridlines is on) | Color of these lines | **#E4E2DD** |
| Line style (appears if Horizontal gridlines is on) | Look of the lines | *Solid* · ***Dashed*** · *Dotted* |
| Width (appears if Horizontal gridlines is on) | Line width | 0.5 to 6, **1** |

### Legend

This card (formerly "Color legend") sets the legend of the gradient or the colors. It is turned on by the toggle in its header.

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the legend | **On** / Off |
| Position | Location | ***Bottom*** · *Top* · *Right* |
| Title | Title of the legend | **On** / Off |
| Title text (empty = field name) (appears if Title is on) | Legend title text | **empty** |
| Size | Size of the text | 6 to 24, **9** |
| Color (empty = text) | Text color | **empty** |
| Click to filter ridges ★ | Clicking a color range in the legend keeps only the ridges in that range (e.g. the hottest years) | On / **Off** |

### Sort

This card (these settings used to be in the **Ridges** card) orders the ridges and can keep only some of them.

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Ridge order | Stacking order, from top to bottom | ***Oldest on top*** · *Newest on top* · *Alphabetical* · *By 'Order' field ↑* · *By 'Order' field ↓* · *By maximum ↓* · *By mean ↓* |
| Keep N ridges (0 = all) ★ | Draws only N ridges | 0 to 500, **0** |
| Keep (appears if Keep N ridges (0 = all) ★ ≠ 0) | Which ridges to keep | *First N* · ***Last N*** · *Top N by 'Order'* |

### Comparison ★

This new card sets the *Comparison (overlay) ★* display mode (**Layout › Display mode**): every ridge on the same axes, a few in color, the others in gray ("spaghetti"), with a reference curve and the colored gap.

**Ridges in color group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Ridges in color (names) | Names of the ridges drawn in color, separated by ; (ridges selected with Ctrl + click are added) | **empty** |
| Last ridge in color | Also puts the last ridge in color | On / **Off** |
| Width of the colored ridges | Width of the colored ridges | 0.5 to 10, **2.8** |

**Other ridges group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| In gray (spaghetti) | Every other ridge in gray; when off, each ridge keeps its color | On / **Off** |
| Color (empty = soft gray) (appears if In gray (spaghetti) is on) | Color of the other ridges | **empty** |
| Opacity (%) | Opacity of the other ridges | 5 to 100, **50** |
| Width | Width of the other ridges | 0.3 to 6, **1.5** |

**Reference group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Reference curve | Curve drawn as a benchmark: the **Reference ★** field, the mean or median of all ridges, or the first ridge | ***None*** · *Reference field* · *Mean of all ridges* · *Median of all ridges* · *First ridge* |
| Color (empty = text) (appears if Reference curve = *Reference field*, *Mean of all ridges*, *Median of all ridges* or *First ridge*) | Color of the reference curve | **empty** |
| Color the gap to the reference (appears if Reference curve = *Reference field*, *Mean of all ridges*, *Median of all ridges* or *First ridge*) | Shades the areas between each colored ridge and the reference, with the above / below colors of the **Analytics** pane | On / **Off** |

### Focus mode ★

What this card is for: setting up focus mode. Double-clicking a ridge makes the others disappear in an animation; the chosen ridge grows and becomes a classic chart, with an X axis and a Y axis. A **Back** button returns to the ridgeline. The toggle in the card header turns the mode on or off.

**Focus group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Enable | Allows focus mode. The watermark only appears when a focus is open | **On** / Off |
| Open focus with | Gesture that opens focus. With *Click*, a single click is no longer reserved for the free filter | *Click* · ***Double-click*** · *Button on hover* |
| Animation duration (ms) | Duration of the transition, in milliseconds | 0 to 5000, **700** |
| Transition | Opening effect | *Fade* · *Slide* · ***Zoom*** |
| Keep other ridges as ghosts | The other ridges remain in very light gray behind the open ridge | On / **Off** |
| Ghost opacity (%) (appears if Keep other ridges as ghosts is on) | Visibility of these ghost ridges | 2 to 60, **12** |
| Focus also filters the report | Opening a ridge also filters the other visuals on the page | **On** / Off |

**Back button group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Text of the button. Empty: "← Back" | **empty** |
| Position | Corner of the button | *Top left* · ***Top right*** · *Bottom left* · *Bottom right* |
| Style | Look of the button | ***Pill button*** · *Text link* · *Icon only* |
| Color | Color of the button | **#1d3557** |

**Navigation group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| ◀ ▶ previous / next | Arrows to move to the neighboring ridge without going back to the ridgeline | **On** / Off |
| Breadcrumb | Shows the path at the top ("All › 2003") | **On** / Off |
| Breadcrumb root text | First word of the breadcrumb. Empty: "All" | **empty** |

### Annotations ★

What this card is for: setting the look of the text provided by the **Annotation text ★** field. The toggle in the card header shows or hides them.

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the annotations | **On** / Off |
| Style | *Callout line*: a line connects the text to the point. *Bubble*: the text in a bubble. *Dot + text*: a marked dot with the text next to it | ***Callout line*** · *Bubble* · *Dot + text* |
| Color | Color of the text and the line | **#1F1E1C** |
| Size | Size of the text | 6 to 24, **9** |

### Playback ★

This card (formerly "Time animation ★") animates the ridges one by one. The transition on filter change is now in **Style › Animations**.

**Playback group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show ▶ play button | Shows the play button. The watermark only appears during playback | **On** / Off |
| Animation | *Each ridge is drawn* from left to right; or *ridges appear one by one* | ***Each ridge is drawn*** · *Ridges appear one by one* |
| Playback starts from | Frame shown when the report opens | ***An empty chart*** · *The final state (all ridges, redrawn one by one)* |
| Time per ridge (ms) | Time spent on each ridge. For 70 years, about 80 ms | 30 to 10000, **600** |
| Accelerate progressively | Playback speeds up as the ridges go by | On / **Off** |
| Repeat | What happens at the end | ***Once*** · *Loop* · *Back and forth* |
| Autoplay on load | Starts playback when the page opens | On / **Off** |
| Current ridge filters the report | During playback, the other visuals follow the ridge being shown | On / **Off** |
| Respect 'reduce motion' | No animation for people who have asked for this in their system's accessibility settings (free) | **On** / Off |

**Counter group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Big counter in background | Shows the name of the current ridge (the year) in very large type, as a background watermark | On / **Off** |
| Size (% of height) | Size of this counter | 5 to 80, **28** |
| Opacity (%) | Visibility of the counter | 2 to 100, **14** |
| Position | Location of the counter | ***Center*** · *Top right* · *Bottom right* |

**Progress and trail group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Progress bar (draggable) | Bar that shows progress; you can drag it to go back or forward | **On** / Off |
| Keep past ridges in gray | Ridges already played remain visible in gray | **On** / Off |
| Pause on annotated ridges | Playback stops briefly on ridges that have an annotation | On / **Off** |
| Pause duration (ms) (appears if Pause on annotated ridges is on) | Duration of this stop | 0 to 20000, **1500** |

### Interactions

What this card is for: deciding what happens on click, on hover, and when another visual highlights ridges. Its settings are specific to this visual (it does not have the two settings of the shared Interactions card).

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Click filters other visuals | Clicking a ridge filters the other visuals on the page to that ridge, like a slicer (see the [glossary](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume#glossary)); the filter is visible in the **Filters** pane. Ctrl+click adds ridges | **On** / Off |
| Emphasize hovered ridge | The ridge under the mouse stands out, the others fade | **On** / Off |
| Crosshair across ridges ★ | A vertical line follows the mouse across all ridges and lines up their values | On / **Off** |
| Highlighted ridges | What the visual does when another visual **highlights** ridges (it makes them stand out without removing the others): dim the other ridges, hide them, show only a cursor, or open focus mode on the ridge concerned | ***Dim the others*** · *Hide the others ★* · *Cursor only ★* · *Open focus automatically ★* |
| Cursor style ★ | Shape of the "you are here" marker | ***Halo on ridge*** · *Arrow on label* · *Vertical line (X cursor)* · *Color it, gray the others* |
| Cursor label | Text of the marker. Empty: "You are here" | **empty** |
| Cursor color | Color of the marker | **#e63946** |
| Keyboard navigation | Tab moves from one ridge to the next, Enter selects, Esc cancels | **On** / Off |

### Title (variables ★)

The **Title** card is shared. In Ridgeline Plume, its **Text** also accepts ★ variables replaced on display: `{first}` (first ridge), `{last}` (last one), `{count}` (number of ridges), `{min}` and `{max}` (smallest and largest height), `{focus}` (ridge opened in focus mode), `{playing}` (ridge being animated). Example: `Temperatures {first}–{last}`. A text with no variable stays free; when empty, the title is built from the fields.

### Reference & analytics ★

This card is in the **Analytics** pane (magnifying glass icon, next to the **Format** icon), not in the Format pane. It adds statistical markers to the ridges.

**Reference curve group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show reference (field) | Draws the curve of the **Reference ★** field on each ridge | **On** / Off |
| Line style | Look of this curve | ***Dashed*** · *Dotted* · *Solid* |
| Color | Color of the reference curve | **#333333** |
| Width | Width of the curve | 0.5 to 6, **1** |
| Color the gap to reference | Colors the area between the ridge and the reference: one color above, another below | On / **Off** |
| Above (appears if Color the gap to reference is on) | Color when the ridge is above the reference | **#d62828** |
| Below (appears if Color the gap to reference is on) | Color when the ridge is below the reference | **#1d4e89** |

**Mean of all ridges group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Overlay mean curve | Draws the average of all ridges on each ridge | On / **Off** |
| Color (appears if Overlay mean curve is on) | Color of this mean curve | **#111111** |

**Min–max band (fields) group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show band | Draws the envelope of the **Band low ★** and **Band high ★** fields | **On** / Off |
| Color | Color of the envelope | **#8d99ae** |
| Opacity (%) | Transparency of the envelope | 0 to 100, **25** |

**Threshold group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show threshold | Draws a horizontal line at a fixed value (e.g. 35 °C) | On / **Off** |
| Value (appears if Show threshold is on) | Threshold value, in the unit of the Height measure | **0** |
| Color (appears if Show threshold is on) | Color of the threshold | **#d62828** |
| Color parts above (appears if Show threshold is on) | Colors the parts of a ridge that go above the threshold | **On** / Off |

**Markers group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Max / min of each ridge | Marks the maximum and minimum of each ridge with a dot | On / **Off** |
| Absolute record | Marks the highest point across all ridges | On / **Off** |
| Color | Color of these markers | **#111111** |

**Emphasize extremes group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| N extreme ridges (0 = off) | Keeps the N most extreme ridges in color and turns the others gray | 0 to 50, **0** |
| Ranked by | Criterion used to choose these extreme ridges | ***Mean*** · *Maximum* · *Mean of Color* |

**Trend group**

| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Sparkline of ridge means in margin | Small curve in the margin showing how each ridge's average changes | On / **Off** |
| Color (appears if Sparkline of ridge means in margin is on) | Color of this curve | **#e63946** |

> **Tip:** **Tip**: a hidden card, **State**, stores the ridge open in focus and the mode chosen in the visual, so that Power BI **bookmarks** can capture them. It doesn't appear in any pane: there is nothing for you to set.

## Premium ★ features in this visual

| Feature | Where to set it |
|---|---|
| Comparison, Heatmap / stripes and Perspective modes; mode buttons; vertical orientation | **Layout** (and **Comparison ★** card) |
| Scroll when crowded | **Layout › Scroll when crowded ★** |
| B-spline and Step curves, moving average, percentile or logarithmic scale, Minimum or Centered baseline, negative values in color or hidden | **Ridges** |
| Keep N ridges | **Sort › Keep N ridges (0 = all) ★** |
| Fade and hatching, drop shadow and glow | **Data colors** |
| Value next to the names, rank | **Data labels › Value next to the ridge name** |
| Y axis (used for focus and comparison) | **Y axis** |
| Clickable legend | **Legend › Click to filter ridges ★** |
| Variables in the title | **Title › Text** |
| Crosshair, hidden highlight / cursor / automatic focus, cursor style | **Interactions** |
| Focus mode | **Focus mode ★** |
| Animation, counter | **Playback ★** |
| Reference, bands, cursors, annotations | ★ fields and **Analytics** pane › **Reference & analytics ★**, **Annotations ★** card |
| Styles other than *None*, *Minimal*, *Black & White*; advanced palettes; JSON theme | **Style** (see [the common basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume)) |

Nothing is locked: without a key, a ★ feature works normally and shows a "Premium preview" watermark while it is in use. See [the common basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume) for the license key.

## Learn more

- [Getting started with Ridgeline Plume](/en/tutorials/ridgeline-climatique): the data to prepare and a first visual, step by step.
- [Ridgeline Plume: 8 how-to guides (Unknown Pleasures, normals, animation…)](/en/tutorials/ridgeline-plume-cas-pratiques): recipes for everyday needs.
- [Getting started with Plume visuals](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume): installation, license, styles and settings shared by all visuals.
- The visual's page: [Ridgeline Plume](/en/visuals/ridgeline-pulse). A question? [Support](/en/support).