A waffle chart displays proportions using a grid of equal-sized squares where colored squares represent parts of a whole. Each square typically represents 1% of the total, making it easy to count and compare values visually. It provides an intuitive alternative to pie charts, offering more accurate perception of proportions.
# anyplot.ai
# waffle-basic: Basic Waffle Chart
# Library: makie 0.21.9 | Julia 1.11.9
# Quality: 85/100 | Created: 2026-09-09
using CairoMakie
using Colors
# --- Theme tokens ------------------------------------------------------------
const THEME = get(ENV, "ANYPLOT_THEME", "light")
const PAGE_BG = THEME == "light" ? colorant"#FAF8F1" : colorant"#1A1A17"
const INK = THEME == "light" ? colorant"#1A1A17" : colorant"#F0EFE8"
const INK_SOFT = THEME == "light" ? colorant"#4A4A44" : colorant"#B8B7B0"
const IMPRINT_PALETTE = [
colorant"#009E73", # 1 — brand green, ALWAYS first series
colorant"#C475FD", # 2 — lavender
colorant"#4467A3", # 3 — blue
colorant"#BD8233", # 4 — ochre
colorant"#AE3030", # 5 — matte red
]
# --- Data: household budget allocation, 100 squares = 100% -------------------
categories = ["Housing", "Food", "Transportation", "Savings", "Entertainment"]
percentages = [32, 22, 18, 16, 12]
focal_idx = argmax(percentages)
grid_size = 10
cell_categories = Vector{Int}(undef, grid_size^2)
cursor = 1
for (cat_idx, count) in enumerate(percentages)
cell_categories[cursor:(cursor + count - 1)] .= cat_idx
global cursor += count
end
square_gap = 0.12
square_side = 1.0 - square_gap
squares = Vector{Rect2{Float64}}(undef, grid_size^2)
cell_colors = Vector{eltype(IMPRINT_PALETTE)}(undef, grid_size^2)
for i in 1:(grid_size^2)
row = (i - 1) ÷ grid_size # 0 = top row
col = (i - 1) % grid_size
x = col + square_gap / 2
y = (grid_size - 1 - row) + square_gap / 2
squares[i] = Rect2(Float64(x), Float64(y), square_side, square_side)
cell_colors[i] = IMPRINT_PALETTE[cell_categories[i]]
end
focal_mask = cell_categories .== focal_idx
squares_rest = squares[.!focal_mask]
colors_rest = cell_colors[.!focal_mask]
squares_focal = squares[focal_mask]
colors_focal = cell_colors[focal_mask]
# --- Plot ----------------------------------------------------------------
title_text = "waffle-basic · julia · makie · anyplot.ai"
subtitle_text = "$(categories[focal_idx]) leads the budget at $(percentages[focal_idx])%"
canvas_side = 1200
title_height = 92
subtitle_height = 40
legend_height = 70
row_gap = 16
square_side_px = canvas_side - title_height - subtitle_height - legend_height - 3 * row_gap
fig = Figure(
size = (canvas_side, canvas_side),
fontsize = 16,
backgroundcolor = PAGE_BG,
)
Label(
fig[1, 1], title_text;
fontsize = 38, color = INK, font = :bold, halign = :center,
)
Label(
fig[2, 1], subtitle_text;
fontsize = 18, color = INK_SOFT, halign = :center,
)
ax = Axis(
fig[3, 1];
aspect = DataAspect(),
backgroundcolor = PAGE_BG,
)
hidespines!(ax)
hidedecorations!(ax)
# Focal category (largest share) gets an ink-colored outline to anchor the
# eye and reinforce the storytelling callout above; every other square keeps
# the neutral background-colored gap stroke.
poly!(ax, squares_rest; color = colors_rest, strokewidth = 3, strokecolor = PAGE_BG)
poly!(ax, squares_focal; color = colors_focal, strokewidth = 5, strokecolor = INK)
xlims!(ax, 0, grid_size)
ylims!(ax, 0, grid_size)
legend_labels = ["$(categories[i]) ($(percentages[i])%)" for i in eachindex(categories)]
legend_elements = [PolyElement(color = IMPRINT_PALETTE[i], strokewidth = 0) for i in eachindex(categories)]
Legend(
fig[4, 1], legend_elements, legend_labels;
orientation = :horizontal,
framevisible = false,
backgroundcolor = :transparent,
labelcolor = INK,
labelsize = 18,
patchsize = (22, 22),
colgap = 18,
halign = :center,
)
rowsize!(fig.layout, 1, Fixed(title_height))
rowsize!(fig.layout, 2, Fixed(subtitle_height))
rowsize!(fig.layout, 3, Fixed(square_side_px))
rowsize!(fig.layout, 4, Fixed(legend_height))
colsize!(fig.layout, 1, Fixed(square_side_px))
rowgap!(fig.layout, row_gap)
# --- Save ------------------------------------------------------------------
save("plot-$(THEME).png", fig; px_per_unit = 2)
Runnable source as JSON, for any HTTP client: https://api.anyplot.ai/specs/waffle-basic/makie/code. Any spec id and library id listed in llms-full.txt fit the same URL shape; every URL below is complete and callable.
{
"spec_id": "waffle-basic",
"language": "julia",
"library": "makie",
"page": "https://anyplot.ai/waffle-basic/julia/makie",
"hub": "https://anyplot.ai/waffle-basic",
"code_json": "https://api.anyplot.ai/specs/waffle-basic/makie/code",
"spec_json": "https://api.anyplot.ai/specs/waffle-basic",
"render_light_png": "https://storage.googleapis.com/anyplot-images/plots/waffle-basic/julia/makie/plot-light.png",
"render_dark_png": "https://storage.googleapis.com/anyplot-images/plots/waffle-basic/julia/makie/plot-dark.png",
"quality_score": 85.0,
"license": "MIT",
"guide": "https://anyplot.ai/llms.txt"
}Part of Basic Waffle Chart on anyplot.ai.