---
title: "Customizing categorical variables"
slug: "customizing-categorical-variables"
updated: 2025-09-03T18:41:11Z
published: 2025-09-03T18:41:11Z
canonical: "userguide.dataclassroom.com/customizing-categorical-variables"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://userguide.dataclassroom.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Customizing categorical variables

Personalize or make changes to categorical variables by clicking on the **gear icon** under your variable to get started:

![](https://cdn.document360.io/62f8f41e-e041-42c4-b9bc-8ae1eb45d064/Images/Documentation/image-1756062143899.png)

### From here, you can :

- ### **Filter / exclude categories of data**
- ### **Label Values**
- ### **Customize Colors**
- ### **Reorder your values**

### 

### **Filtering Categorical Values**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/62f8f41e-e041-42c4-b9bc-8ae1eb45d064/Images/Documentation/Categorical%20variable%20filter-2.png)

### <font size="3">If you're hoping to explore data for just one of your values, or maybe exclude an entire categorical value, there is a faster solution than going&nbsp;</font>[<font size="3">row-by-row</font>](/v1/docs/excluding-rows-of-data)<font size="3">.&nbsp;</font>

<font size="3"><strong>Click on the box</strong> in the variable row you wish you exclude. &nbsp;You can select more than one variable. &nbsp;</font>

### **Re-labelling values**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/62f8f41e-e041-42c4-b9bc-8ae1eb45d064/Images/Documentation/Categorical%20variable%20name%20change-4.png)

You can **label each value** with a meaningful title, instead of the original value from your dataset.

When you see the Values dialog, **enter labels** for each value:

![](https://cdn.document360.io/62f8f41e-e041-42c4-b9bc-8ae1eb45d064/Images/Documentation/image-1756061758966.png)

[See here to learn about how to use DataMojis](/v1/docs/fun-with-datamojis).

### 

### Customizing Colors

**![](https://cdn.document360.io/62f8f41e-e041-42c4-b9bc-8ae1eb45d064/Images/Documentation/Categorical%20color%20change-3.png)**

**Assign specific colors** to values or change the default **color scale** used to color the values automatically. Click the **gear icon next to "Colors"** to open the color scale selector:

![](https://cdn.document360.io/62f8f41e-e041-42c4-b9bc-8ae1eb45d064/Images/Documentation/image-1756061968197.png)

Or just **click on each color** to set a specific color for each value.

See also [coloring by a categorical Z variable](/v1/docs/coloring-by-categorical-z).

### 

### Reordering categorical variables

![](https://cdn.document360.io/62f8f41e-e041-42c4-b9bc-8ae1eb45d064/Images/Documentation/categorical%20ordering.png)

You will also have noticed the **Order** buttons. This allows you to set the order of the values, which otherwise are ordered in the order which they appear in the dataset. For example, if the above dataset had started with a Second Period data sample, then the labels on the graph would have been the other way around. Ordering lets you fix this kind of thing.

### 

### 

### 

### Using a DataMoji

There is even a button to allow you to display a particular [DataMoji](/v1/docs/fun-with-datamojis) for each value. Have fun!

### 

### Overview of graphing categorical variables

[Embedded content](https://www.youtube.com/embed/TlwOfGDr6j8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0)