Resources · Make integration

Plotly Make integrationAutomate Plotly with Make.

Your charts can build themselves from the data you already collect. The Plotly Make integration gives you 3 action modules: create a graph, turn it into an image, delete it. This guide walks you through the connection and a first scenario you can test right away.

Try the Plotly integration on MakeSee the 3 modules

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What you can automate

What can the Plotly Make integration do for you?

The Plotly Make integration links your Plotly account to Make so graphs get created, exported as images or removed without you opening Plotly. You build a scenario, which is the automation itself: a chain of modules, each one a single brick that does one job. Plotly supplies three of those bricks, all of them actions.

A chart that appears when the numbers do. Say a sales team logs deals in another app. A scenario picks up the new rows and passes them to Create a graph, so a fresh Plotly chart exists without anyone copying figures by hand.

A picture ready to share. Stakeholders rarely open an interactive chart. Chain Create a graph image after the graph and the next module can drop that image into an email, a chat message or a report, wherever your team actually reads.

A tidy Plotly account. Test graphs and outdated versions pile up fast. Delete a graph clears the ones a scenario no longer needs, so your account keeps only charts people use.

Keep the limits in mind. Plotly has no trigger in Make, so it never starts a scenario by itself: another app or the schedule has to kick things off. There is also no universal API module for Plotly, so anything outside these three actions needs another route. Many apps also have an n8n node, and the n8n vs Make page sets out how to choose. To go further with the editor, the Make training starts from zero, and the Make pricing page explains how operations are counted.

Connect

How do you connect your Plotly account to Make?

  1. 01

    Add a Plotly module

    In your scenario, click the +, search for Plotly and pick any of its modules. Then click Create a connection. A connection is your Plotly account linked to Make once and reused by every Plotly module afterwards.

  2. 02

    Name the connection

    This step is optional, but a clear name helps as soon as you handle more than one account. Something like "Plotly marketing" tells you at a glance which account a module writes to when you come back to the scenario later.

  3. 03

    Authorize Make and save

    Follow what Plotly asks for: either approve Make on the Plotly page that opens, or paste the key Plotly gives you. Click Save. The module now shows your account and you can fill in its fields.

First scenario

Your first scenario with Plotly

GoalWhen new figures reach another of your apps, Make creates a Plotly graph and turns it into an image you can pass along.

  1. 01

    Create the scenario

    From the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the +. Choose the app that holds your figures as the first module, a spreadsheet or a form tool for example.

  2. 02

    Add Create a graph

    Click the + to the right of that first module, search for Plotly and pick Create a graph. Link your connection, then map the incoming figures into the graph fields.

  3. 03

    Chain Create a graph image

    Add Create a graph image after the graph. Map what the previous module returned so Make knows which chart to render, then add the module that will send or store the image.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Click Run once. Make runs the scenario a single time and shows the bundles each module received; a bundle is one item passed from a module to the next. Open them to check the graph was built.

  5. 05

    Schedule and switch on

    Open Scheduling on the first module. A new scenario runs every 15 minutes by default, and 15 minutes is also the shortest interval on the Free plan. Adjust it, then switch the scenario on.

Modules

The Plotly modules in Make

Plotly gives you 3 modules. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

Plotly1

Create a graph

Action

In Make“Creates a new Plotly graph.”

Turns the data flowing through your scenario into a new graph in your Plotly account, with no copying and pasting of figures between tools.

When to use it
a form, a CRM or a spreadsheet collects numbers and you want them charted as soon as they come in.
Watch out
each run creates another graph, so pair it with Delete a graph if you only want the latest version kept.
Plotly2

Delete a graph

Action

In Make“Deletes an existing graph.”

Removes a graph you no longer need, which keeps your Plotly account readable instead of buried under drafts and outdated charts.

When to use it
right after a newer chart replaces an old one, or once a test scenario has done its job.
Watch out
treat the removal as final and check with Run once that the module points at the right graph before you switch the scenario on.
Plotly3

Create a graph image

Action

In Make“Creates a graph image based on specified parameters.”

Produces a still image of a graph, the format that travels well in emails, chat messages and slide decks where an interactive chart would not open.

When to use it
just after Create a graph, when people outside Plotly need to see the result.
Watch out
the image is only useful once another module sends or stores it, so plan that next brick with the + button.
Need help

Need help automating Plotly with Make?

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FAQ

Questions about the Plotly Make integration

01Is the Plotly Make integration free?
Yes, Plotly is a standard app in Make, so you can use it on the Free plan. That plan lets you keep 2 active scenarios, with at least 15 minutes between two scheduled runs, 5 minutes of execution per run and files up to 5 MB. Every module execution counts as one operation, which is how Make measures your usage. Paid plans such as Core, Pro and Teams lower the interval to 1 minute and remove the cap on active scenarios. You also need a Plotly account of your own.
02What do you need to connect Plotly to Make?
You need a Plotly account and a Make account, nothing more according to the documentation. In the editor, add any Plotly module, click Create a connection, give it a name if you like, then either approve Make on the Plotly page or paste the key Plotly provides. Click Save and the connection is ready. It is shared by all three Plotly modules, so you only do this once per account, even if several scenarios use it.
03Can Plotly start a Make scenario on its own?
No. Plotly has no trigger in Make, only three actions, so something else has to start the scenario. You have two options. Put the module of another app first, for example the tool where your figures are collected, and let it launch the flow. Or rely on scheduling, the clock on the first module: a new scenario runs every 15 minutes by default, and the Free plan does not go below that interval. Plotly then acts as a step in the middle or at the end.
04What if a Plotly module you need is missing in Make?
It depends on what you are after. The Plotly app in Make offers three actions: create a graph, create a graph image and delete a graph. It has no universal API module, so the rest of what Plotly can do stays out of reach from Make. If you need something else, look for another app in the Make catalogue that covers the task, since more than 3,000 standard apps are available on every plan. For a specific build, the team at Hack'celeration can also help you design the scenario.
05Should you use Make or n8n for Plotly?
It depends on the tool your team already works in. In Make, Plotly gives you three ready actions, a connection set up once and a visual editor where you test with Run once before switching anything on. The same app often has an n8n node too, so if your automations already live in n8n, check what that node offers before moving. Neither choice is better across the board: compare the modules each tool exposes for Plotly against the job you need done.
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