Matplotlib Missing Marker - Time Series Mechanics

Read the Gap First

Start with three days: Mon is 5, Tue is missing, and Wed is 7. The blank mark for Tue means no value was recorded. Do not read the gap as zero or as a low point. Keep Tue as missing until a rule says how to fill or remove it.

A tiny chart-reading step: read a blank mark or gap as missing before treating it as zero or low.

highlighted = computed this step

Start with one missing value

Start with 3 pinned rows, where one value is missing.

\text{one missing value}

Read the missing marker

Read the blank marker as missing before treating it as a value.

\text{blank means missing}

Keep the gap visible

Keep the gap visible instead of drawing a low point.

\text{visible gap}

State the safe readout

Readout: Tue is missing, not zero or low.

\text{missing not zero}