# How to create custom reference line tooltips in Tableau Desktop 2019.2 and newer

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2020-01-10
- **Format:** Video · 2 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Data visualisation
- **Tools:** Tableau (reference lines, tooltips)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-create-custom-reference-line-tooltips-in-tableau-desktop-2019-2-and-newer
- **Watch:** https://www.youtu.be/NvRi1h_EV0g

I show how to use the reference line tooltip customisation added in Tableau Desktop 2019.2. I build a quick scatter plot, add an average reference line, then customise both its label and its tooltip using dynamic values.

## Key takeaways

- Tableau 2019.2 added a dedicated tooltip option in the edit reference line dialogue, separate from the label.
- You can insert dynamic, computed values such as the field name and value into the reference line tooltip.
- A clean approach is to set the label to just the value and let the tooltip carry the full description on hover.
- Get into the habit of naming your sheets as you build them.

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-create-custom-reference-line-tooltips-in-tableau-desktop-2019-2-and-newer

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena