diff --git a/src/channel.js b/src/channel.js
index d2a63219ad..2614fab9b6 100644
--- a/src/channel.js
+++ b/src/channel.js
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ export function channelDomain(channels, facetChannels, data, options) {
function sortInitializer(name, optional, compare = ascendingDefined) {
return (data, facets, {[name]: V}) => {
if (!V) {
- if (optional) return {}; // do nothing if given channel does not exist
+ if (optional) return {facets}; // do nothing if given channel does not exist
throw new Error(`missing channel: ${name}`);
}
V = V.value;
diff --git a/test/output/hexbinText.svg b/test/output/hexbinText.svg
index eee645ce84..b251c8c6f7 100644
--- a/test/output/hexbinText.svg
+++ b/test/output/hexbinText.svg
@@ -86,64 +86,58 @@
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diff --git a/test/output/penguinDodgeHexbin.svg b/test/output/penguinDodgeHexbin.svg
index 863a0fb098..2a4b7b57fd 100644
--- a/test/output/penguinDodgeHexbin.svg
+++ b/test/output/penguinDodgeHexbin.svg
@@ -360,8 +360,6 @@
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