Charts

Available Chart Types

Gridscript supports a wide range of visualization types for different kinds of analysis:

• Bar – Compare values across categories (e.g., sales per region). Can be stacked vertically to show combined totals or side-by-side for grouped comparisons.
• Line – Track trends over time or ordered sequences (e.g., monthly growth). Supports both linear and logarithmic scales on the Y-axis.
• Area – Similar to line charts, but fills the space below the line to highlight volume or magnitude. Supports stacking to show multiple contributions.
• Scatter – Plot individual data points on two numeric dimensions (e.g., height vs. weight). Useful for identifying clusters, correlations, or outliers. Supports linear or log Y-axis scale.
• Bubble – An extension of scatter charts with a third dimension represented by bubble size (e.g., population by GDP and land area). Multiple bubble series can be stacked.
• Pie – Show proportions of a whole using slices (e.g., market share by company). Each slice represents a label/value pair.
• Donut – A variation of the pie chart with a hollow center, often used for percentages. Supports multiple concentric rings for layered breakdowns.

Creating a Chart

To build a chart from your dataset:

1. Open the Create New Chart dialog.
2. Select the chart type you want to start with.
3. Define columns for the X-axis, Y-axis, Size (for bubbles), or Label/Value (for pie & donut).
4. Adjust the Start Index and End Index to limit which rows of your dataset are included.
5. Enter a Title and optional Subtitle for context.
6. Configure chart behavior:
   • X-Axis Type: category (text), number, or time.
   • Y-Axis Scale: toggle between linear and logarithmic scale (only for line, area, scatter and bubble charts).
   • Stacked Bars: enable to stack bar values on top of each other rather than side-by-side (only for bar charts).
7. (Optional) Click Add Stacked Chart to overlay additional series. Each series can have its own:
   • Chart type (bar, line, area, scatter, bubble, pie, donut)
   • Series title (appears in the legend)
   • Column mapping (Y, Size, Label, Value)
   • Start/End row indices (limit data for just that series)
8. (Optional) Enable Interactive Mode by checking the Interactive box. When enabled, the chart stays in sync with your grid: any changes you make to the grid (e.g., editing values, adding/removing rows) will automatically update the chart in real time.
9. Click Create Chart to generate your visualization in the workspace.

Configuration Options

Every chart supports the following options for precise control:

• Title & Subtitle – Define clear headings and additional context.
• X-Axis & Y-Axis Names – Add descriptive labels to clarify what the axes represent.
• X-Axis Type – Choose between category (text), number (continuous scale), or time (date/time series).
• Y-Axis Scale – Choose linear (default) or logarithmic for values spanning large ranges.
• Column Mapping – Assign grid columns to chart roles (X, Y, Size, Label, Value).
• Size Column (Bubble charts) – Controls the relative radius of each bubble.
• Label/Value Columns (Pie & Donut) – Define the text label and numeric value for each slice.
• Row Range – Focus on a subset of rows by specifying start and end indices.
• Stacked Series – Add multiple series on the same X-axis (bar/line/area/scatter/bubble) or multiple rings in a donut chart. Each series can have its own title, columns, and row range.
• Interactive Mode – Toggle live updates. When enabled, the chart listens to changes in the grid and updates instantly. Disabled by default for performance reasons.

Behind the Scenes

Gridscript automatically interprets your grid data:

• Numeric values are treated as numbers for axes or bubble sizes.
• Text values become categories when used on the X-axis or as labels.
• Dates can be parsed as time for time-series charts.

Each series keeps track of its own columns, row range, and settings. When you add stacked series, all data is combined into a single dataset so every series shares the same X-axis.

For donut charts, each added series becomes a new concentric ring, allowing you to build multi-layered percentage breakdowns.

When Interactive Mode is enabled, charts are linked to the live grid state. For example, editing a sales figure in the grid will immediately reflect in a bar chart or pie chart, keeping your visualizations always up-to-date.