The Timeline Chart Widget Node provides a linear time-based visualization of data. It is ideal for tracking activity, changes, or events over a defined period with emphasis on historical progression and trend monitoring.
What Is a Timeline Chart?
A Timeline Chart is a time-series visualization that plots data points along a continuous horizontal time axis (X-axis). It is commonly used for monitoring sensor activity, logging workflow events, or visualizing historical metrics across defined intervals.
Step-by-Step: How to Configure the Timeline Chart Widget Node
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Add the widget
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Drag the Timeline Chart Widget Node from the Visualizations panel to the canvas.
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Connect the widget to the data source
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Connect the widget to the upstream workflow node that emits the JSON payloads containing the values and timestamps to be displayed.
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Open configuration
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Double-click the widget to open its configuration panel.
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General Settings
| Field | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Widget Name* | Required | Main title of the chart (e.g., Production Over Time). |
| Widget Subtitle | Optional | Supporting description beneath the title. |
| Show UID / Label Name | Optional | Toggle to display the device UID or label name. |
Time Configuration
| Field | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| X-axis Time Interval | Optional | Defines the interval between data points. |
| Time Units | Optional | Unit of the time interval (e.g., Seconds, Minutes). |
| Refresh Interval (seconds) | Optional | How often the chart updates (default: 60s). |
| Thousands Comma Separator | Optional | Toggle to format large values with commas (e.g., 1,000). |
| Delay | Optional | Apply delay to time-series rendering for real-time smoothing. |
Display Options
| Field | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Interval Options Button | Optional | Show/hide ability to change intervals on the dashboard. |
| Hide Data | Optional | Toggle to hide or show data series on the chart. |
| X-axis Date Format | Optional | Choose how date/time is displayed (e.g., default, date only). |
Tooltip & Interface
| Field | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tooltip | Optional | Set tooltip formatting (e.g., default, date only). |
| Enable Tooltip | Optional | Show values when hovering over data points. |
| Add to Interface* | Required | Choose one or more interfaces where this widget appears. |
Grouping & Display
| Field | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Select Label | Required (if grouped) | Filter/group the chart by label. |
| Grouped Display Mode | Optional | Choose: - No Grouping - Group by Label Value - Group by Label Name |
| Number of Widgets to Display | Optional | Limit the number of charts shown when grouped. |
| Show Data Sources in Tooltip | Optional | Toggle to show the origin of each data point in tooltips. |
Use Cases
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Monitor IoT sensor data over time
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Track system performance or resource usage
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Display workflow progress or job status
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Show historical metrics across multiple devices
Best Practices
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Use comma formatting for high-scale numeric displays
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Enable tooltip for deeper context without clutter
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Group by label to dynamically compare across assets or zones
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Use delay to prevent data overlap or flickering in near-real-time streams
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Match X-axis intervals to your data resolution (e.g., every 5 min, 1 hour)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I zoom into a specific time range?
A: Not within this widget directly, but upstream filtering and dynamic interval adjustment are supported.
Q: What happens if data is missing for an interval?
A: The timeline chart will show a gap or flat section for that time window.
Q: Can I link the timeline to other widgets?
A: Not natively from this widget, but filtered insights can be passed through the workflow or dashboard logic.