Line Chart

Overview

Line charts are visualizations used to display trends and patterns in numeric values over continuous intervals, most commonly time. You can use line charts to analyze how values increase, decrease, or fluctuate across periods, identify patterns such as seasonality or long-term growth, and compare trends across multiple categories. This article describes the requirements for building a line chart and details the properties you can configure to refine how lines are calculated, displayed, and styled within the visualization.

Example

This is an example of a line chart that displays cost by year using the AdventureWorks data model.

The Cost attribute is bound to the Values data binding slot. The Date(Year) attribute is bound to the Axis(Category) slot. The title has been set to Cost by Year.

Data Binding

The Data Binding tab lets you map your dataset fields to the chart’s visual elements. The available data binding slots determine what data is displayed and how it appears in the chart.

• Values – Bind the numeric field or measure that determines the size/length/value of each bar, slice, point, or shape. Larger values produce proportionally larger bars/slices/points.

• Axis (Category) – Bind the field whose distinct values define each bar/slice/point category. These values appear along the X-axis, Y-axis, or around the circledepending on the chart type.

• Legend (Series) – Bind the field that determines the grouping shown in the chart legend. Use this to categorize and color bars/slices/lines by an additional dimension.

• Trellis Columns – Bind a field to create multiple charts arranged in columns, each filtered by a unique value in that field.

• Trellis Rows – Bind a field to create multiple charts arranged in rows, each filtered by a unique value in that field.

• Tooltip – Bind additional fields to display as contextual information when users hover over a bar, slice, point, or shape.

• Drill Down – Configure interactive navigation into more detailed data. You can set Drill Down Mode to:

  • Pre-set Targets – Specify fields or charts to drill into when an element is clicked.

  • Pre-set Paths – Define a hierarchical path so users can explore data through multiple levels.

Customize Line Chart

A stacked area chart displays aggregated values layered on top of one another across a continuous or categorical axis, allowing users to analyze overall trends while also understanding how individual series contribute to the total over time. After adding the visualization to the designer and binding your dataset, configure the following fields in the Data Binding tab:

• Values – The numeric measure that determines the height of the stacked areas at each point along the axis. When multiple series are present, the values are stacked cumulatively to represent the total value for each category.

• Axis (Category) – The category field displayed on the horizontal axis. This slot typically contains categorical data, such as time periods, product groups, or locations.

• Legend (Series) – The secondary categorical field that divides the area into stacked segments. Each unique legend value is rendered as its own layer within the stack, showing how individual groups contribute to the total at each point along the axis.

For example, a stacked area chart may plot Sales in the Values slot, Country in the Axis (Category) slot, and Channel in the Legend (Series) slot, producing a clear visualization of overall sales trends while simultaneously showing how each sales channel contributes across countries over time.

Customize the Chart Style

The Chart Style section contains the visual and formatting settings that define the appearance of your column chart. These options are managed in the Inspector Panel and include layout, spacing, color, and stylistic adjustments that help you tailor the chart to your dashboard’s design requirements.

Scenario Name

The Scenario Name is the label shown in Wyn’s Explorer.

• Choose a name that reflects the purpose of the visualization.

• For more details, see Explorer documentation.

Palette

Controls whether the chart uses theme colors or custom colors.

• Off (default): chart uses the dashboard theme.

• On: unlocks manual color selection for each column.

Color Assignments

Defines custom colors when Maintain Color Assignments is enabled.

• Assign colors to individual categories or series.

• Use when theme colors do not meet your design needs.

Graph Opacity

Adjusts the transparency of the columns.

• Default is 100% (fully opaque).

• Lower values create translucent columns for layered or subtle visual styles.

Line Style

Controls how the area chart connects data points across categories.

The default setting is Straight.

• Spline creates smooth, curved transitions between points, emphasizing overall trends.

• Step creates horizontal and vertical segments between categories, highlighting discrete changes between values.

Here is an example of a line style set to Spline.

Here is an example of a line style set to Step.

Line Type

Controls the appearance of the area chart’s outline.

The default setting is Solid.

When set to Dashed, the outline is rendered as a dashed line, which can help differentiate series or reduce visual weight.

Here is an example of a dashed line.

Line Thickness

Adjusts the width of the area chart’s outline.

The default value is 1.

Higher values increase the visual prominence of the line, making it easier to read in dense or high-contrast dashboards.

Here is a chart with the line thickness set to 6.

Show Null As

Controls how null values are rendered in the line chart.

The default setting is Gaps.

• Gaps leaves a visible break in the line wherever a null value occurs, clearly indicating missing data.

• Zeros treats null values as zero, causing the line to drop to the baseline at those points before continuing. This option is useful when nulls should be interpreted as zero values rather than missing data.

Show Symbol

Displays a symbol at each data point along the area chart.

The default setting is False.

When enabled, a symbol appears at every category value, making individual data points easier to identify and compare.

Here is an example with Show Symbol set to True.

Symbol Shape

Specifies the shape used for data point symbols.

The default shape is Dot.

Available shapes include Box, Triangle, Diamond, Plus, X, and Dot.

Here is an example where the symbols are set to Box.

Symbol Size

Controls the size of the data point symbols.

The default value is 8.

Larger values increase symbol visibility, especially when symbols are used to highlight individual values.

Here is an example with the symbol size set to 13.

Symbol Fill

Sets the fill color of the data point symbols.

By default, the symbol fill matches the series color.

Changing the fill color can help highlight specific data points or improve contrast.

Here is an example with a different symbol fill color.

Symbol Stroke

Sets the outline color of the data point symbols.

By default, the stroke color matches the symbol fill.

Adjusting the stroke color can improve symbol visibility when symbols overlap or appear on similarly colored areas.

Here is an example with a different symbol stroke color.

Padding

Adds spacing between the chart and the scenario’s boundaries.

• Increase padding for a more open layout.

• Reduce padding to maximize plot area.

See Also

• Animation

• Data Visualization

• Interaction

• Title

• Data Labels

• Tooltip

• Axis (Category)

• Value Axis

• Legend

• Series

• Trellis

• Drill Down

• Special Data

• No Data Content

• Layout

• Appearance

Property Reference

Chart Style

Maintain Color Assignments: Toggle this to True if you want to manually assign specific colors to individual data values instead of using automatic color mapping.

Palette: Lets you customize the color scheme applied to the chart. Use the dropdown to choose from available color palettes based on the current Theme.

Graph Opacity: Controls the transparency of the chart. Set to 0% for fully transparent or 100% for fully opaque.

Line Style – Defines the curve or shape of the line. Choose from:

• Default – Straight lines between data points.

• Spline – Smooth, curved lines between data points.

• Step – Right-angled lines that connect points in a stepped pattern.

Line Type – Sets the visual style of the line. Choose Solid for an unbroken line or Dashed for a line made of dashes.

Line Thickness – Specifies the thickness of the line in pixels. Enter a numeric value.

Show Null As – Determines how the chart displays null (missing) values. Choose from:

• Connected – Joins the points on either side of the null value with a line.

• Gaps – Leaves an empty space where the null value occurs.

• Zeros – Treats null values as zero.

Show Symbol – Toggles the display of symbols at each data point. When set to True, additional symbol properties appear:

• Symbol Shape – Choose the shape for the marker: Dot, Box, Triangle, Diamond, Plus, or X.

• Symbol Size – Specifies the size of the symbol in pixels. Enter a numeric value.

• Symbol Fill – Sets the fill color inside the symbol.

• Symbol Stroke – Sets the border color (stroke) around the symbol.

Auto Gap Width: Enabled by default. This controls the spacing between bars. To manually define the gap width, switch this setting to False.

Corner Radius: Adjusts the roundness of the corners on bars. Use the arrow controls to set the radius for each edge.

Auto Gradient: When enabled, applies a gradient effect to the chart colors for a more dynamic visual appearance.

Canvas Padding: Adds space around the chart to separate it from the edges of the scenario or dashboard layout.

Data Visualization

• Top N Grouping – When enabled, limits the displayed data to the top N items based on a chosen measure (e.g., top 10 categories by sales). This is useful for focusing on the most significant data points.

  • Additional Option: When this setting is turned on, a Show property appears, allowing you to enter a numeric value for N (the number of top items to display).

  • Default: Off.

Data Labels

• Show Data Label: Toggle this on to enable data labels on the chart.

• Display Pattern: Choose a label structure from:

  • Category

  • Series (Value)

  • Category Series Value

  Note: This controls the format, but not which elements are shown.

• Toggle Visibility for Each Element:

  • Value – must be set to true to display values.

  • Series Name – toggle on to display the series name.

  • Category Name – toggle on to display the category.

• Display Mode: Set to All to show all enabled elements together.

• Label Location: Choose between On Slice or Around.

• Same Color as Legend: Toggle on to match the label color with the legend entry.

• Font Settings (same as title):

  • Font family, size (pt), color, weight, and italic styling.

• Show Shape: Toggle on to add a background shape to the label.

  • Upload a Shape Image.

  • Adjust placement and size with:

    • Shape X Center

    • Shape Y Center

    • Shape X Scale

    • Shape Y Scale

Tooltip

Tooltip Mode – Determines how tooltips are displayed when hovering over the chart:

• None – Disables tooltips.

• Data Point (default) – Shows a tooltip for the specific data point under the pointer.

• Category – Shows a tooltip for all data points that share the same category value.

Show Category Tracking Area – Highlights the entire area of the chart that corresponds to the hovered category, helping visually connect related data points.

Show Category Tracking Line – Draws a vertical or horizontal line (depending on chart orientation) across the chart at the hovered category to make it easier to see alignment across series.

Show Point Cross Value Axis – Draws a line from the hovered point to the value axis, making it easy to identify the exact value.

Show Point Cross Category Axis – Draws a line from the hovered point to the category axis, making it easy to identify the exact category.

Axis (Category)

The Category (Y) Axis settings give you full control over the vertical axis of the chart.

• Show Axis: Enabled by default. Toggle off to hide the Y-axis entirely.

• Axis Position: Set the axis placement using the dropdown options: Zero, Bottom, or Top.

Axis Line and Grid

• Show Axis Line: Enabled by default. Controls the visibility of the axis line. You can customize its line type(Solid or Dashed), color, and width.

• Show Grid Lines: Disabled by default. Enable to add horizontal grid lines across the chart, and customize their type, color, and width.

• Show Split Area: Disabled by default. Toggle on to highlight alternating background bands, and define Odd Area Colorand Even Area Color.

Labels and Tick Marks

• Show Tick Labels: Enabled by default. Use this toggle to show or hide the axis labels.

• Label Direction: Choose how labels are displayed: Horizontal, Vertical, or Diagonal.

• Label Overflow: Define how long labels behave when space is limited: Hide, Ellipsis, or Wrap.

• Show Tick Marks: Enable this toggle to display tick marks along the axis.

Title and Font Styling

• Show Title: Disabled by default. Once enabled, the axis automatically takes the name of the data attribute it is bound to. To change that, you can enter a title in Custom Title.

• Axis Font Settings: Customize the appearance of axis labels and title by adjusting the font family, size, color, weight, and style.

Value Axis

The Value (X) Axis settings let you configure the numerical axis of your chart, typically displayed horizontally.

• Show Axis: Enabled by default. Toggle this off to hide the entire axis.

• Min Value / Max Value: Define a fixed range for the axis.

• Interval: Set custom spacing between tick marks.

• Reversed: Flip the axis direction (e.g., highest values on the left). Disabled by default.

• Axis Position: Choose whether the axis appears at the Top or Bottom of the chart.

Axis Line and Grid

• Show Axis Line: Enabled by default. Controls the visibility of the axis line. Customize the line’s type (Solid or Dashed), color, and width.

• Show Grid Lines: Disabled by default. Enable to display horizontal lines across the chart. You can customize their line type, color, and width.

• Show Split Area: Highlight alternating vertical bands by setting Odd Area Color and Even Area Color.

Labels and Tick Marks

• Show Tick Labels: Enabled by default. Toggle this to show or hide labels along the axis.

• Format: Choose how labels are displayed (General, Number, Currency, Percentage, or Custom).

• Display Unit: Scale values using Auto, None, Thousands, Millions, etc.

• Label Direction: Set label orientation to Horizontal, Vertical, or Diagonal.

• Show Tick Marks: Toggle to display or hide the tick marks themselves.

Title and Units

• Show Title: Disabled by default. Once enabled, the axis automatically takes the name of the data attribute it is bound to. To change that, you can enter a title in Custom Title.

• Show Unit's Label: Enable this option to display a unit label (e.g., USD, %).

Font Customization

• Axis Font Settings: Customize the axis text by choosing the font family, size, color, weight, and style.

Legend

By default, the Show Legend toggle is set to True, which displays the legend on the chart. To include a title for the legend, enable the Title toggle as well. Once enabled, the legend automatically takes the name of the data attribute it is bound to. To change that, you can enter a title in Custom Title. You can customize the title by setting the Font Family (e.g., Arial), Font Size, Text Color, Font Weight (such as bold), and applying Italic styling if desired.

The Title Alignment property allows you to position the legend title to the left, center, or right of the chart area.

The legend is set to Auto Size by default. To manually define the legend size, disable this setting by setting Auto Size to False. You can also control the Horizontal and Vertical Alignment, which are both set to Auto by default, but can be changed using dropdown options. To allow legend labels to wrap across lines, set the Wrap Legend option to True.

Trellis

Use the Trellis properties when you create a Trellis Chart. This can be done in the Data Binding Tab. Drag and drop the attribute to Trellis.

You can set the Padding around the Trellis Chart to control the spacing between the chart content and its edges. You can also define a Trellis Border Color to outline each panel of the trellis. Additionally, the Trellis Font Settings allow you to customize the font family, size, color, weight, and style of the text used in the trellis layout.

Drill Down Setting

• Position – Determines where the drill-down navigation bar is displayed on the chart. Options include:

  • Top left (default)

  • Top center

  • Top right

  • Bottom left

  • Bottom center

  • Bottom right

• Home Name – Specifies the text label for the top-level view in the drill-down hierarchy. The default label is Home, but you can change it to something more descriptive, such as All Regions or Main Category.

• Font – Configures the font family, size, color, weight (e.g., bold), and style (e.g., italic) for all drill-down navigation text.

• Current Level Font Color – Sets the color for the label of the currently active drill-down level, helping it stand out from other levels.

• Other Levels Font Color – Sets the color for labels representing all non-active drill-down levels, allowing users to visually distinguish between the active and inactive levels in the navigation path.