What is a line chart?

A line chart - also called a line graph or trend chart - connects data points with a continuous line to show how a single measure changes over time or across an ordered sequence. The X-axis carries the dimension (usually a date or ordered category), and the Y-axis encodes the measure value. Use it when the question is about trend, rate of change, or pattern - not individual point values.

When should I use a line chart instead of a bar chart?

Use a line chart when the dimension is time or has a natural order and the question is about how the value changes between points - the trend, acceleration, or pattern. Use a bar chart when the question is about comparing the magnitude of individual values and the order between them is less important. A line chart implies continuity between points; a bar chart implies each value stands alone.

How many data points work well on a line chart?

A line chart handles a wide range of data points - from a handful of monthly values to several hundred daily readings. For fewer than 5 points, a bar chart is often clearer because the trend is too short to be meaningful. For more than around 200 points at a fixed chart width, individual data points become unreadable and the line itself is the only useful signal. Enable Data Zoom for dense time series to let viewers drill into a specific range.

What does Smooth Line do?

Smooth Line replaces straight line segments between data points with a curved spline. Use it when the overall trend shape matters more than the exact path between specific points. Turn it off when the data has sharp peaks or drops that viewers need to see precisely - smoothing rounds out sudden changes and can make them look gradual.

What is the difference between Line Styles and Symbol Styles?

Line Styles controls the appearance of the line itself - whether it is smooth, its color, and the shape and color of data point markers. Symbol Styles controls whether markers are visible at each data point, their shape (Circle, Rectangle, Triangle, Diamond, Pin, Arrow, or None), and their size. Both panels affect data point markers but from different angles: Line Styles sets the marker shape and color as part of the line's visual identity; Symbol Styles lets you show or hide markers and resize them independently.

Should I turn off symbols on a line chart?

Turn off symbols when the data is dense - more than around 50 data points - and individual point markers clutter the line rather than helping viewers locate values. Keep symbols on when there are fewer than 20 data points and viewers need to identify exact positions, or when the tooltip trigger is set to Item rather than Axis.

Why does my line chart show a gap or break in the line?

A gap in the line means a null or missing value in the data for that time period. The line chart does not interpolate across nulls - it breaks the line at each missing point. In the chart builder, a null detection prompt appears automatically: choose Filter Data to exclude those points, or Show data at default position to plot nulls as zero. For forward-fill or custom replacement, handle nulls in Transform before building the chart.

Can I show multiple measures on a line chart?

No. The line chart accepts exactly one measure. For multiple measures on the same time axis, use a Stacked Line chart or build separate line charts side by side on the dashboard.

Line Chart | Edilitics Docs

Track how a single measure changes over time or across an ordered sequence. Best when the trend, rate of change, or pattern over time is the question.

A line chart - also called a line graph or trend chart - connects data points with a continuous line to show how a single measure changes over time or across an ordered sequence. Drop one date or categorical field into Column and one numeric field into Row. Use it when the question is about trend, direction, or rate of change rather than the magnitude of individual values.

When to Use

The line chart is the default choice for any time-based question. It makes the shape of change visible - acceleration, deceleration, plateaus, seasonal patterns - in a way that a bar chart cannot. The connecting line implies continuity: each point is part of a sequence, not a standalone value.

A line chart implies continuity between points. If your dimension is categorical with no natural order - product names, regions, sales reps - connecting them with a line implies a relationship between adjacent categories that does not exist. Use a Bar Chart or Horizontal Bar for unordered categories.

Switch to a different chart when:

The dimension is unordered categories - use Horizontal Bar
You have multiple measures to compare over time - use Stacked Line or multiple line charts
You need to show volume under the line - use Area Chart
The question is about composition over time - use Stacked Area
You have two measures on different scales - use Combo Chart

Scenario	Dimension	Measure
Monthly recurring revenue over the past year	Month	Sum of MRR
Daily active users over 90 days	Date	Count of active users
Average support ticket resolution time by week	Week	Average resolution hours
Conversion rate by week	Week	Conversion rate %
Net promoter score by quarter	Quarter	Average NPS

Required Inputs

Field	Type	Count
Dimension	Date or Ordered Categorical	Exactly 1
Measure	Numeric	Exactly 1

For step-by-step build instructions, see Build Your First Chart.

Formatting Options

The Format tab unlocks after at least one field is assigned. Once your chart is rendering, use these controls to define how it looks and how viewers interact with it.

Style

Use the chart title to state the trend question. On a line chart, the title should say what is being tracked and over what period - viewers will read it before they look at the axis labels.

Control	What it does
Show Chart Title	Shows or hides the title. The text is preserved when hidden so you can toggle it back without re-entering.
Enter Chart Title	Title text. Maximum 50 characters.
Font family	Font applied to the title.
Font size	5 to 30.
Bold / Italic	Weight and style.
Alignment	Left, center, or right within the chart container.

Reach for Line Styles to change the visual character of the line - whether it curves, its color, and what marker sits at each data point.

Control	What it does
Smooth Line	Replaces straight line segments with a curved spline. On by default. Use when the overall trend shape matters more than the exact path between specific points. Turn off when sharp peaks or drops need to be precisely visible.
Line Color	Color of the line.
Shape Color	Color of the marker symbol at each data point. Set to match or contrast the line color.
Shape	The marker symbol at each data point: Circle, Rectangle, Triangle, Diamond, Pin, or Arrow. Circle is the default. If Symbol Type is also set in Symbol Styles, Symbol Styles overrides this selection - Symbol Styles Type takes precedence over Line Styles Shape.

Symbol Styles gives independent control over whether data point markers appear and how large they are. Use it when the line is dense and markers add clutter, or when you need larger markers for sparse data.

Control	What it does
Show Symbols	Shows or hides the marker at each data point. Turn off when there are more than around 50 data points and markers clutter the line. Keep on when data is sparse and viewers need to locate exact points.
Symbol Type	The marker shape: Circle, Rectangle, Triangle, Diamond, Pin, Arrow, or None. None hides markers without using the Show Symbols toggle.
Symbol Size	Diameter of the marker, 0 to 20. Default is 7. Increase for sparse data where each point needs to be individually readable. Decrease for dense data.

Data labels print the value next to each data point. Use them sparingly - on a line chart with more than 15 to 20 points, labels overlap and make the chart unreadable. They are most useful on short time series (monthly or quarterly) where each value needs to be visible without hovering.

Control	What it does
Show Data Labels	Shows or hides value labels at each data point.
Font family	Font applied to data labels.
Font size	Maximum 18. Keep at 10 or below on any chart with more than 12 data points.
Bold / Italic / Color	Text styling.
Position	Vertical and horizontal alignment of the label relative to the data point. Top places the label above the point and is the most readable on a line chart.
Number Type	Default, Scientific, Decimal, or Percentage.
Display Unit	None, Thousand, Million, or Billion. Match to the Y-axis Display Unit.
Decimal Places	0 to 6. Available when Number Type is not Default.

Axes

The X-axis carries the time dimension; the Y-axis carries the measure. Name the Y-axis with the unit - "Revenue ($M)", "Users", "Rate (%)" - so viewers can read values without hunting for a legend.

Select X or Y before making changes. Settings apply to the selected axis only.

Control	What it does
Show Axis Name	Shows or hides the axis name label.
Axis name text	Label text. Maximum 20 characters. Defaults to the field name.
Font family	Font applied to the axis name.
Font size	5 to 30.
Bold / Italic	Weight and style.
Offset (%)	Distance between the axis name and the axis line. Increase if the axis name overlaps the axis labels.
Alignment	Start, center, or end along the axis.

Leave these at their defaults unless you are building a minimal dashboard layout.

Select X or Y before making changes.

Control	What it does
Show Axis Line	Shows or hides the axis line. Hiding it also hides ticks.
Line Color	Color of the axis line.
Line Width	Thickness of the axis line, 0 to 5.
Line Type	Solid, Dashed, or Dotted.
Show Ticks	Shows or hides tick marks on the axis line.
Tick Color	Color of the tick marks.
Tick Length	Length of the tick marks, 5 to 10.
Boundary Gap	When off, the line starts and ends at the chart edges. When on, padding is added so the first and last points sit away from the edges. Turn off for a clean edge-to-edge line on time series charts.

Select X or Y before making changes. Hiding axis labels also hides the axis name.

Control	What it does
Show Axis Label	Shows or hides labels along the axis.
Font family	Font applied to axis labels.
Font size	Label font size.
Bold / Italic / Color	Text styling.
Rotation	Angle of label text. Useful on X-axis when date labels are long and overlap.
Text case	Title Case, Uppercase, or Lowercase. Available on the categorical axis (X) only.
Display Unit	Auto, None, Thousand, Million, or Billion. Available on the value axis (Y) only.

Y-axis grid lines give viewers a horizontal reference to read values from the line. X-axis grid lines are rarely needed on a line chart - vertical grid lines add visual noise without helping viewers read the time axis.

Select X or Y before making changes.

Control	What it does
Show Gridlines	Shows or hides grid lines for the selected axis.
Grid Color	Color of the grid lines.
Left / Right / Top / Bottom	Plot area margins as a percentage. Increase Bottom when X-axis date labels are clipped. Increase Top when data labels above the line's peak are cut off.

Interactivity

Set Tooltip Trigger to Axis on a line chart - it snaps the tooltip to the nearest X position and shows the value for that date or category without requiring precise cursor placement on the line itself.

Control	What it does
Show Tooltip	Shows or hides the tooltip on hover.
Trigger	Item: tooltip appears only when the cursor is directly over a data point marker. Axis: tooltip snaps to the nearest X position across the full chart height. Use Axis - it is far easier to hover on a time series.
Pointer	When Trigger is Axis: Line, Shadow, Cross, or None. Line draws a vertical rule at the hovered position and is the clearest indicator on a single-series line chart.
Background Color	Tooltip background color.
Headers / Values tabs	Separate styling for the dimension label row (Headers) and the measure value row (Values). The Values tab includes Number Type, Display Unit, and Decimal Places.

Keep animation on when the chart is first presented - the left-to-right draw reveals the trend progressively and draws attention to turning points. Turn it off on dashboards that auto-refresh.

Control	What it does
Enable Animation	Turns the draw animation on or off.
Duration	How long the animation runs, 0 to 3000ms. Default is 1000ms.
Delay	Time before the animation starts after the chart loads, 0 to 2000ms.
Easing Function	The motion curve. Cubic Out (the default) gives a natural deceleration at the end of the draw.

Enable Data Zoom for time series with more than around 60 data points, or any chart where viewers need to focus on a specific date range without changing the underlying query.

Control	What it does
Show Data Zoom	Shows or hides the zoom control.
Zoom Type	Slider: a draggable range bar below the chart. Inside: scroll-to-zoom directly on the plot area. Use Slider for dashboards. Inside is useful on dedicated analysis views where the chart takes up most of the screen.
Slider Size (px)	Height of the slider bar, 10 to 100.
Position	Position of the slider relative to the chart.
Alignment	Alignment of the slider control.
Orientation	Horizontal for a line chart - scrolls through the time axis.
Show Detail Label	Shows the date or category values at the slider handles so viewers know what range they are viewing.
Background Color	Slider background.
Filler Color	Color of the selected range inside the slider.
Border Color	Slider border.
Handle Color	Color of the drag handles.
Brush Selection	Enables click-and-drag to zoom into a range directly on the slider.

Avoid Zoom Type "Inside" on dashboards that viewers scroll with a trackpad. Scroll events captured by the chart zoom the chart instead of scrolling the page, which is disorienting and hard to exit without knowing to click outside the chart first.

On a single-series line chart, Emphasis highlights the hovered data point. It is less critical than on multi-series charts but useful when the line is dense and viewers need to identify a specific point.

Control	What it does
Show Emphasis	Enables or disables the hover effect.
Focus Type	Item: highlights the hovered data point and dims others. Series: highlights all points in the series - equivalent to Item on a single-series chart. None: no visual change on hover.
Enable Scale	Scales the hovered marker slightly larger. Useful when markers are small and hard to hover precisely.
Scale Size	How much the marker scales. Keep at 1.2 or below.

Enable the Toolbox when viewers need to export the chart or inspect the underlying data - any context where a viewer will question what a point on the line represents.

Control	What it does
Show Toolbox	Shows or hides the toolbox icon bar.
Save as Image	Adds a download icon that saves the chart as a PNG.
Data View	Adds an icon that opens the underlying data table in the chart area.

Best Practices

Use a date dimension, not a text dimension. A line chart only makes sense when the X-axis has a natural order. Dates and ordered periods (Week 1, Week 2, Q1, Q2) are correct. Unordered text categories (product names, regions) produce a line that implies relationships between adjacent points that do not exist. Use a bar chart for unordered categories.

Set Tooltip Trigger to Axis. Hovering precisely on a thin line to get a tooltip is frustrating. Axis trigger snaps to the nearest date across the full chart height - no precision aiming required.

Turn off symbols for dense time series. More than around 50 data points with symbols on creates a line of overlapping dots. Set Symbol Type to None in Symbol Styles or toggle Show Symbols off. The line itself is the signal; markers are for sparse data where each individual point matters.

Use Smooth Line only when the trend shape is what matters. Smooth Line interpolates a curve through data points. On revenue trends and user growth curves it reads naturally. On data with genuine volatility - daily stock prices, support ticket counts - smoothing hides the peaks and troughs that are the actual story.

Null values break the line - handle them before publishing. A missing value produces a gap in the line. In the chart builder, a null detection prompt appears automatically when nulls are present - choose "Filter Data" to exclude those points entirely, or "Show data at default position" to treat nulls as zero. For more control (forward-fill, custom replacement), handle nulls in Transform before building the chart. If the gap is intentional (no data for that period), dismiss the prompt and leave the line broken.

FAQs

Need help? Email support@edilitics.com with your workspace, job ID, and context. We reply within one business day.

Line Chart