Where do I find formatting options in the chart builder?

Open the Format tab in the left panel of the chart builder. Formatting options are only available after at least one field has been assigned to Columns or Rows.

Do formatting changes affect the underlying data?

No. Formatting controls how the chart looks and what visual elements are shown. They have no effect on the query, the aggregation, or the data returned.

Are formatting settings saved with the dashboard?

Yes. Every formatting change is saved when you click Save on the dashboard. All viewers see the same formatted chart.

Can I reset formatting to defaults?

Yes. Click the reset icon at the top of the Format tab to restore all formatting options to their defaults for that chart.

Why is the Format tab greyed out?

The Format tab is disabled until at least one field is assigned to Columns or Rows. Assign a field first and the tab becomes active.

Do formatting changes apply to shared and embedded dashboards?

Yes. Formatting is saved with the dashboard. Anyone who views the dashboard, whether through a shared link, an embed, or directly in Edilitics, sees the same formatted chart.

Does formatting reset when I change the chart type?

Some options reset when you switch chart types because they are specific to the previous type. Global options such as chart title, legend, and tooltip are preserved across chart type changes.

Can viewers change the formatting of a chart?

No. Viewers have read-only access. Only the dashboard creator and superadmins can edit chart formatting.

Format Charts: Complete Options Guide

Control titles, legends, tooltips, axes, data labels, and backgrounds in the Edilitics chart builder. Covers 9 global options and 4 axis controls.

The Format tab in the left panel of the chart builder controls how a chart looks. It becomes available once at least one field is assigned to Columns or Rows. Formatting changes are cosmetic and have no effect on the underlying query or data.

Options are split into two categories: Global options appear on every chart type. Axes options appear only on cartesian charts. Chart-specific controls such as pie radius, KPI sparkline, and map region are documented on each chart's own page in Charts.

Global Options

Chart Title

Show or hide a title above the chart. When enabled:

Control	What it does
Title text	Sets the label shown above the chart. Maximum 50 characters.
Font family	Sets the typeface for the title text.
Font size	Sets the title size. Minimum 5, maximum 30.
Bold / Italic	Applies bold or italic styling to the title.
Color	Sets the title text color.
Alignment	Aligns the title left, center, or right.

Chart Background

Sets the background color of the chart container. Applies to the full card area, behind the chart canvas.

Legend

Show or hide the chart legend. When enabled:

Control	What it does
Show legend	Toggles the legend on or off.
Position	Places the legend at the top, bottom, left, or right of the chart.
Font color	Sets the color of legend labels.

Legends are only meaningful on charts with multiple series. On single-series charts the legend is hidden by default.

Data Label

Show the computed value directly on chart elements (bars, lines, points, slices). Data labels display the same aggregated value shown in the Aggregations panel. When enabled:

Control	What it does
Show data label	Toggles labels on or off.
Position	Controls where labels appear relative to the element (inside, outside, top, etc.). Varies by chart type.
Font family	Sets the typeface for label text.
Font color	Sets the label text color.

Controls what appears when a viewer hovers over a data point.

Control	What it does
Show tooltip	Toggles the tooltip on or off.
Background color	Sets the tooltip background.
Font color	Sets the tooltip text color.
Border color	Sets the tooltip border color.

Data Zoom

Adds a scrollable zoom control along the axis, letting viewers focus on a specific range of the data.

Control	What it does
Show data zoom	Toggles the zoom control on or off.
Start percentage	Sets the default start position of the zoom window (0-100).
End percentage	Sets the default end position of the zoom window (0-100).
Background color	Sets the color of the zoom control bar.

Data Zoom is available on bar, line, area, and scatter charts only.

Emphasis

Controls how chart elements highlight when hovered.

Control	What it does
Focus	Sets which elements highlight on hover: the hovered element only, its series, or none.
Blur opacity	Sets how much non-focused elements fade when an element is hovered.
Scale on hover	Toggles whether the hovered element scales up slightly.

Animation

Controls the chart's entry animation when it first renders.

Control	What it does
Enable animation	Toggles animation on or off.
Duration	Sets how long the animation takes in milliseconds.
Easing	Sets the animation curve (linear, cubicOut, elasticOut, etc.).

Toolbox

The toolbox is a floating icon bar that gives viewers quick actions directly on the chart. It can be shown permanently or revealed only on hover.

Actions

Toggle each action on or off individually:

Action	Available on	What it does
Show Data View	All charts except tables	Opens a table view of the aggregated data behind the chart
Image Download	All charts except tables	Downloads the chart as a PNG image
Download CSV	All charts	Downloads the aggregated chart data as a CSV file

Positioning

Control	What it does
Vertical position	Places the toolbox at the top, middle, or bottom of the chart
Horizontal position	Aligns the toolbox left, center, or right
Orientation	Arranges toolbox icons horizontally or vertically
Icon color	Sets the color of the toolbox icons
Show on hover	When on, the toolbox is hidden until the viewer hovers over the chart

Axis Options

These options are available on cartesian charts (bar, line, area, scatter, histogram, heatmap, and combo).

Axis Name

Show or hide a label for the X and Y axes.

Control	What it does
Show axis name	Toggles the axis label on or off.
Name text	Sets the label text.
Font family	Sets the typeface.
Color	Sets the axis name color.

Axis Line

Controls the line drawn along each axis.

Control	What it does
Show axis line	Toggles the line on or off.
Line color	Sets the axis line color.
Line width	Sets the thickness of the axis line.
Arrow	Toggles an arrowhead at the end of the axis line.

Axis Label

Controls the value and category labels along each axis.

Control	What it does
Show axis label	Toggles labels on or off.
Display unit	Sets a unit multiplier for numerical labels: None, Thousands (K), Millions (M), Billions (B).

Grid Lines

Controls the horizontal and vertical reference lines drawn across the chart area.

Control	What it does
Show grid lines	Toggles grid lines on or off.
Grid color	Sets the color of the grid lines.
Line width	Sets the thickness of the grid lines.
Line type	Sets the style: solid, dashed, or dotted.