{"id":12943,"date":"2021-06-17T16:34:58","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T16:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anychart.com\/blog\/?p=12943"},"modified":"2022-08-13T11:06:07","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T11:06:07","slug":"timeline-chart-javascript","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anychart.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/17\/timeline-chart-javascript\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Interactive Timeline Chart with JavaScript"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AI think all of us have come across timelines<\/a> somewhere or the other; as a means of conveying chronological information, the classic timeline is unmatched, both in the depth of information conveyed and the \u201ccool\u201d factor, when done with a deft creative touch. So, with that said, would you like to learn how to build a timeline chart using JavaScript that both looks great and is simple to create? (Of course, you do!) Follow along with me as I take you through the step-by-step breakdown for developing your own JS timeline with a practical example.<\/p>\n

As the world continues to battle with COVID-19, the long-awaited good news is the development of vaccines across the globe. Here, I decided to build an interactive timeline that showcases the phases of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine development in the United States. To add more contextual information, I also wanted to show approvals from other countries and some related facts, including the dates for the development of the 3 other vaccines approved for usage in the US.<\/p>\n

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Ultimately, this is what the finished product turns out as:<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Building a Basic JavaScript Timeline Chart in 4 Steps<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s actually quite easy to create charts and visualize data even without much technical knowledge. Of course, if you have skills with technologies like HTML and JavaScript, it is easier to grasp what is happening and you can arrange a wider range of customizations quicker. Nonetheless, data visualization with one of the available JS charting libraries<\/a> is fairly straightforward. So, without worrying about any bugs (well, unfortunately, we do have to worry about the viruses), let\u2019s take our first attempt at creating a timeline with JavaScript.<\/p>\n

The first thing to understand is that not all JavaScript charting libraries support timeline charts. So logically, the first thing to do is to find one that does. In this tutorial, I decided to use AnyChart<\/a> as it supports timelines out of the box and is also lightweight, flexible, and easy-to-use, providing extensive documentation<\/a> and a dedicated playground<\/a> that\u2019s helpful for practising with code. All of this should help you understand the basics of the process, which tend to be quite similar regardless of which specific library you choose.<\/p>\n

There are 4 fundamental steps to creating any JS chart, including a JS timeline chart. They are:<\/p>\n