ChartSmith feature guide
How data becomes layers, and every control that shapes the result.
The data format
The header row names the series; the first column holds the labels. Each further column is one series of numbers. Blank or non-numeric cells count as 0. Comma and tab separators are both accepted, and the header's first cell is kept as the label column name so an edited chart exports the same table back.
Month,Revenue,Costs
Jan,120,80
Feb,150,90
Chart types
- Name
Bar (grouped)- Type
- one bar per series per label
- Description
Series side by side within each category.
- Name
Bar (stacked)- Type
- series stacked per label
- Description
Segments add up; value labels sit inside segments tall enough to hold them. Negative values are clamped to zero in stacks.
- Name
Bar (horizontal)- Type
- categories on the y axis
- Description
The grouped bar chart transposed. The left margin grows to fit the longest label; value labels sit to the right of positive bars and to the left of negative ones.
- Name
Line and area- Type
- one path per series
- Description
Points are marked with dots; area fills to the zero line at 25 percent opacity.
- Name
Pie and donut- Type
- first series only
- Description
Slices from the first series; value labels show percentages.
Switching the type never clears your data, so you can compare types quickly.
Negative values
Bar, horizontal bar, line and area charts accept negatives. The axis extends to a nice minimum below zero, the zero gridline is drawn darker, and bars hang from it.
Axes, gridlines and labels
The value axis uses nice numbers (1, 2, 5 multiples) with five gridlines and tick labels; the category axis lists your labels. Value labels put the number on each bar and point. The legend lists series names, or category names for pie and donut.
The output
A frame named "Chart (type)" containing rectangles, ellipses, vectors and text in Inter Regular. Everything is a plain layer with no plugin runtime attached. The data and settings are also stored on the frame as plugin data, so the chart can be edited later.
Custom colors (Pro)
Eight hex fields, prefilled with the default palette, color series in order (categories for pie and donut). Use colors from selection reads the solid fills of the layers you have selected, containers first, then children, unique, up to eight, so a row of brand swatches becomes the palette. Reset to default restores the built-in palette.
Axes (Pro)
Set a Y min and Y max to fix the range (values outside are clamped) and add X and Y axis titles; the Y title is rotated along the axis. Pie and donut ignore these.
Number format (Pro)
Choose the decimal places, switch the thousands separator on, and add a prefix or suffix such as $ or %. Formatting applies to tick labels and value labels; negatives come out as -$1,500.
Edit an existing chart (Pro)
Select a chart that ChartSmith created and click Load selected chart. The form fills with its data and settings. Change anything and click Create chart: the new chart replaces the old one in the same place with the same name and layer position. New chart instead leaves editing mode and creates a separate chart. Charts created before this feature existed carry no stored data and cannot be loaded.