How To Add Charts And Graphs To WordPress

You’ve heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This certainly applies when you are trying to present or explain complex data.

Charts and graphs are a great way to break up long or difficult information, and make data more easily digestible.

You can use tables to present information, but if you want people to try and interpret complex information with figures, percentages and relationships more easily, then charts and graphs are perfect for helping them visualize your data.

Graphs and charts help you explain complex information so people can more easily understand it!

Need to add charts and graphs to WordPress? This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to use the WP Visualizer plugin – a simple, easy to use and powerful tool that allows you to create, manage and insert dynamic graphs and charts into your WordPress posts and pages that:

• Your site visitors can interact with
• Lets you upload graph or chart data from your computer or an online data source
• Is responsive for mobile screens

If you plan to display visual data like bar charts, comparison charts or trending graphs that contain static information (e.g. historical data), an easier option is to create your graphs or charts using an image editing application, convert these into .jpg and .png images and then simply insert the image into your site content.

Use WordPress Chart & Graph Plugins

If you want to easily create dynamic bars and graphs in WordPress with no coding skills required, the easiest way to do this is to use a plugin.

Fortunately, there is a great free plugin for WordPress sites that is simple to install, easy-to-use and allows you to not only create stunning and mobile-responsive charts and graphs, it also lets you populate your charts and graphs with updateable content.

Visualizer

Visualizer URL

You can install the plugin from your WP dashboard (we show you how to do this a little further below), or download the Visualizer plugin here:

http://wordpress.org/plugins/visualizer

Visualizer Description

WP Visualizer is an easy-to-use and powerful plugin for WordPress that allows you to create, manage and insert eye-catching graphs and charts into your WordPress posts and pages with a few simple steps.

Visualizer uses Google Visualization API to render charts, which support cross-browser compatibility (adopting VML for older IE versions) and cross-platform portability to iOS and new Android releases, and are based on pure HTML5/SVG technology (adopting VML for old IE versions), so no additional plugins are required.

Visualizer also comes with a variety of built-in that are optimized to address all your data visualization needs, including:

• Line chart
• Area chart
• Bar chart
• Column chart
• Pie chart
• Geo chart
• Gauge chart
• Candlestick chart
• Scatter chart

Visualizer is a flexible and customizable plugin, allowing you to use Google Chart Tools with their default setting, or configure an extensive set of options to match your site’s design. Several options are available for each chart that allow you to customize their look and feel.

Additionally, charts are rendered using HTML5/SVG technology to provide cross-browser compatibility (including VML for older IE versions) and cross platform portability to iPhones, iPads and Android devices. Your site visitors can see your charts and graphs on their mobile devices without having to install extra plugins.

Plugin Installation

From your WP administration area, select Plugins > Add New from the main sidebar menu …

In the Add Plugins page type search for “visualizer” and click enter …

Locate the plugin in the search results screen and click Install Now …

Click OK to proceed …

Activate the plugin …

You can also activate the plugin in the Plugins area …

After your plugin has been activated, click on Library …

You can also get to the plugin’s ‘library’ screen by choosing Media > Visualizer Library in the admin menu …

This takes you to the plugin’s Visualizer Library settings screen …

After installing the plugin, the library contains no charts.

Your next step is to add the charts and graphs to your library that you plan to display in your pages or posts.

Visualizer Configuration

To add a chart or graph to the Visualizer library, click on ‘Add New’ …

A page will load on your screen with all of the different types of charts and graphs available.

Select the type of graph or chart you would like to create and click on the ‘Next’ button …

The selected graph/chart type will pop up in a new window.

The next step is to upload a CSV file that contains the data you want your chart or graph to be populated with …

When creating your CSV data file, make sure that:

• Your first row contains your column headings.
• The second row includes the series type (e.g. string, datetime, etc.)

The screenshot below shows how to format your data correctly …

If you are unsure about how to format your CSV file, simply use the sample that comes with the plugin.

Next, select the data source (‘From Computer’ or ‘From Web’) in the ‘Upload CSV File’ section.

Upload CSV File From Computer

To upload your CSV file and data from your computer select ‘From Computer‘ …

Use the browser to locate and select your file and click on ‘Open‘ …

The plugin will now import the data and display it using the graph/chart type chosen …

Upload CSV File From The Web

For a step-by-step tutorial that shows you how to create, save and publish data to a Visualizer chart or graph using Google Spreadsheet, see the article below:

• How To Populate Data Using Google Spreadsheet

After importing the data, check that all of the information is correct (if not, click on the ‘Back’ button and reupload a new data file containing the correct data), and then click ‘Next‘ …

Depending on the chart or graph type you have chosen, the plugin displays a number of customization options …

Visualizer gives you full control over your chart or graph, and updates your display in real time …

For example, the pie chart offers various configurable options, including:

• General Settings – Configure settings for the chart’s title, font styles, tooltip, and legend.
• Pie Settings – Create 3D pie charts, draw slices counterclockwise, set the text content displayed on the slice, create a “donut” pie chart, rotate the chart’s “start” angle and set the slice border color.
• Residue Settings – Set the ‘Visibility Threshold’ (the slice relative part, below which a slice will not show individually.), ‘Residual Slice Label’ (the label for the combination slice that holds all slices below slice visibility threshold, e.g. “Other”), and ‘Residue Slice Color’.
• Slice Settings – Customize the ‘Slice Offset’ (how far to separate the slice from the rest of the pie), and ‘Slice Color’.
• Layout & Chart Area – Configure the layout (total size of chart) including the width and height of the chart as a number of percentage, background color for the main area of the chart and the chart border width and color, and the placement and size of the chart area (where the chart itself is drawn, excluding axis and legends).

Once you’re happy with the way your graph or chart appears, click Create Chart …

Your graph or chart will be added to your Visualizer ‘Library’ …

Note that new elements are given a unique ID displayed in a shortcode. As you will see very soon, this lets you add graphs and charts to your posts quickly …

Graphs and charts added to the Visualizer Library can easily be accessed by type …

After a new item has been added to the ‘Visualizer Library’, you can edit its details, clone it, or trash it …

Visualizer Usage

After you’ve created a element and added it to Visualizer, it’s very easy to add it to a page.

First, create a new post or page (or open an existing one) …

Next, place your mouse cursor where you want to insert your visual element into your content and click on Add Media …

Click on ‘Visualizations‘ …

Select the element to be added to your content and click the “insert” icon …

This will add a shortcode for the element into your content …

Once you have finished adding your visual element, click on Publish to publish (or update) your content …

After updating the post/page, click ‘View post’ to see the results …

The element will appear in the location you specified …

As mentioned previously, the plugin also displays responsive visual elements for mobile browsing …

As you can see, WordPress Visualizer lets you add and customize dynamic charts and graphs in your content. You can update your data and your changes will automatically be reflected throughout your site. This makes adding interactive graph data in WordPress very efficient.

The plugin developers have created a number of tutorials you can refer to for ways to edit, customize and use the Visualizer plugin for WordPress.

For additional tutorials on editing, cloning, deleting and adding data to your charts, refer to the website below:

• WordPress Visualizer – Additional Tutorials

Congratulations! Now you know how to create great-looking and mobile-responsive pie charts and graphs in WordPress.

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