How To Add Charts And Graphs To WordPress
You’ve no doubt heard the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This certainly applies when you’re presenting and explaining data.
Graphs and charts help to make statistical data much simpler to digest.
You can present information using tables, but if you want your audience to try and make sense of complex data with figures, trends or comparisons more easily, then charts and graphs are perfect for helping them interpret the information.
Graphs and charts help present complex data so people can more easily interpret it!
If you want to present dynamic visual content on your WordPress site like charts and graphs, this tutorial will show you exactly how to create colorful and updatable charts and graphs to your pages and posts that:
- Your site visitors can engage with
- Allows you to add data from your computer or a web-based data source
- Is dynamically responsive for mobile browsing
If you are displaying visual data like bar charts, comparison bars or trending graphs containing information that is not going to change (e.g. historical data), an easier way to add your data is to create the charts or graphs using a desktop application, convert these into images and then simply insert your image files into your page or post.
Use WordPress Chart & Graph Plugins
If you want to 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 plugin for WordPress that is simple to install, easy-to-use and allows you to not only create beautiful and interactive graphs and charts, it also lets you populate your charts and graphs with updatable information.
Visualizer
Visualizer URL
You can install the plugin from your WP dashboard (explained further down the page), or download the Visualizer plugin the WP free plugin directory using the link below:
http://wordpress.org/plugins/visualizer
Plugin Description
The Visualizer plugin is a simple, easy to use and powerful tool that allows you to create, manage and insert eye-catching and mobile-responsive graphs into your WordPress posts and pages in just a few mouse clicks.
The plugin 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 addons are needed.
The plugin also contains 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
The plugin is also flexible and customizable, allowing you to use Google Chart Tools with their default setting, or configure an extensive set of options to match your web design. Various options are available for each chart that let you further customize their settings.
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 web browsers without having to install any additional software.
Plugin Installation
From your WordPress dashboard, select Plugins > Add New from the main menu …
In the Add Plugins page type “visualizer” into the search field and hit enter …
Locate the entry in the search results area and click Install Now …
Click OK to proceed …
Activate the plugin after installing it …
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 from the main menu …
This brings up the plugin’s Visualizer Library section …
After installing the plugin, this section will be empty.
Your next step is to add add charts and graphs to your library.
How To Configure The Plugin
To add a new graph or chart to the library, click on ‘Add New’ …
A gallery displaying all the kinds of charts and graphs available will load on your screen.
Select the type of graph or chart you would like to create and click on the ‘Next’ button …
The graph/chart type will pop up in a lightbox.
The next step is to upload a CSV file that contains your data …
When creating your CSV data file, ensure that:
- Your first row includes the column headings.
- The second row contains the series type (e.g. boolean, date, etc.)
The screenshot below shows how to format your data as per the above requirements …
If you are not sure how to format your data CSV, simply use the sample that comes with the plugin.
Once you have done this, select the data source (‘From Computer’ or ‘From Web’) in the ‘Upload CSV File’ section.
Upload CSV File From Computer
To upload a 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 imports the data from the CSV file and displays 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:
After importing the data, make sure that all of your information is correct (if not, click on the ‘Back’ button and reupload a data file with the right data), and then click ‘Next‘ …
Depending on the chart or graph type you have selected, the plugin displays a number of customization options …
The plugin gives you total control of your chart or graph, and updates your display in real time …
For example, the pie chart offers many configurable options, including:
- General Settings – Configure chart title settings, 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 a 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 look of your graph or chart, click on the ‘Create Chart’ button …
The chart or graph will now be added to your Visualizer ‘Library’ …
Note that new elements are given a unique ID displayed in a shortcode. As you will see shortly, this allows you to easily insert graphs and charts into your content …
Graphs and charts added to the Visualizer Library can be accessed by type …
After a new item has been added to the ‘Visualizer Library’, you can edit it, duplicate it, or delete it …
Plugin Usage
After creating a new chart or graph and adding it to the Visualizer Library, it’s easy to insert it into a post or 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‘ …
Find the chart or graph to be inserted into your content and click on the “insert” icon …
This will add a shortcode into your content …
After you have finished adding the item, click on Publish to publish (or update) your post or page …
After publishing the page, click ‘View post’ to see the result …
You will see the element in the location you specified …
As mentioned previously, Visualizer also displays responsive charts for mobile devices …
As you can see, the Visualizer plugin allows you to add and customize dynamic charts and graphs in your content. You can update your data and the changes will automatically be reflected throughout your website. This makes managing interactive chart data in WordPress really easy.
The developers of this plugin have created a number of step-by-step tutorials you can use to learn how to edit, customize and use WordPress Visualizer.
For tutorials on editing, copying, deleting and adding data to your charts, refer to the website below:
Congratulations! Now you know how to easily create colorful and mobile-responsive bar charts and graphs in WordPress with WordPress Visualizer.
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