Free and Pro guide
Publish a clear, accessible chart in WordPress.
Start from a chart family or the question readers need answered, type, paste, or import CSV/TSV data, and publish without sending the dataset to a hosted chart service. This guide covers ChartQuill 1.2.0.
Quick start
Create your first chart
- Install and activate ChartQuill, then open ChartQuill > Home.
- Start from a chart family, a reader question, or an example layout. ChartQuill opens an unsaved editor and never publishes content automatically.
- Choose the chart style inside the block.
- Open Edit chart data, type or paste spreadsheet cells, or import a local CSV/TSV file, then choose Apply data.
- Select the required data columns under Data, then add a title, summary, unit, and source under Content.
- Preview the post on the front end, then publish when the chart and its written meaning agree.
ChartQuill keeps the editable dataset with the post. Its chart-rendering code is bundled with the plugin; the dataset is not sent to a ChartQuill cloud service.
Checkpoint: the editor should show a chart that reflects the applied rows, while the published preview should include the title, summary, source, and a readable visual at both wide and narrow widths.
In this guide
Choose a chart that matches the question
Start with the comparison you want a reader to make. A bar chart is usually the clearest choice for comparing categories; a line chart shows change across an ordered sequence; scatter plots reveal relationships; histograms show distributions; heatmaps highlight patterns in a grid; and pie charts suit a small number of parts that genuinely form a whole.
Start simple when…
The main message is a direct category comparison, a trend over time, a relationship, a distribution, or a small part-to-whole view.
Use a Pro chart when…
The story needs stacked or diverging comparisons, waterfall change, areas, trends, bubbles, box plots, donuts, or deeper analysis and annotations.
Enter and map the data
Select the chart and choose Edit chart data. You can edit cells directly, paste rows copied from a spreadsheet, or import a local CSV/TSV file for review before applying it. Use the first row for clear column names, keep each column to one kind of value, and remove totals that would duplicate the categories being charted.
- Category column: the labels being compared, such as month, department, or region.
- Value column: the numeric measure, such as visits, cost, or percentage.
- Series column: an optional grouping field for multi-series charts.
- Apply data: validates and commits the draft grid to the block. Cancel leaves the current chart unchanged.
Good practice: paste only the rows the chart needs, use descriptive headers, and check decimal separators and percentage units before applying the data.
Follow the publishing workflow
These screenshots show the real ChartQuill editor and output. The surrounding WordPress interface may change between releases, but the data editor, mapped chart, and linked-table workflow remain recognisable.
Add context before visual polish
A chart should not make the reader infer its subject or significance from marks alone. Complete the content controls before adjusting presentation:
- Title: state the subject and comparison, not merely “Chart”.
- Summary: write the main takeaway in a sentence that still makes sense without seeing the visual.
- Source: identify where the values came from and, when relevant, the period covered.
- Unit: label percentages, currency, counts, rates, or other measures explicitly.
- Chart tag: keep the readable post-scoped reference when connecting a Chart Data Table.
Use a linked data table
The Chart Data Table block is separate from the chart so you can position the tabular counterpart where the article needs it. Insert it from the chart reference controls, or add the table block and select the matching chart tag. When chart data changes, the linked snapshot stays synchronized.
Free table styles include Minimal, Grid, and Striped. Pro adds Editorial and Report presentations. Treat the table as a readable alternative and reference, not as a place to hide missing chart labels or an unexplained dataset.
| Control | Use it to | Check before publishing |
|---|---|---|
| Chart type | Choose the visual form used for the mapped data. | The form supports the comparison instead of adding novelty. |
| Column mapping | Assign category, value, and optional series fields. | Every numeric series uses comparable units and meaningful labels. |
| Title and summary | Name the subject and state the main takeaway. | The meaning remains understandable without colour or hover interaction. |
| Source and unit | Explain provenance and measurement. | A reader can interpret the scale and trace the data. |
| Chart tag | Connect one or more separately placed Chart Data Table blocks. | The tag is readable, unique within the post, and still linked after editing. |
| Colour and annotations | Apply brand palettes, overrides, reference lines, ranges, callouts, or direct labels in Pro. | Colour is not the only way important differences are communicated. |
Understand the Free and Pro boundary
The Free edition includes the complete core workflow and eleven chart styles: vertical and horizontal single and grouped bars, dot, lollipop, line, scatter, histogram, heatmap, and pie. It also includes local CSV/TSV import, the spreadsheet-style data editor, a keyboard- and touch-friendly value explorer, thin/regular/bold line weights, percentage or formatted-value pie labels, titles, summaries, sources, units, readable chart tags, linked tables, and two starter patterns.
Pro adds twelve chart styles—stacked and 100% stacked bars in both orientations, bullet, diverging Likert, waterfall, area, scatter trend, bubble, box plot, and donut—plus rolling-average, cumulative, indexed, Top-N plus Other, and uncertainty controls; deeper histogram and heatmap analysis; palettes, colour overrides, reference lines, shaded ranges, callouts, direct labels, and additional patterns. Compare ChartQuill Pro licences when the story needs those controls.
Licence safety: if Pro entitlement is temporarily unavailable, ChartQuill preserves the saved professional data and settings rather than silently rewriting the chart. Pro-only rendering, updates, and support require an active licence.
Find chart settings quickly
Every chart family uses the same five task groups: Data for the chart and field mappings, Content for editorial context, Appearance for layout and marks, Analysis for axes and calculations, and Connections for tags and linked tables. Pro controls appear beside the common setting they extend instead of creating a second set of panels.
For a Pro Bubble chart, map the size and label columns under Data. Under Appearance, independently control the series legend, size legend, exact hover values, and optional direct labels. Direct labels can show a name, size value, or both, with position, colour, threshold, and offset controls.
Troubleshooting
The pasted rows do not apply
Check that each row has the same number of columns, the first row contains useful headers, required cells are not blank, and numeric columns do not contain currency symbols or explanatory text. Correct the grid, then choose Apply data again.
The chart is empty or uses the wrong values
Reopen the Data and chart type settings and confirm the category, value, and optional series mappings. A column can exist in the grid without being selected for the current chart.
The linked table is not connected
Select the chart, note its Chart tag, then select the Chart Data Table and choose the same reference. Avoid manually duplicating the data in a normal Table block if synchronization is required.
The published chart is hard to understand
Simplify the chart type, reduce the number of series, add an explicit unit and source, and write the takeaway in the summary. Preview at a narrow width and verify that labels and the linked table remain readable.
A Pro chart is unavailable after a licence change
Do not delete or recreate the block. Sign in through the customer account, confirm the licence and activation, then refresh the editor. The saved data and Pro settings should remain stored while entitlement is restored.
If you need support, include:
- ChartQuill version and edition.
- WordPress, PHP, and active theme versions.
- The chart type and the column mappings being used.
- A small anonymised sample that reproduces the issue.
- A screenshot of the block settings and published result when relevant.
Still stuck?
Choose the support route for your edition.
Pro customers can sign in for private support. Free-edition questions belong in the public WordPress.org forum. Never include passwords, one-time codes, payment details, or a full licence key in the first message.