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Posted to notifications@superset.apache.org by "Quatters (via GitHub)" <gi...@apache.org> on 2025/05/03 06:25:56 UTC

[I] [SIP] Timeline Chart Visualization [superset]

Quatters opened a new issue, #33349:
URL: https://github.com/apache/superset/issues/33349

   *Please make sure you are familiar with the SIP process documented*
   [here](https://github.com/apache/superset/issues/5602). The SIP will be numbered by a committer upon acceptance.
   
   ## [SIP] Proposal for Timeline Chart Visualization
   
   ### Motivation
   
   Apache Superset currently lacks support for timeline-based visualizations, which are essential for analyzing event sequences and durations across a horizontal time axis.
   
   These visualizations are widely used in:
   - logistics operations tracking,
   - user or system activity timelines,
   - manufacturing and process monitoring,
   - operations and delivery flow visualization.
   
   Current chart types such as bar, Gantt-like hacks, or boxplots do not sufficiently support the temporal range model and the required UI features (scrolling, zooming, duration visualization).
   
   Introducing a native Timeline Chart will address this gap, making Superset more suitable for operational dashboards where event flow over time is critical.
   
   ### Proposed Change
   
   I propose adding a new visualization plugin: **Timeline Chart**, built on **Apache ECharts**.
   
   Key features include:
   - Event durations represented as horizontal bars on a continuous time axis.
   - Category-based vertical grouping.
   - **Fixed left/right time boundaries**, enabling analysts to compare time intervals across days (e.g., 08:00:00–22:00:00).
   - Support for **nested subcategories** via a dimension field.
   - Zoom and scroll support via ECharts’ native interaction model.
   
   I used this example to implement plugin.
   - [ECharts Custom Timeline Demo](https://echarts.apache.org/examples/en/editor.html?c=custom-profile)
   
   How it looks in my implementation:
   
   ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/df4b46c4-f1f5-4c2f-b69c-fa04e8556684)
   ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/452f31fa-eb5a-45c0-83b5-098ba968090c)
   
   ### New or Changed Public Interfaces
   
   - A new chart plugin under `plugin-chart-echarts`
   - New customization controls in the Explore UI:
     - Time range bounds (left/right)
   - Expected input data format:
     - `start_time`, `end_time` (timestamps) for X axis
     - `y_axis` (categories)
     - `dimension` (optional) for legend
   
   ### New dependencies
   
   No.
   
   ### Migration Plan and Compatibility
   
   - No database migrations required.
   - The plugin is fully optional and does not affect backward compatibility.
   - URLs and saved charts that use this visualization will remain valid once the plugin is registered.
   
   ### Rejected Alternatives
   
   - **Using iframe-based external dashboards**: rejected due to poor integration and limited control.
   


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Re: [I] [SIP-167] Timeline Chart Visualization [superset]

Posted by "Quatters (via GitHub)" <gi...@apache.org>.
Quatters commented on issue #33349:
URL: https://github.com/apache/superset/issues/33349#issuecomment-2900657703

   I'll try to open a PR soon. 


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Re: [I] [SIP-167] Timeline Chart Visualization [superset]

Posted by "rusackas (via GitHub)" <gi...@apache.org>.
rusackas commented on issue #33349:
URL: https://github.com/apache/superset/issues/33349#issuecomment-2898576614

   Every plugin we add to the repo needs to be maintained/supported by the community. If you want to open a PR to illustrate how this all works, we can take a look, but otherwise unless there's sufficient community support here, we might want to wait (some number of months) until the Extensions architecture settles. Right now, you _can_ build this on your own repo and use it in your own Superset instance, and add it to the [Third Party Plugins Directory](https://github.com/apache/superset/wiki/Superset-Third%E2%80%90Party-Plugins-Directory). With sufficient support, I'm happy to put this up for a VOTE.


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Re: [I] [SIP-167] Timeline Chart Visualization [superset]

Posted by "rusackas (via GitHub)" <gi...@apache.org>.
rusackas commented on issue #33349:
URL: https://github.com/apache/superset/issues/33349#issuecomment-2859191255

   I don't see a DISCUSS thread on the dev@ mailing list. You'll need to do that, or this may eventually be closed as abandoned.


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Re: [I] [SIP-167] Timeline Chart Visualization [superset]

Posted by "mistercrunch (via GitHub)" <gi...@apache.org>.
mistercrunch closed issue #33349: [SIP-167] Timeline Chart Visualization
URL: https://github.com/apache/superset/issues/33349


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