Timeline chart fails to display | WordPress.org

Resolved moosepoint
(@moosepoint)

8 years, 10 months ago

We have a Google spreadsheet that we want to display as a timeline chart. Loading the sheet’s URL into the plug-in’s shortcode, along with a chart=”timeline” parameter, displays this error:

Invalid data table format: must have 3 or 4 data columns.

The spreadsheet does have three data columns, the first one being a date. If I specify the columns using the query parameter, I get a message that the first column must consist of string data.

The only thing that works is calling for a line chart with the columns specified. The problem with this is that I can’t control the time display the way I can with a timeline chart.

Maybe I’m missing something?

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

Plugin Author Meitar
(@meitar)

8 years, 10 months ago

You are definitely not missing anything, you are just not paying attention to the information you already have. “Invalid data table format: must have 3 or 4 data columns” is a pretty direct clue.

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/google-charts-question-try-the-google-product-support-forum-before-posting-here/

https://developers.google.com/chart/interactive/docs/gallery/timeline#data-format

Thread Starter moosepoint
(@moosepoint)

8 years, 10 months ago

Hmmm … confusing, really. The response (and associated links) seems to assume that a timeline chart is a form of bar chart. But our use requires a line chart, and that’s what we’ve had for years.

We’ve got it working again using an iframe: http://www.lwa.org/water-level. It uses only three data columns, the first consisting of dates.

So nothing about the data or display of our timeline chart seems to comport with the specifications and examples given here.

Plugin Author Meitar
(@meitar)

8 years, 10 months ago

You have a bunch of empty rows at the bottom of your spreadsheet. That’s invalid data. Try deleting them and, again, next time please use the Google product support forums like I mentioned earlier for Google product support questions. I am one person, and questions about Google products that I have no duty or interest in offering free support services for really drain my time and resources. Google, in contrast, is Google.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

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3 replies
2 participants
Last reply from: Meitar
Last activity: 8 years, 10 months ago
Status: resolved