The Dao of Doctor D

This post contains a partial and growing list of timeline creation tools for you to use in understanding and creating timelines. The goal is for the list to be exhaustive, although I never promise any list is truly all-encompassing, as it only takes one exception for that claim to become false. Completeness, however, is a good goal. It’s an ideal and ideals make good visions to chase.

Let me know through Twitter or Disqus if you note any missing, any dead links, or any errors. Unlike other posts that I sometimes sit on for a long time, I’m posting this one even as it’s forming.

Conceptual

• The Data Visualization Catalog: Timeline
• The Data Visualization Catalog: Span Chart
• Chart Combinations: Overlaying Extra Data Onto Timelines
• In praise of connected scatter plots
• Flowing Data—timeline
• Visualizing nonlinear stories

Pencil and Paper

• Timelines and Visual Histories

Programming Libraries

Python

• matplotlib—Creating a timeline with lines, dates, and text
• Timeline A model to capture timeline data. Has no visualization.
• matplotlib Lollipop Plots
• Python timeline Generates a vis.js timeline.

Javascript

• Timeline.js Uses Google Sheets to store data.
• Vis.js Timeline
• Vega Lifeline
• AmCharts TimeLine Chart add-on Linear process diagram.
• Google Charts Timeline
• AnyChart Timeline
• Interactive Data Visualization with Vega. Subtopic: Building a timeline with Vega

React

• Semiotic Timeline Semiotic is a data visualization framework for React.
• React Calendar Timeline
• Vertical Timeline for React

AngularJS

• angular-mgl-timeline
• Angular Timeline Scheduler Views ($)

Java

• JavaFX Timeline Animation
• Time Flow An abandoned Java timeline desktop application. Source code is still available and may be useful for building timelines.
• Jaret Time Bars
• React Gantt Timeline
• Many React Timeline Examples

C and Variants

Go

Lua

• Timeline For use with wiki platforms.

Swift

• TimelineTableViewCell
• Build Timeline View with AsyncDisplayKit
• GLTimeline
• Timeline for iOS

Content Management

MediaWiki

• EasyTimeline
• Graph Renders a Vega graph

Wordpress

• Timeline Module for Beaver Builder

Applications

Web

Some web tools have companion desktop applications.

• Lucidchart
• Teamweek
• SmartDraw
• Preceden
• Tiki-Toki(Mac or Windows)
• Dropbox Paper
• iSpring Suite
• Sutori
• Google Sheets Use project management templates
• Office Timeline ($)
• Visme
• TimeGraphics
• TimeToast
• TimelineMakerPro
• ReadWriteThink
• Asana
• GanttPRO
• Float
• RWT Timeline
• Vizzlo Timeline Chart

Desktop

• Aeon Timeline (Mac or Windows) ($)
• Microsoft Office Timeline (Mac or Windows)
• Office Timeline ($) Powerpoint Plugin
• Timeline Maker Pro ($)
• Time Flow Project appears to be abandoned.