Dynamic charts

Cacoo allows you to easily create various types of charts by inputting data or importing data from Excel/CSV or Google Drive.

Did you know?

Please keep in mind that this article discusses the new chart features released in May, 2022. If your current chart is a legacy chart version, please migrate it to the new chart version in order to edit it or use the new chart settings.

Types of charts

Cacoo provides up to 19 different chart types, listed below:

  • Bar
  • Stacked bar
  • Grouped bar
  • Dual axis
  • Area
  • Stacked area
  • Grouped area
  • Line
  • Bubble
  • Scatter plot
  • Dot
  • Pyramid
  • Radar
  • Pie
  • Donut
  • Radial
  • Gauge
  • Score
  • Timeline

How to add charts

To add a new chart, click on the Charts icon from the tool menu, and select a chart type. A sample chart will reflect on your diagram sheet.

Chart data

Data can be entered into the chart’s data table to populate the chart.

Input data

To add chart data, you can import them or manually enter into the chart’s data table.

Import data

If you have the chart data saved on CSV, Excel, or Google Drive, you can easily import them into Cacoo.

  • Import via Excel/CSV
    To import from Excel/CSV:

  1. Click on the chart and select the Data table icon from the editor menu. 
  2. The chart’s data table will display at the bottom.
  3. Select import icon > Excel/CSV.
  4. Select a file or drag and drop it onto the import pop-up screen. Select Import.
  • Import via Google Drive

  1. Click on the chart and select the Data table icon from the editor menu. 
  2. The chart’s data table will display at the bottom.
  3. Select import icon > Google Drive.
  4. Log in to your Google Account if you haven’t logged in and allow Cacoo access to your Google Account.
  5. Select a file listed on your Google Drive.

    Did you know?

    You can only import spreadsheets from Google Drive.

Manual input

Besides importing your existing data, you can manually enter data into the table.

  1. Click on the chart and select the Data table icon from the editor menu.
  2. The chart’s data table will display at the bottom.
  3. Double click on the cells to input/edit the data.

Chart data table settings

You can easily manage a range of settings on the chart’s data table.

Reference

number

Settings

Functions

1

Add row/column

To add a row or column in the data table.

2

Switch rows and columns data

To switch rows and columns data on the chart.

3

Hide/unhide data 

To hide or unhide data populated on the chart.

4

Reorder rows/columns

To reorder rows or columns, click on the row or column title, and drag to reorder.  

 

 

 

5

 

Right-click on the row/column title and select the following:

 

Insert column left/right

To insert an additional column on the left or right of the selected column. 

Insert row above/below

To insert an additional row above or below the selected row.

Clear row/column

To clear the row/column data.

Delete row/column

To delete the selected row or column. 

6

Cut/Copy/Paste

To cut/copy the cell data and paste it on the selected cell. Right-click on the data cell and click the desired option. 

7

Close

To close the chart’s data table. 

*The chart’s data table settings will vary depending on the individual chart types. Some chart types may not have the settings listed above.

Inline-editing of chart

Besides editing the chart from the data table settings, you can edit the chart directly.

Chart legend

The chart legend aids in explaining the chart data. Most of the chart legends show the names and colors of each data series to help readers understand how they are represented.

Reference number

Settings

Functions

1

Series name

To edit the series name, double click on the name to edit the text. 

2

Series color

To edit the series color, click on the color box. 

3

Legend text styles and placement:

To change the text styles such as font, font size, etc., and the legend's placement to the left, right, top or bottom of the chart.

Click on the chart and hover over to the legend area and click to open the editor. 

 

Chart header, axis title, and label editing

To edit the chart header or axis title, double click on the text box on the chart. You can also change their text style such as font, font size, text color, bold, etc.  

The font style of the x-axis and y-axis values (e.g. 01/02, 02/02, 0, 5, 10, etc.) can be changed by selecting them and using the editor menu. However, the x-axis and y-axis values are not editable directly on the chart; they are displayed according to the chart data table and chart settings.

Chart settings & style

The chart settings and style of different charts will vary depending on the individual chart types. Below is a summary of the chart settings in the Cacoo editor.

Chart settings panel

  1. Click on the chart and select the Chart Settings icon from the editor menu. 
  2. Chart settings panel will display on the right side.

Summary of the chart settings with their functions. 

Settings

Functions

Chart types

To change the current chart to the compatible chart types.
*Chart types options will reflect those compatible chart types that can be transformed based on your current chart type. (e.g. line chart type are compatible with bar, area, dot, etc. chart types)

Color palette

To change the data color range displayed on the chart

X-axis / Y-axis
- Title, Value & Axis

To enable or disable the x-axis or y-axis.
- To hide or unhide the axis title, value, or axis line. 

Scale

To set the minimum/maximum range of the value (number) reflected on the chart labels. 

Segment labels

To hide or unhide the segment labels on the chart.

Header

To hide or unhide the chart header.

Grid

To hide or unhide the chart’s background grid.

Legend

To hide or unhide the legend. 

*The chart settings will vary depending on the individual chart types. Some chart types may not have the settings listed above.

Other style settings

Besides the chart settings, you can find other chart style settings on the chart editor menu. Each style setting may differ based on the chart type.

Reference number

Settings

Functions

1

Corner radius

To edit the corner radius of the bar chart. The higher the number, the more curved the chart’s corner. 

2

Thickness

To adjust the thickness of the radius.

3

Smooth line

To make the chart line smoother (with curves).

4

Values

To plot the data point values on the line. 

5

Value labels

To display labels for the point values on the chart. 

6

More options

To access other functions related to the chart as a diagram element. You can also access the functions by right-clicking on the chart.

7

Text on top / bottom

To change the placement of the timeline description to above or below the line. 

8

Fill

To change the filled color and opacity. 

9

Line Style

To change the line style and color. 

*The chart style settings will vary depending on the individual chart types. Some chart types may not have the settings listed above.

Migrate legacy chart to new chart version

If you are using a legacy chart version, please note that legacy charts are not editable after the chart update in May 2022. To edit your legacy chart, please migrate your chart to the new chart version. 

To migrate, double-click on the legacy chart, and the “Migrate as new Chart” panel will prompt on the right side. Select the Migrate my chart button to migrate to the new chart version. 

The “Keep copy of legacy chart” setting will be checked by default. This setting allows you to keep your current legacy chart as a copy while the migration process creates a new chart on top of it. You can move the new chart around and compare it with the legacy chart. As long as the legacy chart is kept, you can always migrate it to the new chart version.  

If the “Keep copy of legacy chart” setting is unchecked, the migration process will create a new chart and remove the legacy chart. You can undo this operation by pressing “CTRL+Z / Command+Z”, or select the Back to legacy link in the chart settings panel.

Did you know?

The Back to legacy link is only displayed after the migration process. It will not be available the next time if you reload or close the diagram.
If the “Keep copy of legacy chart” setting is checked, the Back to legacy link will not be displayed after the migration process.
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