chartli

CLI for rendering charts in terminals from numeric text data. chartli turns plain numbers into terminal charts. ascii, spark, bars, columns, heatmap, unicode, braille, svg.

Install

Run instantly:

npx chartli --help

Or install globally:

npm i -g chartli

Agent skill install

Install the repository skill for agents:

npx skills add ahmadawais/chartli

Quick start:

npx chartli
npx chartli --help

Usage

npx chartli [file] [options]

Usage: chartli [options] [file]

Render terminal charts from numeric data

Arguments:
  file                   Input file (reads from stdin if not provided)

Options:
  -v, --version          Output the version number
  -t, --type <type>      Chart type: svg, ascii, unicode, braille, spark, bars,
                         columns, heatmap (default: "ascii")
  -w, --width <number>   Chart width
  -h, --height <number>  Chart height
  -m, --mode <mode>      SVG mode: circles or lines (default: "circles")
  --x-axis-label <label> Title to render for the x-axis
  --y-axis-label <label> Title to render for the y-axis
  --x-labels <labels>    Comma-separated labels for x-axis ticks or row labels
  --series-labels <labels>
                         Comma-separated labels for plotted series or categories
  --data-labels          Show raw values near plotted data when supported
  --first-column-x       Treat the first numeric column as x labels instead of a
                         plotted series
  --help                 Display help for command

Labels and metadata

• Use --x-axis-label and --y-axis-label to add axis titles.
• Use --x-labels for explicit tick labels.
• Use --series-labels to replace generic labels like S1 and C1.
• Use --data-labels to print raw values on or near the plotted data where the renderer supports it.
• Use --first-column-x when the first numeric column is a domain like day, month, or year.

With --first-column-x, chartli will:

• use the first numeric column as x-axis labels
• use the first header cell as the x-axis title when a header row exists
• use the remaining header cells as series labels
• use the second header cell as the y-axis title for common two-column data

Example:

pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-single-series.txt -t ascii -w 24 -h 8 --first-column-x --data-labels

pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-multi-series.txt -t columns -h 8 --first-column-x --series-labels sales,costs,profit --x-axis-label Metrics --y-axis-label Value --data-labels

Labeled chart examples

ASCII line with inferred axis labels and data labels

pnpm chartli examples/assets/weekly-signups.txt -t ascii -w 28 -h 8 --first-column-x --data-labels

        signups
    91 │                      ●   87
       │                     91    ●
       │            73
       │             ●   68
  66.5 │   58             ●
       │    ●   49
       │42       ●
    42 │●
       └────────────────────────────
        1   2    3   4    5   6    7
                    day

Columns with explicit axis titles and inferred series names

pnpm chartli examples/assets/weekly-metrics.txt -t columns -h 8 --first-column-x --x-axis-label Metrics --y-axis-label Count --data-labels

Count
 176     29     10


  █
  █
  █
  █
  █      ▓      ▒
  █      ▓      ▒
────────────────────
visits trials  paid
      Metrics

SVG with axes, x labels, and point labels

pnpm chartli examples/assets/weekly-signups.txt -t svg -m lines -w 320 -h 120 --first-column-x --data-labels | sed -n '/^<?xml/,$p' > examples/assets/output/weekly-signups-chart.svg

This writes examples/assets/output/weekly-signups-chart.svg.

Types

• ascii
• spark
• bars
• columns
• heatmap
• unicode
• braille
• svg

Example data files

• examples/assets/core-single-series.txt
• examples/assets/core-multi-series.txt
• examples/assets/image-data.txt
• examples/assets/image-single-series.txt
• examples/assets/image-columns-variant.txt
• examples/assets/weekly-signups.txt
• examples/assets/weekly-metrics.txt

Image chart set (text diagrams)

ASCII Line

pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t ascii -w 24 -h 8

        day=●  sales=○  costs=◆  profit=◇
  1.00 │                       ○
       │
       │             ◇         ◇
       │                  ◆    ●
  0.50 │                  ●    ◆
       │    ◇    ◆   ●
       │         ○   ◆
  0.00 │◇   ◆    ◇        ◇
       └────────────────────────

Sparklines

pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t spark

day    ▁▂▃▄▅▆
sales  ▁▄▂▇▅█
costs  ▁▂▄▃▆▅
profit ▁▄▂▇▂▇

Horizontal Bars

pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t bars -w 28

day    |███████████████████         | 0.67
sales  |▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓| 1.00
costs  |▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒             | 0.53
profit |░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░     | 0.83

Columns

pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t columns -h 8

         ▓
         ▓             ░
         ▓             ░
  █      ▓             ░
  █      ▓      ▒      ░
  █      ▓      ▒      ░
  █      ▓      ▒      ░
  █      ▓      ▒      ░
───────────────────────────
 day   sales  costs  profit

Columns (Variant)

pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-columns-variant.txt -t columns -h 8

         ▓             ░
  █      ▓             ░
  █      ▓             ░
  █      ▓      ▒      ░
  █      ▓      ▒      ░
  █      ▓      ▒      ░
───────────────────────────
 day   sales  costs  profit

Heatmap

pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t heatmap

    day sales costs profit
R01
R02 ░ ▒ ░ ▒
R03 ░ ░ ▒ ░
R04 ▒ ▓ ░ ▓
R05 ▒ ▒ ▓ ░
R06 ▓ █ ▒ ▓

Unicode Bars

pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t unicode

 day    sales   costs   profit
             █
           ▃ █             ▅ ▅
     ▃     █ █      ▃      █ █
    ▂█     █▆█      █▂     █ █
   ▂██   ▂ ███    ▂ ██   ▃ █ █
  ▁███   █ ███    █▁██   █ █ █
 ▁████   █▅███   ▁████   █▁█▁█
 █████   █████   █████   █████

Braille

pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t braille -w 16 -h 6

profit

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀⠀

SVG Chart

pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t svg -m lines -w 320 -h 120 | sed -n '/^<?xml/,$p' > examples/assets/output/image-chart.svg

<?xml version='1.0'?>
<svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' width='650' height='120' version='1.1'>
  <polyline ... />
  <polyline ... />
  <polyline ... />
  <polyline ... />
</svg>

Examples

All examples are data-file driven from examples/assets/.

Data files

• examples/assets/core-single-series.txt
• examples/assets/core-multi-series.txt
• examples/assets/image-data.txt
• examples/assets/image-single-series.txt
• examples/assets/image-columns-variant.txt
• examples/assets/weekly-signups.txt
• examples/assets/weekly-metrics.txt
• examples/assets/output/

Core commands

• pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-single-series.txt -t ascii -w 24 -h 8
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-multi-series.txt -t spark
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-multi-series.txt -t bars -w 28
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-multi-series.txt -t columns -h 8
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-multi-series.txt -t heatmap
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-multi-series.txt -t unicode
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-single-series.txt -t braille -w 16 -h 6
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/core-multi-series.txt -t svg -m lines -w 320 -h 120 | sed -n '/^<?xml/,$p' > examples/assets/output/core-chart.svg

Image commands

• pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t ascii -w 24 -h 8
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t spark
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t bars -w 28
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t columns -h 8
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-columns-variant.txt -t columns -h 8
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t heatmap
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t unicode
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t braille -w 16 -h 6
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/image-data.txt -t svg -m lines -w 320 -h 120 | sed -n '/^<?xml/,$p' > examples/assets/output/image-chart.svg

Labeled commands

• pnpm chartli examples/assets/weekly-signups.txt -t ascii -w 28 -h 8 --first-column-x --data-labels
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/weekly-metrics.txt -t columns -h 8 --first-column-x --x-axis-label Metrics --y-axis-label Count --data-labels
• pnpm chartli examples/assets/weekly-signups.txt -t svg -m lines -w 320 -h 120 --first-column-x --data-labels | sed -n '/^<?xml/,$p' > examples/assets/output/weekly-signups-chart.svg

Run grouped examples

• pnpm run example:kitchen-sink
• pnpm run example:image-set:kitchen-sink
• pnpm run example:labeled:kitchen-sink
• pnpm run example:all-kitchen-sink

Run all examples

Image-set chart run:

pnpm run example:image-set:kitchen-sink

Core + image run:

pnpm run example:all-kitchen-sink

License

Apache-2.0 by Ahmad Awais built with Command Code.