← All chart types
time-series family
line
Continuous lines tracking values over an ordered axis.
The default for showing change over time. The shape of the line — slope, inflection, peaks — carries the story. Multiple lines compare trajectories across series.
When to use
15+ ordered points where the pattern of change is the point. Macro indicators, prices, growth curves.
When NOT to use
Few discrete points (use bar), unordered categories (line implies continuity that is not there), or you need exact values readable at a glance (use bar with labels).
Rhetorical roles
- evolve
- forecast
- compare
Variants & related
Required primitives
- has_axis_titles
- has_gridlines
Optional primitives
- has_legend
- has_data_labels
- has_source_note
Common anti-patterns
- truncated-axis
- truncated-time
- spaghetti-too-many-series
Disambiguation rules
- Lines are continuous (diagonals between points). If the line moves only horizontally then vertically (no diagonals), it is step-line.
- If the area under the line is filled, it is area, not line.
- If a single bar has a thin line drawn over it, set canonical_type=bar-* + secondary=line.