Community Tech/Make the Chart extension beginner-friendly
Make the Chart extension beginner-friendly  | |
|---|---|
| Users need the ability in Commons to create charts without having to write JSON. | |
| Group: | Community Tech |
| Start: | March 2026 |
| Lead: | Harumi Monroy |
| Updates: | Updates |
The current process of creating a chart using the Chart extension can be very cumbersome. It requires users to be experienced with JSON and understand the Chart definition schema. They also need to be aware that Chart definition files live on Commons, and only those can be used when including a chart on a content wiki.
The initial scope of this project will provide a so-called chart wizard that will improve the user experience and facilitate the process when creating charts on Commons. Users will have the ability to toggle between editing JSON – the current process – and the new chart wizard that will render form fields to set the various chart parameter values. A live preview of the chart is shown as the fields are entered, allowing you to more easily verify your work.
Relevant links
[edit]- Wishlist proposal and votes
- Investigation into Chart extension code complexity and implementation
- POC developed during a Wishathon in November 2025
- Phabricator Workboard
Scope
[edit]
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This section is currently a draft. More information may be available on the talk page. |
The scope as of May 2026 is only to provide a form for building the Chart definition files. The source dataset must still be created manually. We hope to incorporate creating and editing the source dataset in a future iteration.
Support for transforms, which is a more advanced feature, is also slated for a future iteration.
Due to the mix of technologies, the new Chart wizard will live as part of the Chart extension and initially only accessible on Commons, instead of being an embedded feature within VisualEditor.
What are we building?
[edit]Community Tech has chosen to keep the initial deliverable phase tightly focused by defining a strict Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to help prevent scope creep. Future enhancements may come later depending on time and scope constraints.
Design requirements
[edit]- Users will be able to configure a chart using a form only on Commons, for now.
- The form will allow users to select a dataset and configure all the other chart values (chart type, title, subtitle, x-axis, y-axis, category, etc).
- There will be a preview area where users will be able to preview the dataset that is selected and a chart as they keep setting the different values.
What are we not building?
[edit]- User interface for tabular data configuration.
- An embedded feature in Visual Editor.
Designs
[edit]-
Preview step -
Configuration step -
Configuration step (with JSON)
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Status updates
[edit]January 2026
[edit]We submitted a phabricator task to track and record our initial analysis and understanding on how the chart extension system works.
February 2026
[edit]We reached out for community feedback while we scope the work of this project.
March 2026
[edit]Design exploration of a new visual mode was started as well as the technical execution of this new feature.
April 2026
[edit]We will be introducing a visual mode that will provide a user friendlier interface when creating Charts. We are exploring a user-friendly interface that will make the process of Charts creating clearer.
May 2026
[edit]Mockups haven been finalized! See the #Designs section above and let us know if you have any feedback.