Visualizing Projects with Charts

Farline AI provides two powerful visualization formats for your project timelines: Mermaid Gantt charts and DayPilot interactive charts.

Chart Formats

Mermaid Gantt Charts (Default)

Text-based Gantt charts perfect for documentation and sharing.

Benefits:

Copy chart syntax to clipboard
Paste into Confluence, Notion, GitHub, or any Mermaid-compatible tool
Version control friendly (text-based)
Lightweight and fast rendering
Proportional swimlane heights based on workstream capacity

Best for:

Documentation and wikis
Sharing in tools that support Mermaid
Version-controlled project plans
Lightweight visualization needs

DayPilot Interactive Charts

Interactive timeline visualization with rich features.

Benefits:

Interactive timeline with drag-and-drop
Color-coded by workstream
Detailed tooltips and context menus
Professional presentation quality
Proportional swimlane heights showing relative team sizes

Best for:

Interactive exploration of timelines
Presentations and demos
Detailed project analysis
Professional reporting

Using Charts in Confluence

Export your Farline AI timelines to Atlassian Confluence in just a few steps.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Generate your project plan

Load your project definition in Farline AI
Run the forecast for your scenarios

2. Copy the Mermaid chart

Click "Copy to Clipboard" on the Mermaid chart
The syntax is automatically copied

3. Install a Mermaid app in Confluence

Search for "Mermaid Charts & Diagrams" in Atlassian Marketplace
Or try "Mermaid Diagrams for Confluence"
Install to your Confluence space

4. Insert Mermaid in your page

In edit mode, type /mermaid
Or use Insert menu → Mermaid macro

5. Paste the syntax

Paste the copied Mermaid code
Chart renders automatically

6. Save and share

Your team can now view the timeline in Confluence
Updates sync when you paste new versions

Example

Here's how a Farline AI chart looks in Confluence:

Chart Features

Proportional Swimlanes

Both chart types show workstream sizes visually:

How it works:

Workstream row height scales with capacity
Larger teams get taller swimlanes
Easy to spot resource imbalances

Example:

Frontend Team (capacity: 12) → Taller swimlane
Design Team (capacity: 4) → Shorter swimlane

Timeline View

Charts show your complete project timeline:

Start/end dates for every work item
Dependencies shown as connections
Milestones marked at completion points
Critical path highlighted (items that affect end date)

Work Item Details

In Mermaid charts:

Work item name
Duration bars
Sequence and dependencies

In DayPilot charts:

All of the above, plus:
Interactive tooltips
Drag-and-drop (view only, doesn't update the project definition)
Context menus
Zoom and pan controls

Exporting Charts

Copy to Clipboard

For Mermaid charts:

Click "Copy to Clipboard" button
Paste into your tool of choice
Chart renders automatically in Mermaid-compatible apps

Take a Screenshot

For any chart type:

Use your OS screenshot tool
Capture the chart area
Paste into presentations, docs, or emails

Tip: Use fullscreen mode for cleaner screenshots (if available).

Using Charts in Other Tools

GitHub/GitLab

Markdown files support Mermaid:

```mermaid [paste Mermaid syntax here] ```

Notion

Create a code block
Set language to "Mermaid"
Paste syntax

Obsidian

Install Mermaid plugin, then use code blocks like GitHub.

PowerPoint/Google Slides

Take a screenshot and paste as an image.

Customizing Visualization

In Farline AI

Chart appearance is automatic based on your project definition:

Workstream names become swimlanes
Work item sizes determine bar lengths
Dependencies create connecting lines
Capacity affects swimlane height

In Your Tools

After pasting Mermaid syntax, you can:

Edit the syntax to adjust labels
Change colors (tool-dependent)
Add notes or annotations

Note: Changes in your tool won't sync back to Farline AI. Regenerate charts from the project definition for updates.

Troubleshooting

Chart Not Rendering in Confluence

Check:

Mermaid app is installed and active
You used the Mermaid macro (not a regular code block)
Syntax was copied completely (not truncated)

Try:

Reinstall the Mermaid app
Use a different Mermaid app from Marketplace
Check Confluence admin permissions

Chart Too Wide

Solutions:

Reduce number of concurrent work items
Split into multiple scenarios
Use shorter work item names
Scroll horizontally (most tools support this)

Can't See All Workstreams

Check:

All workstreams are defined in the project definition
Forecast ran successfully
Scroll down to see more swimlanes

Chart Looks Different in Tool

This is normal:

Different tools render Mermaid slightly differently
Colors, fonts, spacing may vary
Functionality is the same

Best Practices

For Documentation:

Use Mermaid charts (easy to update)
Keep project definitions in version control
Regenerate charts when project changes

For Presentations:

Take screenshots of DayPilot charts (better quality)
Highlight critical path or key milestones
Zoom to relevant timeframes

For Sharing:

Export as Mermaid for technical teams
Screenshots for executives/non-technical stakeholders
Include summary data alongside charts

Getting Started with Farline AI - Learn the basics
Understanding Project Definition Structure - How to define projects
Using the AI Chat - Build projects conversationally

Last updated: 2025-12-19

Visualizing Projects with Charts

On this page