Charts and timelines
Ask Bilby for a chart, a timeline, a map or a diagram, change how it looks, ask about part of it, and save it as an image.
3 min read · Updated 31 Oct 2026
Before you begin
What Bilby can draw
| Ask for | What you get | Pick it with |
|---|---|---|
| A chart | An interactive bar, line, area or pie chart in the answer, with a table of its numbers | Create chart |
| A timeline | Events in order down the page, each with its detail | Create timeline |
| A map | Values by country, state or region, coloured on a map | Create geo map |
| A diagram | Who connects to whom, or how a process runs, in the chat's Diagrams panel | Create diagram |
You can ask in words, such as "chart this by month", or pick the kind first: type @ in the question box, or choose it on the home page under Outputs or Timings.
Step 1: Ask for it
Make a timeline of the semiconductor export controls announced in Asia since 2023, then chart how many new controls there were each month this year.
Bilby researches first, then draws. If something in a timeline is approximate or still to come, Bilby says so.
New semiconductor export controls, by month
Aug 2026 → Oct 20262Step 2: Change how it looks
Point at the chart and press ⋯ at its top right for Chart options:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Chart or Table | Shows the chart, or the numbers behind it |
| Time range | On charts that come with ranges, such as a Bilby Signal's, shows 1W, 1M, 3M, 6M, 1Y or All |
| Download PNG, Copy PNG | Saves the chart as an image, or copies it to paste elsewhere |
| Copy table, Download CSV | In table view, copies the numbers or saves them for a spreadsheet |
| Chart settings | Shows or hides each axis and the values, stacks bars, smooths lines, and changes Colors. Reset to theme puts the colours back |
These change how the chart looks, not its numbers.
Step 3: Ask about part of it
On a chart over time, drag across the stretch you want to ask about. It's shaded, and its dates show at the top, such as "Aug 2026 → Oct 2026". Now type your question, such as "What happened here?". Bilby knows which part you mean. Press × beside the dates to clear it.
Step 4: Timelines, maps and diagrams
- Timelines. Press an event to open its detail. Expand all opens every one, and Collapse all closes them again.
- Maps. Point at a country or region for its value. Expand map opens it full size, with its legend.
- Diagrams. They open in the Diagrams panel beside the chat. Scroll to zoom and drag to pan. Export saves it as Download SVG (vector), Download PNG or Download PDF.
Keep going in the same chat to change any of them: "Add the 2022 controls", "Colour the map by change since last year", "Redraw the diagram around the trade ministry".
Tip
Bilby Signals have charts of their own. Open Timings on the home page, choose a Bilby Signal, set its range, and press Use in my question to ask about exactly that window.
Try it in Bilby
Ask for a timeline and a chart. We've typed it in for you.
Change the subject or the years to your own before you press Send.