Timeline Maker

Helpful companions while you build: clean pasted data with the Whitespace and Formatting Cleaner, strip extra lines using Remove Empty Lines, prep event lists with the Text ↔ List Converter, and count length for briefs via the Word & Character Counter. If your timeline supports calculations or units, format numbers first with the Unit Converter.

What the Timeline Maker does

• CSV import & validation: Paste or upload CSV with columns such as date, title, description, category, era, and optional color.
• Eras & categories: Group years into eras and tag events by theme (political, scientific, literature). Toggle visibility to focus your narrative.
• Color themes & contrast: Choose accessible palettes that read well in print and on projectors.
• Zoom & density controls: View centuries at once or zoom into a decade for detail.
• Drag-reorder & keyboard move: Adjust sequences quickly while keeping dates locked.
• Export & embed: Copy responsive HTML, download SVG for slides, or save JSON for later edits.
• Accessibility: ARIA labels, keyboard navigation, and logical reading order built in.

Quick start

1. Open the Timeline Maker.
2. Paste CSV or type events. Example columns: date,title,description,category,era,color.
3. Assign eras, pick a theme, and toggle categories to refine your view.
4. Use zoom for dense periods and drag-reorder for clean sequencing.
5. Export to HTML or SVG. Paste into your LMS, blog, or slides. Save JSON for versioned updates.

Examples that work well

• History: Renaissance key figures, World War II campaigns, Independence movements.
• Science: Space exploration milestones, periodic table history, vaccine breakthroughs.
• Literature: Major publications by era, author life events, movements like Romanticism.
• Education planning: Semester schedules and assessment dates (pair with the Math Formula Renderer for crisp equations in notes).
• Project management: Milestones for product launches - combine with the Quick Table Generator to publish supporting data tables.

Clean data in, clean timeline out

Good timelines start with tidy inputs. Normalize spacing with the Whitespace and Formatting Cleaner, remove stray blanks via Remove Empty Lines, and convert lists with the Text ↔ List Converter. For references, generate citations using the BibTeX to Citation Converter.

Accessibility & printing tips

• Color contrast: Pick high-contrast themes for projectors. Avoid conveying meaning by color alone - use category labels.
• Alt text: When embedding as images, add short alt text such as timeline of space missions 1957–1975.
• Print and PDF: Prefer SVG export for sharp printouts and accessible text in PDFs.

Troubleshooting

• Dates not recognized: Use ISO style YYYY-MM-DD or year-only YYYY. Clean the CSV with our Whitespace Cleaner.
• Events overlap: Zoom in or split into eras; long descriptions can be moved into notes.
• Theme mismatch: Switch to another palette or export SVG and style in your slide theme.

Related tools and guides

• Guide: CSV to Responsive HTML Tables for publishing datasets alongside timelines.
• Citations 101 with BibTeX for better sources and bibliographies.
• LaTeX to Image with MathJax to include formulas in your teaching timelines.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Timeline Maker free?

Yes. It is free for normal use and there is no sign in.

Do you upload or store my events?

No. The tool runs entirely in your browser. Your data stays on your device.

Can I import CSV from Google Sheets?

Yes. Export a CSV from Sheets and upload, or copy-paste rows directly.

What file formats can I export?

Export HTML for embeds, SVG for slides and printing, or JSON for re-editing later.

How do I style categories?

Assign a category per event and pick a theme. You can toggle categories on and off to focus the story.

Try it now