FAQ (Check here first before asking a question to the group)

[Zach Wise]

How do I use Google Spreadsheets?

Here is a how-to on using Google Spreadsheets for TimelineJS: http://timeline.verite.co/#fileformat

 

What browsers does TimelineJS support?

All modern browsers are supported as well as Internet Explorer 8 and above. 

If you run into problems with IE8 or IE9 and get a error message saying IE7 is not supported, it may be because you are running the browser in IE7 compatibility mode. Here are directions on how to change the compatibility mode: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1196-internet-explorer-compatibility-view-turn-off.html

 

Why is my timeline not displaying or it's stuck at the parsing data screen?

If you're using a Google Spreadsheet as your source, make sure your Google spreadsheet is public and published. Also make sure you don't have any empty rows in the spreadsheet since this can sometimes cause problems.

 

How many entries will work best in TimelineJS?

Timeline is optimized for up to 100 entries preferably more like 20-30. Anything else may cause a loading issue (either too slow or not at all).

 

How do I change the height of the timeline?

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!category-topic/verite-timeline/how-to/qSPDO2iJt34%5B1-25%5D

 

How do I embed audio or video?

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!category-topic/verite-timeline/how-to/51D-CgbAcg0%5B1-25%5D

 

Can I change the TimelineJS font?

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!category-topic/verite-timeline/how-to/EAaBttHnF-g%5B1-25%5D

 

How do I hide the bottom timeline?

If this is your end goal it may be easier for you to use a slider tool rather than TimelineJS.

Here are some ways you can remove the timeline bar:

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!category-topic/verite-timeline/how-to/QyAxN2qLP0Y%5B1-25%5D

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!category-topic/verite-timeline/feature-request/S00FJp9uFds%5B1-25%5D

 

How do I use TimelineJS with Wordpress?

There is a plugin for Wordpress: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/timeline-verite-shortcode/

 

Here is a link with some coding instructions: http://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-verite-timeline-getting-wordpress-posts-into-timeline

 

If the Wordpress plugin is out of date you can use the iFrame embed method: 

http://timeline.verite.co/#embed 

 

Why aren't there thumbnails on my events?

Thumbnails are only shown from Flickr, Youtube, Vimeo etc. That was done for performance reasons. Having a very large image file as a thumbnail really slows down the timeline. Flickr, Youtube etc have actual thumbnail sized images that can be used that don't cause performance issues. https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!category-topic/verite-timeline/a1U12ZY6JQ4[1-25]

You can also create your own thumbnails.

 

What programing language is TimelineJS written in?

TimelineJS is all javascript, for any php questions please refer to another source.

 

Can TimelineJS be set up with time denominators other than calendar dates?

Yes. See here for hacking idea: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!category-topic/verite-timeline/hOfQwmzXA30[1-25]

 

Can I change the vertical position of an event in TimelineJS?

Yes. See here for how: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!category-topic/verite-timeline/how-to/FB8u56wFAsE

Why does the timeline not show days or hours etc?

The display of the timeline is dynamic. It chooses a time interval that best matches the number of events there are with the amount of time that is covered. 

Is it possible to have more than 6 tags?

Not at the moment. 

Can I change the number of rows on the timeline?

The default number of rows is 3. If you are using tags and you have more than 3 tags, the number of rows increases to 6.

Why does the event display Month instead of Month, Day?

If the event is on the first day of the month and no time is specified it shows only the month. The same is true for year. If the event date is the first day of the first month of the year, it only shows the year.

Can I use an Excel spreadsheet instead of Google Spreadsheets?

No, but it's pretty easy to copy rows into a Google Spreadsheet. TimelineJS uses Google's API to access the data from the Google Spreadsheet and turns it into native TimelineJS json. 

Can I use a database as the data source for TimelineJS?

Yes. JSON is the best format (and safest) for feeding information into TimelineJS from a database. Just use your language of choice to create a json file from your database.

Can my language be added?

Yes! Just grab a copy of the template and replace the language with the language you want to create. Save the file and post it to the Google Group or you can do a pull request on GitHub.

[Zach Wise]

How do I add B.C. dates?

You can add dates that are B.C. by using negative years. For example, -100 would be 100 B.C.

[Zach Wise]

What are tags?

Tags are essentially categories. You can have up to 6 of them to categorize events on the timeline. The events on the timeline will align with their category row.