Show HN: I built a tool to generate charts from text

#1

Post by kristoff200512 » Wed, Jul 09, 2025, 7:03 PM UTC

I built ChartFromText.com to solve a simple but recurring annoyance of mine. I often need a quick chart for a README file, a Slack message, or a simple presentation, and firing up Google Sheets or Excel always felt like overkill. The goal was to create the absolute fastest path from raw data to a usable chart. You just paste text like Apples: 50, Bananas: 80, and the chart appears instantly. What it does: Parses simple key-value text (colons, commas, or newlines). Instantly generates Pie, Bar, and Line charts. Renders data labels directly on the chart for readability. Lets you download the chart as a PNG with a clean, white background, ready for use anywhere. The Tech Stack: I intentionally kept it as simple as possible. It's a single HTML file with: Vanilla JavaScript for all the logic. No frameworks. Chart.js and the chartjs-plugin-datalabels for the heavy lifting on the charting side. They are fantastic libraries. TailwindCSS via the CDN for styling. It allowed me to build a clean UI very quickly without a build step. The entire thing is client-side, so your data never leaves your browser, which was a key principle for me. I've tried to build a tool that I would love to use: fast, free, private, and does one thing well. I would genuinely love to get your feedback. Is the UI intuitive? Are there any obvious features missing that you'd expect? Does it render correctly on your device? Thanks for checking it out!

Show HN: I built a tool to generate charts from text
chartfromtext.com

Re: Show HN: I built a tool to generate charts from text

#2

Post by yamatokaneko » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 7:43 AM UTC

> I often need a quick chart for a README file, a Slack message, or a simple presentation, and firing up Google Sheets or Excel always felt like overkill.

I totally get this! At the same time, I often find I don’t even need actual numbers—just labeling the X and Y axes and describing the general shape of the line is enough to communicate the idea. Not sure how to do that though.

Re: Show HN: I built a tool to generate charts from text

#3

Post by adrianwaj » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 10:27 AM UTC

Colors repeat themselves after 8 items, and labels don't show after 18 items.

Can be used on WP blogs when counting category or tag labels. Do plugin?

For large datasets, see something like https://www.instagram.com/visualcap/p/DLDnLKvvIQC/ -- perhaps look at https://masonry.desandro.com/ - but something else might be better.

https://www.instagram.com/visualcap/p/DLfL3ahvAPQ/ (percentage measurement)

-- Imagine having this done in real-time for all the coins and their market caps, or maybe a subset of the middle-tier coins

Re: Show HN: I built a tool to generate charts from text

#4

Post by kristoff200512 » Fri, Jul 11, 2025, 1:22 AM UTC

adrianwaj wrote: post #3

Colors repeat themselves after 8 items, and labels don't show after 18 items. Can be used on WP blogs when counting category or tag labels. Do plugin? For large datasets, see something like https://www.instagram.com/visualcap/p/DLDnLKvvIQC/ -- perhaps look at https://masonry.desandro.com/ - but something else might be better. https://www.instagram.com/visualcap/p/DLfL3ahvAPQ/ (percentage measurement) -- Imagine havin…

Thank you so much for your feedback! I will add more colors, and I'm also considering allowing custom colors for individual data points in the future. I’ll look into the WP plugin as well.

Regarding large datasets, would a format like this https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL3IOxmyCk6/? I can use horizontal bar charts to show rankings, and also generate them as dynamic GIFs.

Would you need the image in other formats as well, such as JPG or something else?

Thanks again for using it. Once the updates are complete, would you be willing to try it again and share more suggestions? Thank you!

Re: Show HN: I built a tool to generate charts from text

#5

Post by kristoff200512 » Fri, Jul 11, 2025, 1:24 AM UTC

yamatokaneko wrote: post #2

> I often need a quick chart for a README file, a Slack message, or a simple presentation, and firing up Google Sheets or Excel always felt like overkill. I totally get this! At the same time, I often find I don’t even need actual numbers—just labeling the X and Y axes and describing the general shape of the line is enough to communicate the idea. Not sure how to do that though.

Thank you so much for your feedback!

Do you mean removing the numbers on the bars? If so, would you still need the numbers on the x or y axis?

Re: Show HN: I built a tool to generate charts from text

#6

Post by adrianwaj » Fri, Jul 11, 2025, 8:32 AM UTC

kristoff200512 wrote: post #4

adrianwaj wrote: post #3

Colors repeat themselves after 8 items, and labels don't show after 18 items. Can be used on WP blogs when counting category or tag labels. Do plugin? For large datasets, see something like https://www.instagram.com/visualcap/p/DLDnLKvvIQC/ -- perhaps look at https://masonry.desandro.com/ - but something else might be better. https://www.instagram.com/visualcap/p/DLfL3ahvAPQ/ (percentage measurement) -- Imagine havin…

Thank you so much for your feedback! I will add more colors, and I'm also considering allowing custom colors for individual data points in the future. I’ll look into the WP plugin as well. Regarding large datasets, would a format like this https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL3IOxmyCk6/ ? I can use horizontal bar charts to show rankings, and also generate them as dynamic GIFs. Would you need the image in other formats as…

Yeah, it's about visualizing the long tail. Here's one for crypto. https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1943454928456028626/photo/1

I suppose the key is to minimize blank space but still make it understandable and readable.

A drill-down animation would be interesting for zooming-in.

I use WebP myself.

Just keep adding to this item. :)