I have a side project that I fuss with sometimes and I can't decide what to do with, and one of the many ideas I have is creating a timeline of important events. In researching how I might do this, I found this library.
TimelineJS is an open-source tool that enables anyone to build visually rich, interactive timelines. Beginners can create a timeline using nothing more than a Google spreadsheet, like the one we used for the Timeline above. Experts can use their JSON skills to create custom installations, while keeping TimelineJS's core functionality.
From their docs:
- Keep it short. We recommend not having more than 20 slides for a reader to click through.
- Pick stories that have a strong chronological narrative. It does not work well for stories that need to jump around in the timeline.
- Write each event as a part of a larger narrative.
- Include events that build up to major occurrences — not just the major events.
Their docs include a live timeline that builds from a linked spreadsheet, and includes a lot of really neat examples. I can think of a past client where this might have come in handy, if I'd known any JS at all at the time.
