#Charts

When the shape of the data is the point, Arachne hands it back as a chart you can read at a glance.

#Overview

A chart is one of the eight formats Arachne uses to present what it produces. It is a visual graph — a way to see the shape of data rather than read it row by row. When a trend, a distribution, a comparison of sizes, or a change over time is what matters, a picture carries the meaning faster than a list of numbers ever could.

Arachne chooses the chart format automatically when the result is something best understood visually. You do not have to ask for it or describe how to draw it. You describe the outcome you want, and when the answer is fundamentally about how values relate or move, Arachne shows you a chart.

#What you can do

With a chart you can:

  • See a trend over time at a glance, instead of scanning a column of figures for the direction it is heading.
  • Compare the relative size of several things in one view, so the differences are immediately obvious.
  • Spot the outlier, the spike, or the gap that a table would bury in its rows.
  • Reuse the chart as an artifact — it is saved with the rest of your work, so you can reopen it, build on it, or include it elsewhere.
  • Ask for a different format if a chart is not what you need: the same underlying result can be shown as a table when you want exact values, a comparison when you are weighing options, or a dashboard when several views belong together.

#How to use it

  1. Describe the result you want in plain language. Focus on the outcome — the question you want answered — not on the format. If the answer is naturally visual, Arachne presents it as a chart.
  2. Read the chart for its shape first: the overall direction, the biggest and smallest values, anything that stands out. That is what the format is for.
  3. If you want the precise numbers behind the picture, ask for the same result as a table. Arachne can present the same data in whichever format fits.
  4. Keep it. The chart is saved as an artifact, so you can return to it, reuse it, or export it later.
Tip

If you already know you want both the visual and the exact figures, just say so — ask for the trend as a chart and the underlying numbers as a table, and you will get both.

#Examples

What you ask:

text
Track how the price of this product has changed over the past year and show me the trend.

What you see: a chart plotting the price across the year, with the rise and fall of the line making the overall direction clear at a single look.

What you ask:

text
Compare the sizes of these five options so I can see which is biggest.

What you see: a chart placing the five values side by side as bars, so the largest and smallest stand out instantly and the gaps between them are easy to judge.

#Tips

  • Let Arachne pick the format. Ask for the insight — "show me the trend," "how do these compare in size" — and the chart follows naturally when the data is visual.
  • Use a chart to see and a table to read. When you need exact values, ask for the same result as a table; the two complement each other.
  • Charts are saved as artifacts, so you never have to recreate one — reopen it from your work whenever you need it again.
  • If a chart is showing too much at once, narrow the request: fewer items or a tighter time range makes the shape easier to read.