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Data Labels & Annotations

Data Labels & Annotations

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4 mins READ

Overview

The Chart block provides two distinct mechanisms for marking up chart content with additional text:

  • Data Labels — show the numeric value (or a formatted string) directly on each data point, bar, or line marker. Configured per series. Available on most chart types.

  • Annotations / Data Callout — static or data-bound text boxes that point to specific data points on a chart. Available on the Column chart only. Used to call attention to a specific value (e.g., "Product Launch" on a specific date).

Warning: The Annotation / Data Callout feature is only available on Column chart type. Bar, Line, Scatter, and other types support Data Labels but not Annotations.

Data Labels

Data labels render a text element adjacent to each data point in a series. They eliminate the need for users to hover to see values.

Enabling Data Labels

  1. Open the Chart block's series configuration for the target series.

  2. Enable the Data Labels toggle on the series.

  3. Configure content, format, and position.

Data Label Properties

PropertyOptions / DefaultDescription
Contentvalue / custom expressionWhat to display. Default is the series value. You can write a custom expression to show formatted text, percentages, or computed strings.
Formatnumber format stringNumber formatting for the value (e.g., $#,##0 for currency, 0.0% for percentages).
Positiontop, bottom, inside, outside, left, right, middleWhere the label is placed relative to the data point or bar. Available positions depend on chart type.
OverlaptoggleWhen disabled (default), overlapping labels are automatically hidden to reduce clutter. Enable to force all labels to show even when they overlap.
Font / Colorfont size, colorLabel text styling.

Supported Chart Types

Chart TypeData LabelsNotes
ColumnYesPosition: top, inside, middle, bottom
BarYesPosition: left, right, inside, outside
LineYesLabels appear at each marker point
AreaYesLabels appear at each marker point
ScatterYesLabels appear next to each point
PieLimitedUse Total toggle or Center slot instead
Heat MapYes (Show Cell Labels)See Heatmap page

Annotations (Data Callout)

Annotations let you attach a text callout box with an arrow to a specific data point on a Column chart. The annotation points to the X/Y coordinate of the data point and shows a custom label — typically used to mark an event, milestone, or inflection point.

Tip: Add an annotation to mark a product launch date, a campaign start, or a policy change on a time-series column chart so viewers can see exactly when events occurred relative to the data trend.

Adding an Annotation

  1. Open Annotations: In the Chart block's Content configuration, find the Annotations (or Data Callout) section. Click Add Annotation.

  2. Target the data point: Set the X Value to match the category or date of the column you want to annotate. This must exactly match a value present in your X axis data.

  3. Set the annotation text: Enter the Label to display in the callout. You can bind this dynamically or write a static string.

  4. Configure appearance: Set callout arrow direction, background color, and font style for the annotation box.

Annotation Properties

PropertyDescription
X ValueThe X-axis category or date value to target. Must exactly match a value in the data.
SeriesWhich series the annotation points to (determines the Y position of the arrow tip).
LabelThe text to display in the annotation callout box.
Arrow DirectionWhich direction the callout arrow points: up, down, left, right.
Background ColorFill color for the callout box.
Text ColorColor for the annotation label text.

Behavior & Gotchas

⚠ Dense data causes label overlap

When there are many data points, data labels will overlap. The Overlap toggle controls whether they auto-hide in this case. For dense charts, rely on tooltips for detail and use data labels only for sparse key series.

⚠ Annotation X Value must exactly match data

If you set an annotation to X Value = "2024-01" and your data uses "Jan 2024", the annotation will not appear — the block looks for an exact string match. Always check your axis label format and match the annotation value exactly.

⚠ Annotations are not supported on Bar, Line, Scatter, or Pie

The annotation (data callout) feature is only available on the Column chart type. For other chart types, use data labels for in-chart text, or place a text block overlaid on the chart canvas for manual annotations.