timeline-builder

Timeline Builder

Generate beautiful interactive timeline HTML pages from JSON configuration data, with three layout modes:

1. Vertical layout (vertical) — A classic top-to-bottom timeline with event cards alternating on either side of the axis
2. Horizontal layout (horizontal) — A horizontally scrollable timeline, best for displaying fewer events
3. Dual-side layout (dual-side) — Events are placed on the left or right based on the side field, great for side-by-side comparisons

All layouts support:

• Click to expand/collapse event details
• Mobile-friendly responsive design
• Custom theme colors, icons, and category labels
• Pure static HTML with zero dependencies — opens directly in any browser

Usage

Basic: Generate from a JSON config file

python3 scripts/generate_timeline.py --config timeline_data.json --output timeline.html

Read JSON from stdin

cat timeline_data.json | python3 scripts/generate_timeline.py --stdin --output timeline.html

Override layout mode (takes precedence over config file)

python3 scripts/generate_timeline.py --config data.json --layout horizontal --output timeline.html

JSON Configuration Format

{
  "title": "Project Milestones",
  "layout": "vertical",
  "theme": {
    "primaryColor": "#2563eb",
    "secondaryColor": "#7c3aed",
    "backgroundColor": "#ffffff",
    "textColor": "#1f2937",
    "lineColor": "#d1d5db",
    "fontFamily": "system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif"
  },
  "events": [
    {
      "date": "2024-01-15",
      "title": "Project Kickoff",
      "summary": "Approval completed, core team assembled",
      "details": "Detailed description text, shown when the card is expanded...",
      "icon": "🚀",
      "category": "Milestone",
      "color": "#10b981",
      "side": "left"
    }
  ]
}

CLI Arguments

| Argument | Description |

|----------|-------------|

| --config, -c | Path to the JSON config file (mutually exclusive with --stdin) |

| --stdin | Read JSON from standard input |

| --output, -o | Output HTML file path (defaults to stdout) |

| --layout, -l | Override layout mode: vertical, horizontal, dual-side |

| --title, -t | Override the timeline title |

Event Fields

| Field | Required | Description |

|-------|----------|-------------|

| date | Yes | Date label — any format works (e.g. 2024-01, Q1 2024, Phase One) |

| title | Yes | Event title |

| summary | No | Short description, always visible on the card |

| details | No | Detailed content, revealed on click |

| icon | No | Emoji or single-character icon (defaults to ●) |

| category | No | Category tag displayed on the card |

| color | No | Event node color (overrides the theme color) |

| side | No | Only for dual-side layout: left or right |

Use Cases

• Project milestone displays
• Product release histories
• Company growth timelines
• Personal resume timelines
• Course syllabus outlines
• Any scenario requiring chronological information display

Dependencies

• Python 3.6+ (standard library only — no extra packages required)