Best way to generate a history timeline?

[Jennifer]

I have been thinking about creating some timelines to show the grandkids the history of the universe, the earth, the country, etc.

I was puzzled about how to position the markers appropriately. I came up with this scheme. I made a spreadsheet that will calculate the offset of each point relative to the start of the timeline. That will allow me to position them by setting the X value. Here's a sample of the spreadsheet for the history of the universe:



And this is the resulting timeline:



It's a little tedious, but it works. Is there a better way?

One question: I locked the Width, Height, and Rotation properties of the little vertical marker lines. I thought I would only have to change one of the X values, but when I change one, that end moves, but the other one remains behind. When I set the other one, it realigns. Is this how it's supposed to work? Is there a way that I can change just one and have the other one change as well -- kinda like the width and height do for squares and circles.

[Visisthebest]

Following with great interest!

[Jennifer]

This is what I have so far.



Comments?

I do have one question. How can I capture that last (third) timeline as a saved object (shape?) so I can put it at the top of the next page and have any changes I make to the original on page 1 show up on page 2.

Thanks

[wapperdude]

Perhaps you can group it.  Then move the group to the document stencil.  From the document stencil copy back to the 1st page and to your new page.  Do future edits to the shape on the document stencil.

This is the best effort that I've seen for making a timeline that extends so far back in time.  The amount of detail seems about right.  What reference did you use?

[Jennifer]

Perhaps you can group it.  Then move the group to the document stencil.  From the document stencil copy back to the 1st page and to your new page.  Do future edits to the shape on the document stencil.

OK, I'll give that a try.

This is the best effort that I've seen for making a timeline that extends so far back in time.  The amount of detail seems about right.  What reference did you use?

Thanks. I just did a bunch of Internet queries, like "When did dinosaurs first appear on earth?". The answers varied somewhat, so I took the one that looked like the most substantial. The farther back you go, the less certainty there is. I plan to put this in a document (PDF) where I'll explain about the accuracy of the dates. This is not supposed to be scientifically accurate to 10 decimal places. I'm just trying to give the grandkids a sense of time and their place in it.

Here's my latest version. Let me know if you have any suggestions or comments.



Do you like the connecting shape or the simple down arrow in the previous version? And if the connecting shape, which color (lighter or darker)?

I like the connecting shapes, but that makes it harder to put in a document with text in between.

[wapperdude]

The label for 2.1B years don't agree for the top and middle charts.  That's the only thing that caught my eye.

[Jennifer]

The label for 2.1B years don't agree for the top and middle charts.  That's the only thing that caught my eye.

Ah, good catch. I'll fix that. Thanks. 🙂

Now if I can just get those master shapes to act like they really are the "masters" of their subjects, I'll be in business. 

[wapperdude]

Oops.  Missed your two opinion questions.  So, I like the connecting shape.  The green is fine.  The effect is not intrusive, and its purpose is unmistakable.  I say keep it as is.

[Jennifer]

Oops.  Missed your two opinion questions.  So, I like the connecting shape.  The green is fine.  The effect is not intrusive, and its purpose is unmistakable.  I say keep it as is.

Thanks. I like it that way, too. The problem is that it makes it difficult to include explanatory text. That's the only reason I tried the red arrows.

I think what I'll do is put the timelines on their own pages, possibly with callouts or labels that I can refer to in completely separate text. I think the timelines have to be landscape to be readable, which would make the text harder to read. This way the text can be portrait.

[Jennifer]

Oops.  Missed your two opinion questions.  So, I like the connecting shape.  The green is fine.  The effect is not intrusive, and its purpose is unmistakable.  I say keep it as is.

PS: Would you then delete yellow rectangles or leave them in to further highlight the sections being expanded upon?



vs



Thanks for the feedback!

[wapperdude]

The yellow rectangles are fine.  They augment the connecting shape.  Visually they grab your attention and then the connecting shape pushes you to the next expanded region.  To me, it all works together nicely.

[Jennifer]

The yellow rectangles are fine.  They augment the connecting shape.  Visually they grab your attention and then the connecting shape pushes you to the next expanded region.  To me, it all works together nicely.

OK, thanks