Timeline editor
The Timeline editor lets you build or refine a sequence of dated events displayed on an interactive timeline. The AI provides a draft of events and a suggested time scale; you can reorder, add, remove, and correct entries in the widget before saving.
How to invoke it
Ask the AI to create a timeline in natural language:
- “Add a timeline of the key events of World War II”
- “Create a timeline of the history of the internet”
- “Show the geological eras on a timeline”
- “Build a timeline of the Apollo program missions”
The AI calls edit_timeline with a pre-filled draft and opens the widget.
Data fields
Timeline
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
title | string | Yes | The title of the timeline |
viewFactor | enum | Yes | The time scale — see View factors |
events | array | Yes | The events on the timeline. The AI generates 4 events by default if not specified. |
Each event
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
title | string | Yes | The name or headline of the event |
abstract | string | Yes | A short description of the event (1–3 sentences) |
edtfValue | string | Yes | The date or date range in EDTF format — see Date format |
Date format
Timeline dates use EDTF (Extended Date/Time Format), a standard designed to express historical dates with varying precision and uncertainty.
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Specific date | 1969-07-20 | 20 July 1969 |
| Year only | 1945 | The year 1945 |
| Year-month | 1989-11 | November 1989 |
| Date interval | 1939/1945 | From 1939 to 1945 |
| Open-ended interval | 1760/ | From 1760 onwards |
| Negative year | -3500 | 3500 BCE |
| Approximate | 1969~ | Approximately 1969 |
| Uncertain | 1969? | Possibly 1969 |
The AI will automatically choose the right EDTF notation based on what you describe. You can adjust dates in the widget if the draft is not precise enough.
View factors
The viewFactor controls the granularity of the timeline axis. Choose the scale that best matches the span of your events:
| Value | Use for |
|---|---|
seconds | Real-time sequences (experiments, reactions) |
minutes | Short processes |
hours | Events within a day |
days | Multi-day events, expeditions |
weeks | Weeks-long campaigns or projects |
two_weeks | Fortnightly intervals |
months | Month-to-month developments |
six_months | Half-year increments |
years | Annual historical events (most common) |
five_years | Medium-term spans (decades of change) |
decades | Decade-by-decade history |
centuries | Long historical arcs |
millennia | Prehistoric or civilisational timescales |
million_years | Geological and evolutionary history |
billion_years | Cosmological or deep geological time |
The AI selects the most appropriate view factor automatically based on the events’ date range.
Tips
- Let the AI choose the scale. If you are unsure which
viewFactorto use, describe the events and the AI will pick the right one. - Mix precision levels freely. You can have some events with full ISO dates and others with year-only values on the same timeline — EDTF handles this.
- Negative years for BCE dates. If you’re covering ancient history, the AI will use negative EDTF values (e.g.
-44for 44 BCE). - Intervals for durations. Use date ranges (
1914/1918) for events that span a period rather than a single moment.