Skip to main content
Loading...
Skip to article
  • Qualtrics Platform
    Qualtrics Platform
  • Customer Journey Optimizer
    Customer Journey Optimizer
  • XM Discover
    XM Discover
  • Qualtrics Social Connect
    Qualtrics Social Connect

Adding Reference Lines to Widgets (Studio)


Was this helpful?


This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The feedback you submit here is used only to help improve this page.

That’s great! Thank you for your feedback!

Thank you for your feedback!


About Adding Reference Lines to Widgets

Whether you’re adding a key date or a benchmark for metric performance, you can add reference lines that enhance your widgets’ meaning. In order to do this:

  1. Open the dashboard in Edit mode.
    editing mode in the dashboard
  2. Expand the  menu in the top-right corner of a widget.
    menu on the top of a widget
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Go to the Visualization tab.
    visualization tab in a widget
  5. Click the Options button.
Qtip: You can add up to 5 reference lines per widget.
Qtip: Once you create reference lines, you can return to the options menu to edit them.

Metric Reference Lines

You can add metric reference lines to present goals, baselines, benchmarks, or other static values in your reports.

reference lines in a widget

  1. Select Add Reference Line (or Show Metric Reference Lines if you’re editing a trend widget).
    reference line configuration options
  2. Name your reference line. This name will appear on the widget.
  3. Enter a value for your reference line. This is the place on the y-axis the line will appear.
    Qtip: If you are using a horizontal widget, the line will appear on the x-axis instead.
  4. Select a type of reference line. You can choose between solid and dotted lines, how many pixels it weighs, and the color of the line.
  5. Click Add.
    button to add lines to a widget
  6. When you’re finished adding lines, click Update.

Event Reference Lines

You can add reference lines that represent notable events and time spans in your trend reports.

event reference line in a widget

Attention: Event reference lines can only be added to bar and line widgets grouped by date (i.e., trend reports).

configuring an event reference line

  1. Select Show Event Reference Lines.
  2. Select the type of line:
    • Event: Represent a single date with a single vertical line placed on the x-axis.
    • Span: Represent a date range with a vertical block of solid color across the x-axis.
      Qtip: These instructions assume you are using a line widget or a vertical bar chart. If your bar chart is horizontal or if you’ve adjusted your line widget’s axis, the axes will be reversed.
  3. Name your reference line.
  4. Choose a style for your reference line.
    • If you selected Event, you can choose between solid and dotted lines, how many pixels it weighs, and the color of the line.
    • If you selected Span, you can only change the color.
  5. Define the date or date range for your line.>
  6. Click Add.
  7. When you’re finished adding lines, click Update.

Editing a Reference Line

  1. Open your widget and click Options.
  2. Click the edit icon.
    edit icon next to a reference line
  3. Make changes.
    editing configuration details of a reference line
  4. Click the edit icon again.
  5. Click Update.