# Label Annotations

Label annotations are used to add contents on the chart area. This can be useful for describing values that are of interest.

const options = {
  plugins: {
    autocolors: false,
    annotation: {
      annotations: {
        label1: {
          type: 'label',
          xValue: 2.5,
          yValue: 60,
          backgroundColor: 'rgba(245,245,245)',
          content: ['This is my text', 'This is my text, second line'],
          font: {
            size: 18
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
};

# Configuration

# Label annotation specific options

The following options are available for label annotations.

Name Type Scriptable Default
backgroundShadowColor Color Yes 'transparent'
borderCapStyle string Yes 'butt'
borderJoinStyle string Yes 'miter'
borderRadius number | object Yes 0
borderWidth number Yes 0
callout object Yes
color Color Yes 'black'
content string|string[]|Image (opens new window)|HTMLCanvasElement (opens new window) Yes null
font Font Yes {}
height number|string Yes undefined
padding Padding Yes 6
position string|{x: string, y: string} Yes 'center'
rotation number Yes 0
textAlign string Yes 'center'
textStrokeColor Color Yes undefined
textStrokeWidth number Yes 0
width number|string Yes undefined
xAdjust number Yes 0
xValue number | string Yes undefined
yAdjust number Yes 0
yValue number | string Yes undefined

# Common options to all annotations

The following options are available for all annotations.

Name Type Scriptable Default
adjustScaleRange boolean Yes true
backgroundColor Color Yes options.color
borderColor Color Yes options.color
borderDash number[] Yes []
borderDashOffset number Yes 0
borderShadowColor Color Yes 'transparent'
display boolean Yes true
drawTime string Yes 'afterDatasetsDraw'
shadowBlur number Yes 0
shadowOffsetX number Yes 0
shadowOffsetY number Yes 0
xMax number | string Yes undefined
xMin number | string Yes undefined
xScaleID string Yes undefined
yMin number | string Yes undefined
yMax number | string Yes undefined
yScaleID string Yes undefined
z number Yes 0

# General

If one of the axes does not match an axis in the chart, the content will be rendered in the center of the chart. The 2 coordinates, xValue, yValue are optional. If not specified, the content will be rendered in the center of the scale dimension.

The 4 coordinates, xMin, xMax, yMin, yMax are optional. If not specified, the box is expanded out to the edges in the respective direction and the box size is used to calculated the center of the point. To enable to use the box positioning, the radius must be set to 0 or NaN.

Name Description
adjustScaleRange Should the scale range be adjusted if this annotation is out of range.
content The content to show in the text annotation.
display Whether or not this annotation is visible.
drawTime See drawTime.
height Overrides the height of the image or canvas element. Could be set in pixel by a number, or in percentage of current height of image or canvas element by a string. If undefined, uses the height of the image or canvas element. It is used only when the content is an image or canvas element.
padding The padding to add around the text label.
rotation Rotation of the label in degrees.
textAlign Text alignment of label content when there's more than one line. Possible options are: 'left', 'start', 'center', 'end', 'right'.
width Overrides the width of the image or canvas element. Could be set in pixel by a number, or in percentage of current width of image or canvas element by a string. If undefined, uses the width of the image or canvas element. It is used only when the content is an image or canvas element.
xAdjust Adjustment along x-axis (left-right) of label relative to computed position. Negative values move the label left, positive right.
xMax Right edge of the box in units along the x axis.
xMin Left edge of the box in units along the x axis.
xScaleID ID of the X scale to bind onto. If missing, the plugin will try to use the scale of the chart, configured as 'x' axis. If more than one scale has been defined in the chart as 'x' axis, the option is mandatory to select the right scale.
xValue X coordinate of the point in units along the x axis.
yAdjust Adjustment along y-axis (top-bottom) of label relative to computed position. Negative values move the label up, positive down.
yMax Bottom edge of the box in units along the y axis.
yMin Top edge of the box in units along the y axis.
yScaleID ID of the Y scale to bind onto. If missing, the plugin will try to use the scale of the chart, configured as 'y' axis. If more than one scale has been defined in the chart as 'y' axis, the option is mandatory to select the right scale.
yValue Y coordinate of the point in units along the y axis.
z The z property determines the drawing stack level of the label annotation element. All visible elements will be drawn in ascending order of z option, with the same drawTime option.

# Styling

Name Description
backgroundColor Fill color.
backgroundShadowColor The color of shadow. See MDN (opens new window).
borderCapStyle Cap style of the border line. See MDN (opens new window).
borderColor Stroke color.
borderDash Length and spacing of dashes. See MDN (opens new window).
borderDashOffset Offset for border line dashes. See MDN (opens new window).
borderJoinStyle Border line join style. See MDN (opens new window).
borderShadowColor The color of the border shadow. See MDN (opens new window).
borderWidth Stroke width (in pixels).
color Text color.
font Text font.
shadowBlur The amount of blur applied to shadow of the box where the label is located. See MDN (opens new window).
shadowOffsetX The distance that shadow, of the box where the label is located, will be offset horizontally. See MDN (opens new window).
shadowOffsetY The distance that shadow, of the box where the label is located, will be offset vertically. See MDN (opens new window).
textStrokeColor The color of the stroke around the text.
textStrokeWidth Stroke width around the text.

# Position

A position can be set in 2 different values types:

  1. 'start', 'center', 'end' which are defining where the label will be located
  2. a string, in percentage format 'number%', is representing the percentage on the size where the label will be located

If this value is a string (possible options are 'start', 'center', 'end' or a string in percentage format), it is applied to vertical and horizontal position in the box.

If this value is an object, the x property defines the horizontal alignment in the label, with respect to the selected point. Similarly, the y property defines the vertical alignment in the label, with respect to the selected point. Possible options for both properties are 'start', 'center', 'end', a string in percentage format. Omitted property have value of the default, 'center'.

# borderRadius

If this value is a number, it is applied to all corners of the rectangle (topLeft, topRight, bottomLeft, bottomRight). If this value is an object, the topLeft property defines the top-left corners border radius. Similarly, the topRight, bottomLeft, and bottomRight properties can also be specified. Omitted corners have radius of 0.

# Callout

A callout connects the label by a line to the selected point.

Namespace: options.annotations[annotationID].callout, it defines options for the callout on the annotation label.

const options = {
  plugins: {
    autocolors: false,
    annotation: {
      annotations: {
        label1: {
          type: 'label',
          xValue: 2.5,
          yValue: 60,
          xAdjust: 290,
          yAdjust: -100,
          backgroundColor: 'rgba(245,245,245)',
          content: ['In this point of time,', 'something happened'],
          textAlign: 'start',
          font: {
            size: 18
          },
          callout: {
            display: true,
            side: 10
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
};

All of these options can be Scriptable.

Name Type Default Notes
borderCapStyle string 'butt' Cap style of the border line of callout. See MDN (opens new window).
borderColor Color undefined Stroke color of the pointer of the callout.
borderDash number[] [] Length and spacing of dashes of callout. See MDN (opens new window).
borderDashOffset number 0 Offset for line dashes of callout. See MDN (opens new window).
borderJoinStyle string 'miter' Border line join style of the callout. See MDN (opens new window).
borderWidth number 1 Stroke width of the pointer of the callout.
display boolean false If true, the callout is drawn.
margin number 5 Amount of pixels between the label and the callout separator.
position string 'auto' The position of callout, with respect to the label. Could be left, top, right, bottom or auto.
side number 5 Width of the starter line of callout pointer.
start number|string '50%' The percentage of the separator dimension to use as starting point for callout pointer. Could be set in pixel by a number, or in percentage of the separator dimension by a string.

# Element

The following diagram is showing the element properties about a 'label' annotation:

label