Combo Chart Extension for Qlik

Downloading and Installing

Qlik Sense Desktop

To install Combo Chart Extension in Qlik Sense Desktop, do the following:

1. Download Combo Chart Extension for Qlik Sense.
2. Extract the archive.
3. Open a Windows Explorer window and navigate to the Qlik Sense Extensions directory:  
   ..\Users\<UserName>\Documents\Qlik\Sense\Extensions.
4. Copy the anychart-4x-combo-chart folder to the Extensions directory.
5. Relaunch Qlik Sense Desktop.

Qlik Sense Server

To install Combo Chart Extension on a Qlik Sense server,

1. Download Combo Chart Extension for Qlik Sense.
2. Open Qlik Management Console (QMC): https://<QPS server name>/qmc
3. Select Extensions on the QMC start page or from the Start drop-down menu.
4. Click Import in the action bar.
5. In the dialog, select the downloaded archive. Leave the password area blank.
6. Click Open in the file explorer window.
7. Click Import.

Qlik Sense Cloud

To install Combo Chart Extension in Qlik Sense Cloud, do the following:

1. Download Combo Chart Extension for Qlik Sense Cloud.
2. Extract the archive.
3. Access the Management Console:
   • add /console to your tenant address: https://<your tenant address>/console
   • or use the navigation link Administration under the user profile in the hub
4. Go to the Extensions page and click Add.
5. In the dialog, select the archive with the extension in the bundle – for example, anychart-4x-combo-chart.zip.
6. Click Add.
7. Repeat the steps above to add other extensions.
8. In the Management Console, go to the Content Security Policy section and click Add.
9. In the dialog, give the Content Security Policy a name – for example, AnyChart.
10. Type the address of the origin server: qlik.anychart.com
11. Select the following directives:
    • connect-src
    • font-src
    • img-src
    • script-src
    • style-src
12. Click Add.

Overview

The Combo Chart is a visualization that allows you to combine multiple chart types—such as bars, lines, areas, and markers—into a single, cohesive view. This makes it especially useful for comparing different series with distinct scales or representations

Read Quick Start and Dimensions and Measures to learn how to add a Combo chart and define your data.

You can configure the chart’s appearance: change series types , control stacking and grouping , adjust colors and legend , and customize labels and tooltips .

Also, the following options are available: reference lines and ranges , axis configuration , and presentation settings .

Quick Start

This quick tutorial explains how to create a basic Combo Chart.

First of all, add an empty chart to your sheet:

1. Go to Custom objects > AnyChart in the assets panel.
2. Drag an empty AnyChart Combo Chart chart to the sheet.

Then add a dimension that is used to represent the categories:

1. Go to Dimensions in the properties panel.
2. Click Add dimension and select a dimension.

Finally, add a measure , which is used to represent a series on a chart:

1. Go to Measures in the properties panel.
2. Click Add measure and select a measure.

Please note that you can also create dimensions and measures from fields or add them by clicking on buttons on the empty chart.

Dimensions and Measures

Dimensions

To add a dimension, do the following:

1. Go to Dimensions in the properties panel.
2. Click Add dimension and select a dimension.

The Combo Chart requires only one dimension. However, additional dimensions add the hierarchical nesting of axes. To create a multilevel axis, add two or more dimensions.

Please keep in mind that it is possible to arrange the order of dimensions : just drag them in the properties panel.

Measures

To add a measure, do the following:

1. Go to Measures in the properties panel.
2. Click Add measure and select a measure.

The measure represents the series on the chart (e.g., bar, line, area, marker) and is used to calculate the points on the Y-axis. In your visualizations, you can use any measures with any aggregations, as well as set measures as custom expressions.

Series Configuration

By default, all added measures are represented as bar series. To change the type of series:

1. In Edit Mode, select the extension on the sheet.
2. In the properties pane,l go to the Data section.
3. Select Measure, and which series you want to configure.
4. Click the “More Properties” button.

At the current point, you will see 4 sections with different configuration options: Presentation, Color, Label Settings, and Error Settings. Next, we will describe each section in detail.

Presentation

This section consists of 3 main parts:

1. Axis type selection (Primary or Secondary). This allows you to plot series on different Y-axes, generating complicated visualizations.  
   Note: If visualization contains at least 2 measures of different Axis types, the corresponding settings section will appear in the main Appearance section of the visualization. 
2. Series type selection (Bars, Line, Area, or Marker). By choosing a series type here, it will immediately affect the visualization, applying the selected series type.
3. Primary settings for the series. Different Series types provide different settings, due to unique attributes of each type.

Color

This section allows you to configure the coloring solution for the Series. By default, it is set to Auto , inheriting settings from the main visualization coloring settings. However, if changing the toggle to Custom , you can choose to color series independently of the main coloring settings in 2 modes:

• Single color
• By expression

Label Setting

The Label Setting section allows you to configure the appearance of labels for the Series.

The main option is to turn on/off labels with the Display Label toggle.

If labels are turned on, the Font Settings toggle appears. By default, it is set to Auto , but after switching the toggle to Custom , more configuration options appear:

• Font Style
• Color
• Font Size
• Font Family

And another Label setting is the Position dropdown with the following options:

• Auto
• Top
• Bottom
• Right
• Left

Error Settings

Error setting allows setting an error for points on a series. This section consists of the following fields:

• Upper error - Enter a static number or a Qlik expression. If entered, the following fields appear: 
  • Color
  • Thickness
  • Cap size
• Lower error
  • Color
  • Thickness
  • Cap size

In both fields, it is possible to use Qlik Expressions or static numbers, depending on your needs.

Stacked or Grouped setting

The Combo chart supports stacking and grouping for bar and area series. These configuration options allow you to control how individual series are visually arranged relative to each other.

Bar series can be displayed as either:

• Grouped – bars are placed side-by-side.
• Stacked – bars are stacked on top of each other to show cumulative values.

Area series can be configured as:

• Separated – areas are rendered independently, allowing full visibility of each shape.
• Stacked – areas build upon each other to visualize combined totals.

Note: Only series of the same type can interact with each other—bars stack or group only with bars, and areas stack only with areas. Mixing bar and area types will not produce stacking or grouping behavior. 

To enable stacking, the series must share the same axis. If one series is placed on the Primary axis and another on the Secondary axis, they will not stack or group together.

You can find these settings in the Properties panel → Appearance → Presentation → Stacked/Grouped section.

Depending on your selection:

• Grouped bars: no additional options.
• Stacked bars: enables two toggles:
  • 100% Stacked
  • Hide border
• Separated areas: no additional options.
• Stacked areas: enables two toggles:
  • 100% Stacked
  • Hide border

These settings are illustrated in the image below:

Reference Lines and Ranges

Reference lines and ranges allow you to highlight key thresholds or important segments in your chart, either along the Measure axis or the Dimension axis. These visual markers support static values or dynamic expressions and can be fully styled and labeled.

All configuration options can be found under the Properties Panel → Add-ons .

Reference Line

A Reference Line is a horizontal line placed at a specific Measure value. It can represent targets, averages, limits, or any threshold.

Settings available:

• Label – Text shown near the line. Can be static or use an expression.
• Axis type – Primary or Secondary, depending on the axis your target value relates to.
• Stroke
  • Color – Line color.
  • Stroke type – Solid, dashed, or dotted.
  • Thickness – Adjustable line thickness.
• Reference line expression – Fixed numeric value (e.g., 250000) or an expression (e.g., =Avg([Sales]) * 0.9 ).
• Label orientation – Horizontal or Vertical.
• Label position – Left, Center, or Right.
• Font settings – Optional custom font styling.

Reference Range

A Reference Range highlights a horizontal area between two measure (Y-axis) values. Use it to indicate safe zones, warning levels, or thresholds.

Settings available:

• Label – Text for the range.
• Axis type – Primary or Secondary.
• Color – Fill color for the shaded region.
• Opacity – Range fill transparency.
• From / To – Each can be a fixed value (e.g., 200000) or an expression (e.g., =Max([Revenue]) * 0.8 ).
• Label orientation – Horizontal or Vertical.
• Label position – Left, Center, or Right.
• Font settings – Optional.

Dimension Reference Line

A Dimension Reference Line adds a vertical line at a specific dimension value—useful for marking important periods or categories (e.g,. product launches, campaign start, quarter end).

Settings available:

• Label – Description label for the line.
• Stroke
  • Color – Line color.
  • Stroke type – Solid, dashed, or dotted.
  • Thickness – Customizable.
• Alignment – Whether the line is placed at the Start, Center, or End of the dimension category.
• Dimension value – Can be:
  • A static value like Q1 (no quotes).
  • An expression returning a value, such as =If(Max([Year]) > 2022, 'Q2', 'Q4') 
• Label orientation – Horizontal or Vertical.
• Label position – Top, Middle, or Bottom.
• Font settings – Optional.

Note: Dimension Reference Line is available only if there is only 1 dimension on the visualization. 

Dimension Reference Range

A Dimension Reference Range marks a vertical band between two categories along the dimension axis. It’s useful for highlighting specific intervals or stages.

Settings available:

• Label – Text to display on the range.
• Color – Fill color of the range.
• Opacity – Adjust fill transparency.
• From / To – Each can be:
  • A static dimension value (e.g., Q2, Q4)
  • An expression, e.g., ="=Pick(Max([StageIndex]), 'Q1', 'Q3')"
• Label orientation – Horizontal or Vertical.
• Label position – Top, Middle, or Bottom.
• Font settings – Optional.

Note: Dimension Reference Range is available only if there is only 1 dimension on the visualization. 

Presentation

The Presentation section defines how the chart is visually structured and how its elements are rendered within the available space. It contains settings for orientation, scroll behavior, missing value handling, axis behavior, and styling customization.

These settings can be found under the Properties Panel → Appearance → Presentation .

Styling

The Styling section allows customization of the chart’s title, subtitle, footnote, and background color.

By default, styling options are in Auto mode. Toggle to Custom to access the following settings:

• Title
• Subtitle
• Footnote
• Background color

Switch toggles from Auto to Custom to show advanced settings for each.

Orientation

Choose how the chart should be laid out:

• Vertical – Bars and values are plotted along the Y-axis (default).
• Horizontal – Flips the chart so bars extend along the X-axis instead.

Use a horizontal layout if you want to emphasize category labels or have long text in dimension values.

Display Missing As

Controls how missing dimension values are visualized:

• Break – Leaves a visual gap in the axis for missing categories.
• Connect – Ignores missing values and renders the chart without interruption.
• Zero – Adds a missing point with 0 value.

Scrollbar and Scroll Alignment

When the number of dimension values exceeds the available width or height, a scroll mechanism can be enabled:

• Scrollbar – Enables a scroll bar (Bar) or disables it (None).
• Scroll Alignment – Determines where the scroll starts: at the Start or End of the data.

Adaptive Y-Axis

The Adaptive Y-axis is enabled by default. When active, the Y-axis automatically adjusts to the currently visible data. This is especially helpful when scrolling or applying filters, ensuring optimal scaling and better visibility for the current selection.

If disabled, the Y-axis retains a fixed scale based on the full dataset, even when only a subset is in view.

Example comparison:

• Adaptive Y-axis (enabled): Y-scale follows the current visible values.
• Usual Y-axis (disabled): Y-scale remains fixed for all data, even if only a few points are visible.

Crosshair

The Crosshair helps users explore precise values by showing interactive vertical and horizontal guides when hovering over the chart. It improves readability by connecting hovered points to their corresponding axis values and displaying dynamic labels.

To enable this feature, toggle Crosshair to On .

Once enabled, two additional options appear:

• X-axis crosshair
  • None
  • Line
  • Line and label
• Y-axis crosshair
  • None
  • Line
  • Line and label

Axes

The Combo Chart supports up to five configurable axes simultaneously:

• Three X-axes corresponding to dimension levels
• Two Y-axes: Primary and Secondary

The X-axis titles and order are automatically determined by the dimensions added to the chart. The first dimension defines the bottom X-axis, the second and third (if present) stack above it in the same order. Axis titles reflect the dimension labels, unless manually overridden.

Each axis—dimension-based or measure-based—offers settings for visibility, labeling, range control, and styling. You can configure them in Appearance → [Axis name] .

X-Axis Settings

Each X-axis (based on assigned dimensions) has its own settings panel.

Available options: 

• Display axis – Toggle visibility.
• Title – Title text. Uses the dimension label by default. Can be overridden or set via expression.
• Show side gaps – centers the label in-between ticks.
• Position:
  • Bottom
  • Top
• Styling:
  • Line color – Sets the color of the axis line.
  • Display ticks – Toggle for category tick marks.
  • Display grid lines – Toggle vertical grid lines.
  • Font settings – Enable Custom to configure font size, family, and color.
  • Labels angle – Label orientation options:
    • Auto
    • Horizontal
    • Vertical
    • 45 degrees
  • Stagger labels – Alternates label rows to avoid overlap.

Y-Axis Settings

Two Y-axes are supported—Primary and Secondary—which can be independently configured to plot measures with different scales or units.

Available options: 

• Display axis – Toggle axis visibility.
• Title – Static or expression-based title for the axis.
• Position:
  • Bottom
  • Top
• Range:
  • Auto – Dynamically adjusts based on visible values.
  • Custom – Manually control axis range:
    • Min
    • Max
    • Min/Max

• Styling:
  • Line color – Customize axis line color.
  • Display ticks – Toggle tick marks on/off.
  • Display zero line – Optional baseline.
  • Display grid lines – Horizontal grid options:
    • None
    • Medium
    • Narrow
  • Font settings:
    • Auto
    • Custom

Tooltip

Tooltips provide contextual information when hovering over data points in the Combo Chart. By default, they display automatically generated rows showing the values of all measures at the hovered position.

Tooltip behavior can be customized in Appearance → Tooltip .

Tooltip Modes

• Auto – Default mode. The tooltip content is automatically generated and includes all visible measures at the current point.
• Custom – Enables full control over the tooltip appearance and content.

Options (when Custom is enabled)

• Float tooltip – When enabled, the tooltip follows the cursor and appears directly above the hovered series point. When disabled, it appears in a fixed position.
• Hide basic rows – Toggles the visibility of the default measure-value rows. Useful when building a fully custom tooltip via expressions.
• Title – Optional custom tooltip title.
• Content – Main body of the tooltip.

You can use expressions to dynamically construct informative tooltips tailored to the chart’s context.

Colors and Legend

The Colors and Legend panel allows you to control how colors are applied to series and how the legend appears in the Combo Chart. You can enable automatic coloring or switch to a custom configuration for more precise control.

These options can be found under Appearance → Colors and legend. 

Color Modes

Use the Colors toggle to switch between Auto and Custom modes.

When Custom mode is enabled, a Coloring dropdown appears with the following options:

• Single Color – Applies the same color to all series.
• Palettes – Select from pre-defined color palettes.
• By measure – Assigns unique colors based on the chart's measures.
• By dimension – Assigns colors according to dimension values (useful in categorical breakdowns).
• By expression – Evaluates a color expression per data point.

Legend Settings

When custom colors are applied, the Show legend option becomes available. You can use this to present a color-coded breakdown of your series or categories.

Legend Options: 

• Legend position – Choose from:
  • Top
  • Bottom
  • Left
  • Right
• Show legend title – Displays a title above the legend. You can set this manually or via expression using the Text input.

Legend Items and Styling

Click Add legend item to define custom entries for the legend. For each legend item, you can specify:

• Name
• Color
• Label

Legend entries can be edited, reordered, or removed.

You can also configure:

• Title styling
• Items styling