When you have some data like this:
| MONTH | COUNT |
|---|---|
| 2011-10 |
417
|
| 2011-09 |
903
|
| 2011-08 |
1051
|
| 2011-07 |
759
|
| 2011-06 |
835
|
| 2011-05 |
647
|
| 2011-04 |
393
|
it may be difficult to spot a trend in it. That’s why people use charts and other visualization tools and there’s a lot of them (you could use Excel, Google Charts, gnuplot, sparklines etc.).
However, sometimes it’s not possible or convenient to use any of this tools. In such cases, you can easily create a simple ASCII-art style chart. Doesn’t this look better?
| MONTH | COUNT | |
|---|---|---|
| 2011-10 |
417
|
######## |
| 2011-09 |
903
|
################## |
| 2011-08 |
1051
|
##################### |
| 2011-07 |
759
|
############### |
| 2011-06 |
835
|
################ |
| 2011-05 |
647
|
############ |
| 2011-04 |
393
|
####### |
It’s actually so embarrassingly obvious I would not bother posting about but in the last couple of days several people told me that they think it’s a great idea that they wish they knew earlier. So here it is.
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