Automating Your Dashboard Updates: It’s Easier Than You Think

Do You Know How to Make an API Call?

If you do, congratulations! 🎉 That’s all you need to automate data updates in Output Charts.

Gone are the days of manually updating your charts every time a new report comes in. With a simple API call, you can keep your dashboards fresh, ensuring that your boss, your clients, or your team always see the latest insights—without you lifting a finger (after the initial setup, of course).

How It Works

1. Create a dashboard and add charts by selecting them from our library.
2. Each chart has a unique ID that allows you to target it directly when sending updates.
3. Paid users get an API key—this is your golden ticket to automation.
4. We provide sample API calls for every chart type, accessible via the three dots (...) in the chart toolbar.
5. You can update your data manually anytime, but why not let the API do the heavy lifting?

Let’s Update a Chart (No PhD Required)

Imagine you're running a software company and need to track bug reports vs. bug fixes over time. Your dashboard has a bar chart showing how many bugs were reported and closed each month. Instead of manually inputting numbers every day, you want your system to push fresh data automatically.

Easy. Here’s how.

Option 1: cURL (Quick & Easy from the Terminal)

curl -X PUT 'https://api.outputcharts.com/update-chart-data' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer [YOUR API KEY]" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "chartId": "6ab53472-6f7e-476e-878e-88adfe1dfaa1",
    "data": [
      { "name": "Jan", "reported": 120, "closed": 80 },
      { "name": "Feb", "reported": 90, "closed": 100 },
      { "name": "Mar", "reported": 150, "closed": 130 }
    ]
  }'

✅ Best for: Quick updates, testing from the command line, and looking impressive in front of colleagues.

Option 2: Python (For the Automation Gurus)

import requests
import json

url = "https://api.outputcharts.com/update-chart-data"
headers = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer [YOUR API KEY]",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}
data = {
    "chartId": "6ab53472-6f7e-476e-878e-88adfe1dfaa1",
    "data": [
        { "name": "Jan", "reported": 120, "closed": 80 },
        { "name": "Feb", "reported": 90, "closed": 100 },
        { "name": "Mar", "reported": 150, "closed": 130 }
    ]
}

response = requests.put(url, headers=headers, json=data)
print(response.json())

✅ Best for: Automating updates via scheduled scripts, integrating with your backend, or impressing your team with fancy Python skills.

Option 3: JavaScript (For the Web Devs & API Enthusiasts)

const updateChart = async () => {
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://api.outputcharts.com/update-chart-data',
    {
      method: 'PUT',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer [YOUR API KEY]',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        chartId: '6ab53472-6f7e-476e-878e-88adfe1dfaa1',
        data: [
          { "name": "Jan", "reported": 120, "closed": 80 },
          { "name": "Feb", "reported": 90, "closed": 100 },
          { "name": "Mar", "reported": 150, "closed": 130 }
        ]
      })
    }
  );

  const result = await response.json();
  console.log(result);
};

updateChart();

✅ Best for: Frontend dashboards, live updates via web apps, or any situation where JavaScript rules the world.

Why This Is Awesome

🔹 Your charts stay up to date automatically.
🔹 Your team gets real-time insights without manual work.
🔹 You can schedule updates using cron jobs, AWS Lambda, or any automation tool.
🔹 You don’t have to worry about complex data integrations—just send us the numbers you need to display.

Final Step: Automate It!

Now that you have the API call working, it’s time to set it and forget it:
✅ Run a daily cron job to fetch fresh data and update your dashboard.
✅ Trigger updates after every sprint, release, or status report.
✅ Connect to your bug tracker to push updates dynamically.

With Output Charts, keeping your dashboards fresh is as easy as a single API call. No complex integrations, no security headaches, just clean, simple data visualization.

So, what are you waiting for? Go forth and automate! 🚀