bullet_chart: Create a bullet chart.

In ddplot: Create D3 Based SVG Graphics

Create a bullet chart.

Description

A bullet chart displays a single quantitative measure (the actual value) against qualitative range bands (e.g. poor / satisfactory / good) and an optional target marker. It was designed by Stephen Few as a compact, information-dense alternative to gauge charts.

Usage

bullet_chart(
  value,
  ranges,
  target = NULL,
  rangeColors = NULL,
  title = "",
  subtitle = "",
  min = 0,
  valueColor = "#1a1a2e",
  targetColor = "#e63946",
  tickCount = 5,
  fontSize = 12,
  font = "Verdana, Geneva, Tahoma, sans-serif",
  bgcol = "white",
  width = NULL,
  height = NULL
)

Arguments

value	Numeric. The actual value to display (the main bar).
ranges	Numeric vector of upper bounds for each qualitative band, in ascending order (e.g. c(40, 70, 100)). The lower bound of the first band is min.
target	Optional numeric. The target / goal value shown as a short vertical marker. Defaults to NULL (no marker drawn).
rangeColors	Character vector of colors for each band, in the same order as ranges. Defaults to a sequence of grays from darker (low range) to lighter (high range).
title	Character. Label displayed to the left of the chart. Defaults to "".
subtitle	Character. Smaller label displayed below title. Defaults to "".
min	Numeric. The minimum value of the scale. Defaults to 0.
valueColor	The color of the actual-value bar. Defaults to "#1a1a2e".
targetColor	The color of the target marker. Defaults to "#e63946".
tickCount	Number of axis ticks. Defaults to 5.
fontSize	Base font size in pixels. Defaults to 12.
font	The font family used for all text. Defaults to "Verdana, Geneva, Tahoma, sans-serif".
bgcol	The background color of the SVG. Defaults to "white".
width	Optional. The width of the SVG output.
height	Optional. The height of the SVG output.

Value

An SVG bullet chart.

Examples

# Sales revenue vs target
bullet_chart(
  value  = 270,
  target = 300,
  ranges = c(150, 225, 350),
  title  = "Revenue",
  subtitle = "USD thousands"
)

# Customer satisfaction score
bullet_chart(
  value  = 7.4,
  target = 8.0,
  ranges = c(4, 7, 10),
  title  = "Satisfaction",
  subtitle = "out of 10",
  valueColor = "steelblue"
)

# Server response time (lower is better — ranges go poor → good left to right)
bullet_chart(
  value       = 320,
  target      = 250,
  ranges      = c(200, 500, 1000),
  rangeColors = c("#f5f5f5", "#e0e0e0", "#c0c0c0"),
  title       = "Response",
  subtitle    = "ms",
  min         = 0
)

ddplot documentation built on Aug. 25, 2026, 5:10 p.m.