Overview

Column and bar charts are the most common chart types in business presentations. The pptx.dev API supports single series, clustered, stacked, and 100% stacked variants for both vertical (column) and horizontal (bar) orientations.

Column Chart Types

Bar Chart Types (Horizontal)

Example: Revenue by Quarter

{
  "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf/v1",
  "name": "Quarterly Revenue",
  "slides": [
    {
      "layout": "chart-1x-title-center",
      "title": "Quarterly Revenue",
      "chart": {
        "type": "column",
        "data": {
          "columns": [
            "Series",
            "Q1",
            "Q2",
            "Q3",
            "Q4"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Revenue ($K)",
              320,
              480,
              540,
              620
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      "design": {
        "titleAlignment": "center",
        "contentAlignment": "center"
      }
    }
  ],
  "catalogs": {
    "layouts": {
      "records": [
        {
          "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf-layout/v1",
          "id": "chart-1x-title-center",
          "name": "Chart 1x Title Center",
          "placeholders": [
            {
              "type": "title"
            },
            {
              "type": "chart"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Example: Year-Over-Year Comparison

Use CLUSTERED_COLUMN to compare two years:

{
  "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf/v1",
  "name": "Revenue: 2025 vs. 2026",
  "slides": [
    {
      "layout": "chart-1x-title-center",
      "title": "Revenue: 2025 vs. 2026",
      "chart": {
        "type": "clustered-column",
        "data": {
          "columns": [
            "Series",
            "Q1",
            "Q2",
            "Q3",
            "Q4"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "2025",
              280,
              350,
              420,
              510
            ],
            [
              "2026",
              320,
              480,
              540,
              620
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      "design": {
        "titleAlignment": "center",
        "contentAlignment": "center"
      }
    }
  ],
  "catalogs": {
    "layouts": {
      "records": [
        {
          "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf-layout/v1",
          "id": "chart-1x-title-center",
          "name": "Chart 1x Title Center",
          "placeholders": [
            {
              "type": "title"
            },
            {
              "type": "chart"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Example: Stacked Revenue Breakdown

Use STACKED_COLUMN_3X to show how revenue breaks down by segment:

{
  "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf/v1",
  "name": "Revenue by Segment",
  "slides": [
    {
      "layout": "chart-1x-title-center",
      "title": "Revenue by Segment",
      "chart": {
        "type": "stacked-column-3x",
        "data": {
          "columns": [
            "Series",
            "Q1",
            "Q2",
            "Q3",
            "Q4"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Enterprise",
              180,
              220,
              260,
              300
            ],
            [
              "Mid-Market",
              100,
              160,
              180,
              200
            ],
            [
              "SMB",
              40,
              100,
              100,
              120
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      "design": {
        "titleAlignment": "center",
        "contentAlignment": "center"
      }
    }
  ],
  "catalogs": {
    "layouts": {
      "records": [
        {
          "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf-layout/v1",
          "id": "chart-1x-title-center",
          "name": "Chart 1x Title Center",
          "placeholders": [
            {
              "type": "title"
            },
            {
              "type": "chart"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Example: Horizontal Bar Chart

Horizontal bars work better when category labels are long:

{
  "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf/v1",
  "name": "Customer Satisfaction by Department",
  "slides": [
    {
      "layout": "chart-1x",
      "title": "Customer Satisfaction by Department",
      "chart": {
        "type": "bar",
        "data": {
          "columns": [
            "Series",
            "Engineering",
            "Customer Success",
            "Sales",
            "Marketing",
            "Operations"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "CSAT Score",
              92,
              88,
              85,
              82,
              79
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      "design": {
        "contentAlignment": "center"
      }
    }
  ]
}

When to Use Each Type

Next Steps

• Create line charts for trends
• Add pie and doughnut charts for composition
• See all chart types