1. Open the panel
Launch Adobe Illustrator, open a document, and open the Chroneer extension panel from the installed extensions menu.
How to use Chroneer in Illustrator.
This page is intended both for customers and Adobe reviewers. It explains the current workflow, the main controls, and the practical limits of the current release.
2. Set the options
Choose the object type, orientation, date range, granularity, tick counts, sizes, colors, label styles, and label formats.
3. Create the object
Click the create button. Chroneer generates the object centered on the active artboard and groups related artwork into logical subgroups.
Current workflow
- Open or create an Illustrator document.
- Open the Chroneer panel.
- Select the object type. Timeline ruler is the primary production workflow.
- Choose horizontal or vertical orientation.
- Set start and end dates or times.
- Adjust main, secondary, and tertiary tick counts.
- Set width, height, rail overhang, and tick heights.
- Optionally adopt width or height from the active artboard.
- Choose colors, character style names, label formats, and label angle.
- Click the create button to generate the artwork.
Important controls
- Object type Timeline ruler, calendar strip, or event band.
- Artboard size adopt buttons Pull the current artboard width or height directly into the size fields.
- Character style names Reuse an existing Illustrator character style or create it automatically if it does not exist.
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Label format fields
Use tokens such as
{MMM},{YYYY},{D}, or{HH}:{mm}.
What gets created
- Centered placement New artwork is placed in the middle of the active artboard.
- Grouped structure Axis, rail fill, ticks, markers, and labels are organized into separate groups.
- Named label styles Generated labels use named Illustrator character styles.
- Stored metadata The created group stores generator settings in the Illustrator note field.
Known limitations
- Timeline ruler is the main production-ready workflow today.
- Calendar strip and event band are implemented but still under active refinement.
- Artboard size adoption requires an open Illustrator document.
- Release packaging and marketplace assets must match the exact build submitted for review.
Recommended first-use settings
For an easy first test, create a horizontal timeline ruler with a monthly range, moderate tick density, default styles, and artboard-based width.