Dynamic Icons

Important: While the dynamic and interactive Google Charts are actively maintained, we officially deprecated the static Google Image Charts way back in 2012. It was turned off on March 18, 2019.

This page describes how to create a variety of callouts, bubbles, pins, and other graphics that can be created using a URL.

https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chst=d_bubble_icon_text_small&chld=ski|bb|Wheeee!|FFFFFF|000000

1. Introduction
2. Syntax
3. Icon Types
4. Bubbles
5. Pins
6. Fun Style Notes
7. Weather Forecast Notes
8. Outlined Font Text Blocks (Text only)
9. Outlined Font Text Blocks (Text + Icon)
10. List of Available Flags and Icons
11. Text Strings
12. Shadows

Introduction

You can create a variety of interesting callouts, pins, or bubbles that mix text and images. These items are called dynamic icons.

Syntax

Root URL: https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?

Dynamic icons support th following parameters after the ? in the root URL:

Parameter	Required or Optional	Description
chst=<icon_string_constant>	Required	Describes which kind of icon to create. icon_string_constant - A string constant describing the type of icon to create. See the selection of icons below to choose an icon.
chld=<icon_data>	Required	The specific data used to describe the icon's size, rotation, text, and other required data. icon_data - A set of pipe-delimited values appropriate to the icon. The documentation on this page describes which values are required by each icon type.

Icon Types

Type	Examples
Bubbles - Choose small or large text bubbles, with or without icons.
Pins - Pin types can be plain, starred, or slanted, and can have an icon, a single letter, or longer text strings.
Fun style notes with text and optional title
Weather forecast notes with title, text, and weather icon
Multiline outlined text block, no icon
Single line outlined textblock with icon

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Bubbles

Bubbles come in various combinations of features: large or small size, with or without icon, single line or multi-line text. The following table describes the types of bubbles, and the syntax for each. The description of each parameter value is described below the table.

A few additional notes:

• All bubbles resize to fit the width and height of the text that you enter.
• The bubble constant supports a variation ending in _withshadow. If you use the _withshadow variation, it adds a shadow below your bubble.

Text	Icon	Syntax	Shadow Only	Example
Single line	No	chst=   d_bubble_text_small[_withshadow] chld=   <frame_style>|   <text>|   <fill_color>|   <text_color>	chst=   [d_]bubble_text_small_shadow chld=   <frame_style>|   <text>	chst=d_bubble_text_small chld=   bb|   Launch+site|   C6EF8C|   000000
Single line	Yes	chst=   d_bubble_icon_text_small[_withshadow] chld=   <icon_string>|   <frame_style>|   <text>|   <fill_color>|   <text_color>	chst=   [d_]bubble_icon_text_small_shadow chld=   <icon_string>|   <frame_style>|   <text>	chst=d_bubble_icon_text_small chld=   wc|   bb|   Pay+Toilets|   C6EF8C|   000000
Single line	Yes	chst=   d_bubble_icon_text_big[_withshadow] chld=   <icon_string>|   <frame_style>|   <text>|   <fill_color>|   <text_color>	chst=   [d_]bubble_icon_text_big_shadow chld=   <icon_string>|   <frame_style>|   <text>	chst=d_bubble_icon_text_big chld=   snack|   bb|   $2.99+!|   FFBB00|   000000
Multi-line	No	chst=   d_bubble_texts_big[_withshadow] chld=   <frame_style>|   <fill_color>|   <text_color>|   <text_line_1>    |...|   <text_line_n>	chst=   [d_]bubble_texts_big_shadow chld=   <frame_style>|   <text_line_1>    |...|   <text_line_n>	chst=d_bubble_texts_big chld=   bb|   FFB573|   000000|   Help+Wanted|   Hours:+Midnight+to+3:00+AM|   Good+pay,+interesting+work|   Contact+V.+Helsing
Multi-line	Yes	chst=d_bubble_icon_texts_big[_withshadow] chld=   <icon_string>|   <frame_style>|   <fill_color>|   <text_color>|   <text_line_1>    |...|   <text_line_n>	chst=   [d_]bubble_icon_texts_big_shadow chld=   <icon_string>|   <frame_style>|   <text_line_1>    |...|   <text_line_n>	chst=d_bubble_icon_texts_big chld=   home|   bb|   FFB573|   000000|   Haunted+House|   Hours:+Midnight+to+3:00+AM|   Ghouls,+Goblins,+and+Vampires|   Bring+your+own+wooden+stake

Syntax

<icon_string>

A string specifying one of the icons described at the end of this document.

 

<frame_style>

The tail direction. Choose of the following tail direction constants:

• bb - Balloon frame, tail at bottom left
  
  
• bbtl - Balloon frame, tail at top left
  
  
• bbtr - Balloon frame, tail at top right
  
  
• bbbr - Balloon frame, tail at bottom right
  
  
• bbT - Balloon frame, no tail
  
  
• edge_bl - Edge frame, tail at bottom edge, left end
  
  
• edge_bc - Edge frame, tail at bottom edge, centered
  
  
• edge_br - Edge frame, tail at bottom edge, right end
  
  
• edge_tl - Edge frame, tail at top edge, left end
  
  
• edge_tc - Edge frame, tail at top edge, centered
  
  
• edge_tr - Edge frame, tail at top edge, right end
  
  
• edge_lt - Edge frame, tail at left edge, top end
  
  
• edge_lc - Edge frame, tail at left edge, centered
  
  
• edge_lb - Edge frame, tail at left edge, bottom end
  
  
• edge_rt - Edge frame, tail at right edge, top end
  
  
• edge_rc - Edge frame, tail at right edge, centered
  
  
• edge_rb - Edge frame, tail at right edge, bottom end

<fill_color>

The bubble fill color, as a six-digit HTML hexadecimal color.

<text_color>

The text color, as a six-digit HTML hexadecimal color.

<text>

A single line of bubble text for one-line bubbles. Spaces must be + marks.

<text_line_1>|...|<text_line_n>

One or more lines of text, for multi-line text bubbles. Each line is separated by a | mark. The first line will be shown larger and boldface. Spaces must be replaced by +.

Shadow Only

For bubbles, you can also draw the freestanding shadow using the syntax shown in the table above. Examples:

chst=   d_bubble_text_small_shadow chld=   bb|Launch+site

chst=   d_bubble_icon_text_small_shadow chld=   wc|bb|Pay+Toilets

chst=   d_bubble_icon_text_big_shadow chld=   snack|bb|$2.99+!

chst=   d_bubble_texts_big_shadow chld=   bb|Help+Wanted|   Hours:+Midnight+to+3:00+AM|   Good+pay,+interesting+work|   Contact+V.+Helsing

chst=   d_bubble_icon_texts_big_shadow chld=   home|bb|Haunted+House|   Hours:+Midnight+to+3:00+AM|   Ghouls,+Goblins,+and+Vampires|   Bring+your+own+wooden+stake

 

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Pins

You can make a variety of pins with icons and/or short text strings. Here are the available pin types.

Pin Type	Bubble Constant	Examples
Plain pin with single letter or icon	chst=d_map_pin_letter[_withshadow] chst=d_map_pin_icon[_withshadow]
Slanted/starred pin with single letter or icon	chst=d_map_xpin_letter[_withshadow] chst=d_map_xpin_icon[_withshadow]
Scalable, rotatable, multi-line pin	chst=d_map_spin

 

Plain Pin with Single Letter or Icon

This is a small, upright pin that can hold either a small icon or a single letter.

Letter Syntax

chst=d_map_pin_letter[_withshadow]
chld=<character>|<fill_color>|<text_color>

Icon Syntax

chst=d_map_pin_icon[_withshadow]
chld=<icon_string>|<fill_color>

<character>

[Text pins only] A single text character.

<icon_string>

[Icon pins only] A string specifying one of the icons described at the end of this document.

<fill_color>

The bubble fill color, as a six-digit HTML hexadecimal color.

<text_color>

[Text pins only] The text color, as a six-digit HTML hexadecimal color.

Shadow Only

To draw the shadow only for this pin type, use this syntax:

chst=d_map_pin_shadow

The chld parameter is not required for a shadow only.

Examples

chst=d_map_pin_letter_withshadow chld=A|FF0000|0000FF

chst=d_map_pin_letter chld=%E5%8D%B1|FF0000|000000

chst=d_map_pin_icon chld=camping|ADDE63

chst=d_map_pin_shadow

 

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Slanted/Starred Pin with Single Letter or Icon

This is a small, pin that can either be tilted left or right, or have a star overlap. The contents of the pin can be either a single character or a small icon.

Letter Syntax

chst=d_map_xpin_letter[_withshadow]
chld=<pin_style>|<character>|<fill_color>|<text_color>|<star_fill_color>

Icon Syntax

chst=d_map_xpin_icon[_withshadow]
chld=<pin_style>|<icon_string>|<fill_color>|<star_fill_color>

<pin_style>

The pin style. Choose one of the following constants:

• pin
• pin_star
• pin_sleft
• pin_sright

<icon_string>

[Icon pins] A string specifying one of the icons described at the end of this document.

<character>

[Text pins] A single text character.

<fill_color>

The bubble fill color, as a six-digit HTML hexadecimal color.

<text_color>

[Text pins] The text color, as a six-digit HTML hexadecimal color.

<star_fill_color>

[Star pins] The fill color of the star, as a six-digit HTML hexadecimal color.

Shadow Only

To draw the shadow only for this pin type, use this syntax:

chst=d_map_xpin_shadow

chld=<pin_style>

Examples

chst=d_map_xpin_letter chld=pin_star|A|FF0000|000000

chst=d_map_xpin_letter chld=pin_sleft|A|FF0000|000000

chst=d_map_xpin_icon chld=pin_sleft|bank-dollar|52B552

chst=d_map_xpin_shadow chld=pin_sleft

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Text Pin with Scaling and Rotation

This is a pin that can you can manually scale to include longer text strings. You can also rotate the pin a custom amount, and control font size and color.

Syntax

chst=d_map_spin
chld=<scale_factor>|<rotation_deg>|<fill_color>|<font_size>|<font_style>|<text_line_1>|...|<text_line_n>

<scale_factor>

A scaling factor to specify the pin size. This is a positive floating point number where 0.5 is the size of unscaled pins. 0.25 would be half that size, 1 would be twice that size, and so on.

<rotation_deg>

The rotation of the pin, in degrees. Positive and negative values are allowed. Specify 0 for a vertical pin.

<fill_color>

The bubble fill color, as a six-digit HTML hexadecimal color.

<font_size>

The text font size, in pixels.

<font_style>

Either '_' (underscore) for normal text or 'b' for boldface text.

<text_line_1>...<text_line_n>

One or more lines of text, delimited by | characters.

 

Examples

chst=d_map_spin chld=1.7|180|C6E7DE|11|_|Raindrop

chst=d_map_spin chld=2.1|0|FFFF42|13|b|Kumquats

chst=d_map_spin chld=3|45|FFFF42|11|_|First+line|Second+line

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Fun Style Notes

You can create a variety of text notes in novelty templates, such as a sticky note or a thought bubble. You can optionally include a title line in the note.

These notes have a fixed size; they will not grow or shrink to accommodate the size of your text.

Syntax

chst=d_fnote_title OR chst=d_fnote
chld=<note_type>|<note_size>|<text_color>|<text_alignment>|<text_line_1>|...|<text_line_n>

chst

Specify either d_fnote_title for a note with a title, or d_fnote for a note without a title. In a note with a title, the first line of text will be formatted as a title (larger and boldface).

<note_type>

A string describing the note shape. Choose one of the note type strings in the table below.

<note_size>

1 (one) for a large note, or 2 for a small note. Template sizes are fixed; templates do not grow or shrink to fit text. Experiment with both sizes to see which holds your text better.

<text_color>

The text color, as a six-digit hexadecimal color; alpha values are not accepted.

<text_alignment>

The alignment for all text, including the header. Choose one of the following values:

• l - ('L') Left-aligned
• h - Center-aligned
• r - Right-aligned

<text_line_1>| ...|<text_line_n>

The text for the note. Use the | character to indicate a newline. When chst=d_fnote_title, the first line of text is formatted as a title.

Note Type Templates

The following templates are supported for note templates. The note_type string for each is shown below the template.

Note: Text strings are case-sensitive!

arrow_d

balloon

pinned_c

sticky_y

taped_y

thought

 

Examples

Description	Example
Note with a title: chst=d_fnote_title. The first line of text is used as the title. Size is large note (1).	chst=d_fnote_title chld=pinned_c|1|004400|l|Joe's|Today+2-for-1+!|555-1234
Note without a title: chst=d_fnote.Text is centered.	chst=d_fnote chld=thought|1|0088FF|h|Why+am+I+here?
A useful template for an old joke.	chst=d_fnote chld=arrow_d|1|000000|h|Your|shoe's|untied

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Weather Forecast Notes

You can create a note with a weather indicator icon. Similar layout to fun style notes, but text color is always black, text is always left-aligned, and you can only have from one to three lines of text.

These notes have a fixed size; they will not grow or shrink to accommodate the size of your text.

Syntax

chst=d_weather
chld=<note_type>|<weather_icon>|<title>|<line_2>|<line_3>

chst

d_weather indicates a weather note.

<note_type>

The template to use for this note. Use one of the note strings listed in the fun style note list above.

<weather_icon>

One of the weather icon strings in the table below. A note can take a single weather icon.

<title>|<line_2>|<line_3>

The title, plus up to two more lines of text (these extra text lines are optional). The title is larger and boldface.

Weather Icons

Here is a list of supported weather icons, showing the weather_icon string for each.

Note: Text strings are case-sensitive!

clear-night-moon	cloudy-heavy	cloudy-sunny	cloudy	rain
rainy-sunny	snow	snowflake	snowy-sunny	sunny-cloudy
sunny	thermometer-cold	thermometer-hot	thunder	windy

 

Examples

Description	Example
A weather note with a title and two lines on a taped_y style template.	chst=d_weather chld=taped_y|sunny|Barcelona|max+25°C|min+15°C
A wishful thought for winter.	chst=d_fnote chld=thought|sunny|I+wish...

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Outlined Font Text Blocks (Text Only)

 

You can create a block of outlined text with a white background. If you want an text + icon, consider using the single line variety, which supports an icon.

Syntax

chst=d_text_outline
chld=<text_fill_color>|<font_size>|<text_alignment>|<outline_color>|<font_weight>|<text_line_1>|...|<text_line_n>

<text_fill_color>

The text fill color. This is a six-digit hexadecimal color; alpha values are not accepted.

<font_size>

A number specifying the font size, in pixels.

<text_alignment>

The alignment for all text, including the header. Choose one of the following values:

• l - ('L')Left-aligned
• h - Center-aligned
• r - Right-aligned

<outline_color>

The text outline color. This is a six-digit hexadecimal color; alpha values are not accepted.

<font_weight>

Normal or bold text. Underscore ' _' for normal text, and 'b' for bold text.

<text_line_1>| ...|<text_line_n>

The text for the note. Use the | character to indicate a newline. When chst=d_fnote_title, the first line of text is formatted as a title.

 

Examples

chst=d_text_outline chld=FFCC33|16|h|FF0000|b|Mad+Scientist|Boo

chst=d_text_outline chld=FF65BB|20|h|00FF00|_|Freshly+Made+Pie

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Outlined Font Text Blocks (Text + Icon)

You can create a single line of outlined text plus an icon on the top, left, bottom, or right of the block. If you don't need an icon, use the outlined font text block.

Syntax

chst=<icon_position_string>
chld=<text>|<font_size>|<font_fill_color>|<icon_name>|<icon_size>|<icon_fill_color>|<icon_and_text_border_color>

<icon_position_string>

Specifies where the icon appears in the text box. Choose one of the following values:

• d_simple_text_icon_below - Places the icon on the bottom of the box:
• d_simple_text_icon_above - Places the icon on the top of the box:
• d_simple_text_icon_left - Places the icon on the left of the box:
• d_simple_text_icon_right - Places the icon on the right of the box:

<text>

The text to show. One line only; use + for spaces.

<font_size>

A number specifying the font size, in pixels.

<font_fill_color>

The fill color for the text, as a six-digit string. Alpha values are not supported.

<icon_name>

One of the icon names listed at the bottom of this document.

<icon_size>

The height of the icon, in pixels. The following values are supported: 12, 16, 24.

<icon_fill_color>

The color of the icon, as a six-digit string. Alpha values are not supported.

<icon_and_text_border_color>

The color of the border around the icon and the text, as a six-digit string. Alpha values are not supported.

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List of Available Flags and Icons

The following images can be used in dynamic icons using the appropriate parameter.

Note: Text strings are case-sensitive

Note: Icons are available only in the following sizes: 12, 16, 24.

Basic icons

Icons from Glyphish.com

These icons are by Joseph Wain / glyphish.com. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Flags

Here are flags for some countries and territories.

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Text Strings

All display text sent in the request must be UTF-8 encoded and then URL-encoded. This affects only non-URL-safe characters (URL-safe characters are mostly the English letters a-z both upper and lower case, plus plus a small set of punctuation). For example, the UTF-8 and URL-encoded value for the letter "è" is "%C3%A8", and for the Chinese character 駅 is "%E9%A7%85". Most browsers will let you use an unencoded value in the URL string (for example, 駅) and will encode it for you behind the scenes. However, it is possible that someone viewing your image URL is using a browser that doesn't do this, so it is usually best to UTF-8 and URL-encode all non-ASCII characters in text strings. Note that this is only for the text shown in bubbles or pins, not for the &, |, or other characters that are part of the URL syntax.

Shadows

You can add shadows to many icons, or even draw shadows for some icons without the icon itself!

Shadowed Icons

Many of these icons can be drawn with or without shadows. If shadowing is an option, the icon name will have a version that ends in _withshadow and another version without that ending. You can specify an icon with either ending, depending on whether you want the shadow or not.

Here's an example of a medium text bubble and a pin with and without shadows:

chst=d_bubble_icon_text_big	chst=d_bubble_icon_text_big_withshadow
chst=d_map_pin_icon	chst=d_map_pin_icon_withshadow

Freestanding Shadows

Some icon types allow you to draw their shadow by itself. You might want to do this if you are using several overlapping shadowed icons on a graphic, and they are so close that the shadow from one falls across another graphic. See the documentation of your specific icon type to learn whether you can draw its shadow alone.

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