SankeyMATIC Manual

Labels & Units

Specifying Unit Labels

Basic Sankey diagram example with no space between the amount labels and the example suffix QBTU
Label Suffix = "QBTU"
(no space)

Basic Sankey diagram example with a space between the amount labels and the example suffix QBTU
Label Suffix = " QBTU"
(with space)

To present your values with the proper units, use the “Label Prefix” and “Label Suffix” fields.

Examples:
Label Prefix	Label Suffix	Sample Output
`$`	(blank)	$70.25
`$`	`K`	$70.25K
`€`	`M`	€70.25M
(blank)	`TWh`	70.25TWh

Note: SankeyMATIC does not trim spaces in labels.

Starting a suffix with a space will produce a space between the amount and the suffix.

This can make some labels more readable. See the examples to the right.

Show Totals in Node Labels?

Basic Sankey diagram example with no amounts shown
Example: No totals shown
(Compare with above)

Basic Sankey diagram example with no amounts shown, plus a larger label size
Note: With the extra space, there is
room to use a larger font size

Showing Node totals in labels can make the diagram nicely specific, but doing so can require a lot of horizontal room to keep the labels from intruding on other nodes.

You have the option of leaving out the specific node totals by unchecking the “Show Node totals as part of labels” checkbox.

Numeric Precision in Labels

Basic Sankey diagram example with currency labels truncating zeroes, such as $6.2
Always show full precision = OFF

Basic Sankey diagram example with currency labels always showing trailing zeroes, such as $6.20
Always show full precision = ON

Normally SankeyMATIC will remove any trailing 0s after the decimal point from the labels it produces.

However, for some units (like dollars and cents) this can produce strange-looking output.

Checking the “Always show full precision” box keeps SankeyMATIC from removing any trailing 0s.

Labels vs. No Labels

Basic Sankey diagram example with text labels showing
Show Labels = ON

Basic Sankey diagram example with no text labels, only blank paths
Show Labels = OFF

If you want no label text at all, you can turn them all off by un-checking the “Show Labels” checkbox.

You might use this approach if:

you are intending to apply your own custom labels in a separate graphics program
you are making a series of consistently-formatted small multiples which will have a separate legend describing them
you are making a tidy thumbnail version of a diagram
you are making artistic patterns that you don't want to clutter up with text
...and so on.

Additional Controls

Listed below are other attributes you can control about how labels are presented.

These controls are found under “Labels & Units” and are fairly self-explanatory.

Font size
Font color
Font face: sans-serif / serif / monospace
Font weight: Light / Normal / Bold. (Note: Light only applies to the sans-serif font face)