River, Cards, Map, Spans, Ribbon, Log and Doc draw the same events. Which one answers which question, and how to set each up for the timeline you keep.
A timeline in Boromlia is one record drawn in multiple styles. Switching between them changes nothing underneath, so the only question is which one answers what you are asking today.
Step by step
1. Read it every way. The same events drawn in every style, and switching between them changes nothing underneath. A visitor can even pick their own view without touching yours. River: a vertical line with cards either side: the default, and the one to read a life or a trip on Cards: three to a row, a whole period at a glance Map: a waypoint per event, joined in date order Spans: bars for what lasted, points for what did not, on one axis
2. Follow it on the map. Every event with a place becomes a waypoint, numbered by date and joined by the route actually taken. A map answers where, which a timeline cannot. A route line of your choosing: none, dashed, solid or arrows One of four base maps, and a legend coloured by chapter or by category Open a pin and read the event without leaving the map; the photos travel with it
3. More ways to read it. The Ribbon and the Log are for a record rather than a story. One runs the whole thing end to end along a single line; the other is a table you sort and filter the way you would a spreadsheet. Doc is for handing over rather than reading on screen. Ribbon: the whole span in one run, zoomed to the level you need Log: one dense row per event, with the columns you choose Doc: the whole thing set as a document, with a title page, a contents and a page number on every sheet The Log is the shape the CSV export writes, so what you see is what you get
Which view answers which question
What came next? River, the vertical line, or Ribbon, the whole span in one horizontal run.
What did a whole period hold? Cards, three to a row.
Where did it happen? Map, a numbered waypoint per event.
What overlapped what? Spans, bars for what lasted and points for what did not.
How many, and which? Log, a table you sort and filter.
What do I hand over? Doc, the timeline as an A4 document.
Questions
Which styles are on the free plan?
River, Cards, Map and Spans are on every plan, the free one included. Ribbon, Log and Doc come with Advanced.
Do readers see the view I chose?
Yes. The style and the settings you save as the owner are what everyone who opens the timeline sees first, and a reader can switch to another style for themselves without changing yours.