Project planning and task scheduling are critical aspects of successful software development, construction, and business operations, and visual tools play a key role in making timelines easy to understand. A Gantt Chart is one of the most effective ways to present project schedules because it clearly illustrates task durations, start points, and overall progress within a single timeline view. When working in a C# environment, generating Gantt Charts programmatically allows developers to automate reporting workflows and ensure that project data is always up to date and consistently formatted.

By using Conholdate.Total for .NET SDK, developers can create Excel based Gantt Charts directly within their C# applications. This approach eliminates manual spreadsheet editing and enables seamless integration with existing project management systems. The underlying concept involves using a stacked bar chart where one series represents the task start offset and another represents task duration. When properly formatted, this structure visually mimics a traditional Gantt Chart and provides a clean, professional timeline representation that can be easily shared with stakeholders.

Why Create Gantt Chart in C#?

  • It allows automated generation of project timelines directly from application data, reducing manual effort and errors.
  • Creating Gantt Charts in C# ensures consistent formatting and structure across all project reports.
  • Programmatic chart creation makes it easy to update schedules dynamically as project data changes.
  • Excel based Gantt Charts are widely accessible and can be shared without specialized tools.
  • Visual timelines improve communication between teams, managers, and stakeholders.
  • Using Conholdate.Total for .NET SDK simplifies complex spreadsheet and chart generation tasks within enterprise applications.

Create Gantt Chart in C#

The following C# code demonstrates how to create a Gantt Chart in an Excel file using Conholdate.Total for .NET SDK:

// Load the Excel file
Workbook workbook = new Workbook();
Worksheet sheet = workbook.Worksheets[0];

// Add Gantt Chart
int chartIndex = sheet.Charts.Add(Aspose.Cells.Charts.ChartType.BarStacked, 7, 0, 30, 10);
Aspose.Cells.Charts.Chart chart = sheet.Charts[chartIndex];
chart.Title.Text = "Gantt Chart";

// Add offset and duration as series
chart.NSeries.Add("D2:D6", true); // Start Offset
chart.NSeries.Add("C2:C6", true); // Duration

// Set task names as categories
chart.NSeries.CategoryData = "A2:A6";

// Make offset bars invisible
chart.NSeries[0].Area.Formatting = Aspose.Cells.Charts.FormattingType.None;

// Style duration bars
chart.NSeries[1].Area.Formatting = Aspose.Cells.Charts.FormattingType.Custom;
chart.NSeries[1].Area.ForegroundColor = System.Drawing.Color.SteelBlue;
chart.NSeries[1].DataLabels.ShowValue = true;

// Axis settings
chart.CategoryAxis.IsPlotOrderReversed = true;
chart.CategoryAxis.Title.Text = "Tasks";
chart.ValueAxis.Title.Text = "Days from Start";
chart.ValueAxis.MajorGridLines.IsVisible = true;

// Hide legend
chart.ShowLegend = false;

// Resize chart
chart.ChartObject.Width = 700;
chart.ChartObject.Height = 400;

// Save the result
workbook.Save("GanttChartResult.xlsx", SaveFormat.Xlsx);

This implementation begins by creating a new Excel workbook and accessing the default worksheet where project data is stored. A stacked bar chart is then added to serve as the base structure for the Gantt Chart. Two data series are defined, one representing the task start offset and the other representing task duration. By hiding the offset series and styling the duration bars, the chart visually aligns tasks along a timeline. Additional axis configuration, labeling, and sizing steps enhance readability and ensure that the resulting chart clearly communicates project schedules. The final Excel file is saved to disk and can be distributed or further processed as needed.

Conclusion

Creating a Gantt Chart in C# provides a powerful way to visualize project schedules and manage timelines programmatically. By leveraging Conholdate.Total for .NET SDK, developers can generate professional Excel based Gantt Charts without relying on manual tools or desktop dependencies. This approach supports dynamic data, extensive customization, and seamless integration into existing applications. Incorporating Gantt Chart generation into your C# projects can significantly improve project tracking, reporting accuracy, and overall workflow efficiency.

See Also