Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions and answers about the GitHub Contributions Chart application

How do I get TeeChart VCL?

TeeChart VCL is a commercial charting component by Steema Software. To use this project, you’ll need:

1. Purchase a license from Steema’s website
2. Install TeeChart VCL in your Delphi or C++Builder IDE
3. Ensure the component is properly registered before building the project

The project specifically uses the following TeeChart components:

• TChart - Main chart container
• TPointSeries - For plotting contribution points
• TMarksTipTool - For hover tooltips
• TAnnotationTool - For month and day labels

What GitHub users can I visualize?

You can visualize contributions for any public GitHub user. Simply:

1. Enter the GitHub username in the text field
2. Click the “Get Contributions” button
3. Wait for the data to load from the API

The application uses the public API endpoint:

https://github-contributions.vercel.app/api/v1/{username}

The default username is set to “sallar” (the creator of the contributions API). This serves as a demonstration when you first run the application.

How do I switch between light and dark themes?

The application includes built-in theme support:

1. Click the Theme button (labeled “Dark” or “Light”)
2. The interface will switch between:
   • Standard Theme - Light background with standard colors
   • GitHub Dark Theme - Dark background matching GitHub’s dark mode

The theme affects:

• Application background and text colors
• Chart background
• Contribution intensity color grades
• All UI controls (input fields, dropdowns)
• Month and day labels

The theme button toggles between modes - when it shows “Dark”, clicking will switch to dark theme, and vice versa.

Can I change the first day of the week?

Yes! The application allows you to customize the first day of the week:

1. Use the “First Day of Week” dropdown menu
2. Select between:
   • Sunday (index 0) - Standard US calendar format
   • Monday (index 1) - ISO 8601 standard, common in Europe

Changing this setting will automatically redraw the chart with the new week structure. This affects:

• How contributions are organized into weeks
• The vertical axis day labels
• Week number calculations

This dropdown is only enabled after you’ve successfully loaded contribution data for a user.

What data does the API return?

The GitHub Contributions API returns JSON data containing:

Years Array:

• List of years with available contribution data
• Used to populate the year selection dropdown

Contributions Array: Each contribution entry includes:

• date - Date in YYYY-MM-DD format
• intensity - Contribution intensity level (0-4)
  • 0: No contributions
  • 1-4: Increasing levels of activity

The intensity levels are mapped to colors based on the current theme, similar to GitHub’s native contribution graph.

How do I build the project?

To build and run the project:

1. Prerequisites:
   • Delphi or C++Builder IDE
   • TeeChart VCL installed and licensed
   • Windows platform (uses WinAPI)
2. Build Steps:
   • Clone the repository
   • Open the project file in your IDE
   • Verify TeeChart VCL components are available
   • Build the project (F9 or Build menu)
   • Run the application
3. Required Units: The project depends on:
   • System.Net.HttpClient - For API requests
   • System.JSON - For parsing API responses
   • VCLTee.* - TeeChart VCL components
   • DateUtils - For date calculations

What if the chart doesn't display after loading data?

If contributions data loads but the chart doesn’t appear:

1. Check the year dropdown - Make sure a valid year is selected
2. Verify the username - Ensure the user has contributions in the selected year
3. Check your internet connection - The API requires network access
4. Look for error messages - The application may fail silently if data is malformed

Common issues:

• User has no contributions in selected year - Try a different year from the dropdown
• API is down - The Vercel-hosted API may be temporarily unavailable
• Rate limiting - Multiple rapid requests may be rate-limited

The chart is hidden by default and only shows after successful data loading. The cursor changes to an hourglass during data retrieval.

Can I hover over contributions to see details?

Yes! The chart includes interactive tooltips:

• Hover over any contribution point to see the date
• Dates are formatted as “Month Day” with ordinal suffix (e.g., “January 1st”, “March 23rd”)
• The tooltip shows the exact day you contributed

The tooltip functionality is provided by the TMarksTipTool component from TeeChart VCL.

Why are some dates missing from the chart?

The chart only displays dates with contribution data from GitHub. This means:

• Days with zero contributions may not appear as visible points
• Only dates within the selected year are shown
• The API filters data by year automatically

Additionally:

• Week calculations exclude weeks from the previous/next year
• The first week of the year might start mid-week depending on your “First Day of Week” setting

Still Have Questions?

If your question isn’t answered here, please:

Check the Documentation

Browse the complete documentation for detailed information

Report an Issue

Open an issue on the GitHub repository