# Integrated Visualization Editing via Parameterized Declarative Templates

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.07902 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.07902/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 19 Jan 2021.

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Mystique: Deconstructing SVG Charts for Layout Reuse](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.13567/) (2023)
- [AnnoBench: A Benchmark for Visualization Annotation Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.25911/) (2026)
- [TA3: Testing Against Adversarial Attacks on Machine Learning Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.05334/) (2024)
- [Chart2SVG: Editable SVG Generation from Raster Chart Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.26544/) (2026)
- [Where LLMs Fail with Visualization DSLs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.01873/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Interfaces for creating visualizations typically embrace one of several common forms. Textual specification enables fine-grained control, shelf building facilitates rapid exploration, while chart choosing promotes immediacy and simplicity. Ideally these approaches could be unified to integrate the user- and usage-dependent benefits found in each modality, yet these forms remain distinct. We propose parameterized declarative templates, a simple abstraction mechanism over JSON-based visualization grammars, as a foundation for multimodal visualization editors. We demonstrate how templates can facilitate organization and reuse by factoring the more than 160 charts that constitute Vega-Lite's example gallery into approximately 40 templates. We exemplify the pliability of abstracting over charting grammars by implementing -- as a template -- the functionality of the shelf builder Polestar (a simulacra of Tableau) and a set of templates that emulate the Google Sheets chart chooser. We show how templates support multimodal visualization editing by implementing a prototype and evaluating it through an approachability study.