How to create a timeline with references instead of dates?

Question

I would like to insert a timeline into my thesis and replace dates by references to the lines of an interview such as : (l. 5-25) (l. is for line). I found an example of timeline that is quite what I'm looking for. But how can I replace years by references ? This is below that mwe I found here :

\documentclass[10pt]{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage{chronosys}
\usepackage{geometry}

\begin{document}


\startchronology[startyear=-3000,stopyear=-2000, startdate=false, color=blue!40, stopdate=false, arrow=true, height=3pt]
\setupchronoevent{textstyle=\scriptsize,datestyle=\scriptsize}
\chronograduation[event]{100}
\chronoevent[markdepth=60pt]{-2080}{IM15 (C)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=-80pt]{-2115}{IM13 (C)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=20pt]{-2115}{IM26 (B)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=100pt]{-2170}{IM20 (B)} 
\chronoevent[markdepth=-120pt]{-2190}{IIIM76 (E)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=70pt]{-2200}{IIIM353 (C)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=30pt]{-2245}{IIM69 (C)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=-70pt]{-2250}{IIM281 (C)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=-50pt]{-2145}{IM10 (B)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=-30pt]{-2240}{IIM163 (C)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=-70pt]{-2475}{IM90 (C)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=20pt]{-2480}{IM90 (B)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=-20pt]{-2500}{IIM63 (C)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=70pt]{-2550}{IM21 (A)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=-50pt]{-2570}{IM163 (B)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=30pt]{-2620}{IIM13 (C)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=-40pt]{-2690}{IM5 (B)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=40pt]{-2760}{IM130 (B)}
\chronoevent[markdepth=-15pt]{-2770}{IM65 (C)}
\chronoevent{-2935}{IM157 (B)}
\stopchronology
\end{document}

Answer 1

What you want here is not really a timeline as such. But maybe something like the following could be the basis for a solution.

\documentclass[border=10pt,tikz]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{arrows.meta,positioning}
\newlength\interviewunit
\tikzset{%
  interview line/.code={%
    \tikzset{interview/.cd, #1}
    \pgfmathsetlength\interviewunit{(\interviewtotht-10mm)/\interviewlines}
    \draw [interview/line] (0,5mm) coordinate (interview start) -- +(0,{-\interviewtotht-5mm}) coordinate (interview end);
  },
  interview/.search also={/tikz},
  interview/.cd,
  total height/.store in=\interviewtotht,
  total height=100mm,
  lines/.store in=\interviewlines,
  lines=100,
  line/.style={thick, gray, {Circle}-{Latex}},
  mark/.style={gray,fill},
}
\newcommand*\interviewmarker[3][0pt]{%
  \draw [interview/mark] (0,{-\interviewunit*#2}) circle (1.5pt) -- +(35mm,#1) circle (1.5pt) coordinate (interview mark);
  \node [right=2.5mm of interview mark, anchor=west, align=left]  {l.~#2: #3};
}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  [
    interview line,
  ]
  \interviewmarker{34}{Take a break!}
  \interviewmarker{0}{Start}
  \interviewmarker[-10pt]{1}{Meet \& greet.}
  \interviewmarker{75}{Phone rings.}
  \interviewmarker{100}{End}
  \interviewmarker{64}{Switch on lights.}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}