The settings panels in the Chart Constructor allow you to alter many of the visual characteristics of a selected chart belonging to a report. Although most of the characteristics available for alteration are common to all types of chart, and will always be displayed in the panel, some will be visible only for certain chart types. In the descriptions of the characteristics given below, the circumstances under which the latter will be available are clearly stated.
Chart Type This defines the type of chart to be generated. Normally, you can
select any of the following chart types: • Pie chart • 3D pie chart • Bar chart • 3D bar chart • Line graph • 3D line graph • Area graph • 3D area graph
For Grouped List reports, you can opt for the main chart to be multi- dimensional, in which case your possible chart-type choices would be as follows:
• Multi-dimensional arranged bar chart • Multi-dimensional stacked bar chart • Multi-dimensional area graph • Multi-dimensional line graph
default from left to right (or from bottom to top), while for a pie chart, the default ordering is clockwise. The following kinds of sorting are available:
Default Values This option gives the chart items a fairly random distribution,
as they are placed in the order in which the data is read from the database.
Reverse Values This option places the chart items in an order that is the
reverse of the Default Values order.
Values Ascending This option does not apply to multi-dimensional charts. It
places the chart items in ascending order, based on the count for each item.
Values Descending This option does not apply to multi-dimensional charts. It
places the chart items in descending order, based on the count for each item.
Label Ascending This option places the chart items in ascending
alphanumerical order, based on the label text.
Label Descending This option places the chart items in descending
alphanumerical order, based on the label text.
Staggered Values This option does not apply to multi-dimensional charts. It
places the chart items in an order of “alternating opposites”. The placing starts with the item that has the highest count, followed by the item with the lowest count. Then, the items with the next-highest and next-lowest counts are placed, and so on. This kind of distribution is most useful in pie charts where overlapping of item labels would otherwise occur due to adjacent segments being too thin.
Canvas Size These two settings define, in pixels, the horizontal and vertical
dimensions of the “canvas” on which the chart is drawn.
Chart Size These apply to bar charts, line graphs and area graphs. They define,
in pixels, the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the chart graphic itself.
Top & Left Margins These two settings apply to bar charts, line graphs and area
graphs. They define, in pixels, the left and top margins of the chart, as measured between the edge of the canvas and the corresponding edge of the chart graphic (that is, the drawn chart itself, excluding any labels).
Scaling This applies to pie charts. It defines the “flat” diameter of the pie,
expressed as a percentage of the smaller dimension of the canvas.
Depth This is specific to 3D charts. It defines, in pixels, the depth of the chart
graphic (that is, along the Z-axis). For a multi-depth pie chart, it would define the maximum depth (or “height”) of the pie.
Angle of View This is specific to 3D pie charts. It defines the apparent angle of
view (in degrees) that the observer has of the pie, with 0 being the top view and 90 being the side view. Note that true perspective is not automatically
maintained, as the pie’s depth is controlled independently of the angle.
Swap XY This applies to bar charts, line graphs and area graphs. Selection of
Swap XY will switch over the X- and Y-axes of the chart. Selection of Default will switch these back to their default positions.
Main Title This defines a title for the chart. Any text typed in this field will
appear, horizontally centralised, at the top of the canvas.
X Axis Title This applies to bar charts, line graphs and area graphs. It defines a
title for the X-axis of the chart.
Y Axis Title This applies to bar charts, line graphs and area graphs. It defines a
title for the Y-axis of the chart.
Multi Depth This option is specific to 3D pie charts. When enabled, it causes
each segment of the pie to be displayed with a different depth, dropping by equal increments from maximum depth at the start angle in a clockwise direction. The respective depths therefore have no significance apart from a stylistic one.
Explode Pie This option is specific to pie charts. When enabled, it causes the
specified segment (counting from the start angle) to be set apart from the remainder of the pie by the specified distance (in pixels).
Start Angle This is specific to pie charts. It defines, in degrees (relative to “12
o’clock”), the angle at which segment ordering begins, being the place in the pie where the starting edge of the first segment is located.
Fill Type & Colour These apply to all except multi-dimensional charts. The fill
type defines mainly the colouring mode of the chart elements, of which there are three to choose from:
Default Palette With this option, each element is filled with a different colour
from the palette provided.
One Colour This option allows you to select the single colour, of constant
tone, with which all elements are to be filled. You select the actual colour by means of the adjacent Pick Colour button.
Gradient This option applies to bar charts and area graphs. It allows you to
select the single colour, of gradually changing tone, with which all elements are to be filled. You select the actual colour by means of the adjacent Pick Colour button.
Another aspect of colour fill is Transparency. This option, when enabled, will make the chart’s grid lines and normally hidden parts of chart elements visible through all those elements that overlap them.
Background Style This defines the colouring style of the canvas background, of
which there are three to choose from:
Plain Colour This option specifies the colouring style of the canvas
background as being constant-tone and opaque. With an opaque canvas background, the colour of the canvas will stand out from that of the report as a whole. You select the actual colour by means of the adjacent Pick Colour button.
Gradient This option specifies the colouring style of the canvas background as
an opaque one with repeating gradients. Again, an opaque canvas background allows the colour of the canvas to stand out from that of the report as a whole. You select the actual colour by means of the Gradient drop-down list.
Transparent This option specifies the colouring style of the canvas
background as one that is transparent. When the background is transparent, it will be colourless, and the report’s background will be visible through it.
Show Lines The settings in this area govern which of the chart’s ruled lines
should be displayed and, if any are, what colour they, and also the label text, should be. The enabling options are as follows:
Border This option, when enabled, will cause the canvas boundary to be made
visible by the appearance of a border. Note that, if you copy a chart and paste it into another application, the border will be lost.
Edge This option, when enabled, will cause the lines defining the edges of the
chart graphic to be displayed. For a pie chart, it will cause the lines defining the segment boundaries to be displayed.
Below the enabling options, there are the colour controls for these line elements, and for the text. To select a colour for a given element, use the relevant Pick Colour button. The elements are as follows:
Edge Colour This determines the colour of the lines defining the edges of the
chart graphic, including the two axes (if not separately overriden). In the case of a pie chart, it determines the colour of the segment boundaries.
Horiz Line Colour This determines the colour of the horizontal grid lines on bar
charts, line graphs and area graphs.
Vert Line Colour This determines the colour of the vertical grid lines on bar
charts, line graphs and area graphs.
Axis Colour This determines the colour of the two axes on bar charts, line
graphs and area graphs, when you want this to differ from the overall edge colour.
Text Colour This determines the colour of all label text.
Labelling The settings in this area are concerned with how the chart should be
labelled. For pie charts, it is possible to display a colour-coded legend to augment the presentation. For other charts, you can specify the angle at which the X-axis labelling should be displayed. The settings available are as follows:
Legend This is specific to pie charts. By making the appropriate selection in
the drop-down list, you can either show or hide the legend.
Legend Coordinates These are specific to pie charts. By entering appropriate X
and Y values (which are in pixels, measured relative to the top left-hand corner of the canvas), you can position the legend anywhere on the canvas.
Label Angle This applies to bar charts, line graphs and area graphs. You
Discard Results This area applies to all except multi-dimensional charts. The
first two fields here allow items with too high or too low a count (in comparison with the majority) to be excluded from the chart. This is useful when a few items having counts far below, or in excess of, the norm are seen to adversely affect chart readability, or when such items simply do not need to be compared with the others. If you wish to exclude high counts, type the required threshold value in the Above field. Similarly, to exclude low counts, you should type an
appropriate value in the Below field.
The third field here allows you to specify the maximum number of records that are to be included in the statistics for the chart display.