1. General information
1.1. Description of the control
A chart is a chart with the option of defining a data source using a single aggregation query, or a chart with the option of defining a maximum of four common queries without using data aggregation.
- If any of the database queries of the chart has the “Time span by” field filled in, the “from-to” filter for selecting the time period is displayed above the chart. A detailed description of the time span is provided in the separate guide Database query designer.
- For an aggregation query with columns of the “Group by” type, a drop-down list for selecting the value of these columns is displayed above the chart; for a pie or doughnut chart, a drop-down list for selecting the displayed column may be added. If the query has columns of the “Filter” type, filters by these columns are also displayed above the chart.
- If the chart displays more than one series and none of them is of the “Pie” or “Doughnut” type, check boxes for selecting the displayed series are shown above the chart.
- The chart remembers the selection of series, the values of the drop-down lists and the exploded slice for each user separately; this does not apply to the anonymous user. Whether the chart also remembers the selected time span is determined by the settings of the database query.
- In a portlet, the “from-to” filter, the drop-down lists, the filters and the check boxes for selecting series are not displayed above the chart, and the time span is not applied.
1.2. Create a new control
The new chart can be created as follows from the view page using the toolbar with controls:
- First, clicking on the view page determines the position in which the new chart should be placed. This will highlight the selected position with a gray horizontal line. Then just click on the “Chart” item in the toolbar of the view page, fill in the attributes of the new control in the newly opened dialog, and then save. This will insert a new charter at a pre-selected location on the view page.
- If the required position is not determined before inserting a new chart, the new chart will be inserted at the end of the view page.
1.3. Edit or delete a control
- For each existing control, a pencil icon appears to the left of the control page to change or delete the control's settings.
- Individual controls can be moved vertically on the view page using the Drag&Drop method. Moving consists of grabbing the control, preferably behind its name, and then dragging it to the desired location on the view page.
- Controls can be moved only with the “Drag&Drop” check box located above the toolbar with controls selected. For security reasons, this check box is cleared after each login to the application, so that a control is not moved by accident.
2. List of tabs in the control settings dialog
- General – Setting general properties
- Chart A – Setting the displayed data using the first query
- Chart B – Setting the displayed data using the second query
- Chart C – Setting the displayed data using the third query
- Chart D – Setting the displayed data using the fourth query
- Other – Color and font settings
- Rights – Rights settings
- Administration – Setting other properties
2.1. “General” tab
2.1.1. Title
- The name of the control displayed at the top of the chart image.
2.1.2. Dictionary
- The dictionary lists the names of other controls, forms, view pages, categories, applications, and application groups used across the entire application.
- The dictionary search is used to design the correct control name and to maintain the consistency of the nomenclature throughout the application so that controls with the same meaning located in different places in the application are named in the same way.
2.1.3. Width
- The width of the control, expressed in pixels.
- If this input field is not filled in, the width of the chart will be set to the maximum width of the screen, in a portlet to 300 pixels.
2.1.4. Height
- The height of the control, expressed in pixels.
- If this input field is not filled in, the height of the chart will be set to 460 pixels, in a portlet to 300 pixels. Bar charts are an exception.
- If the chart contains a series of the “Bar” or “Stacked bar” type, a height entered between 10 and 50 pixels indicates the height of one bar, and an empty height means a bar 30 pixels high. The total height of the chart is then calculated as the bar height multiplied by the number of data points of all series of the chart (if the chart contains a series of the “Stacked bar” type, by the number of distinct values on the axis), increased by 60 pixels.
- The input field accepts values from 10 to 10,000 pixels.
2.1.5. Options
- Show legend
- Checking this box determines whether the legend for each chart series should be displayed.
- The drop-down list contains the following values:
- Right
- Left
- Up
- Down
- Show labels
- Checking this box determines whether numeric values should be displayed in the chart.
- Show tooltip
- Checking this box determines whether the chart should display the details of individual records in the tooltip when hovering the mouse over individual values.
- Show grid
- Checking this box determines whether to display a grid highlighting the intervals of values on the X and Y axis.
- Automatic interval of labels on the X-axis
- Checking this box determines whether the X-axis label placement interval should be evaluated automatically.
- 3D chart
- Checking this box determines whether the chart should be displayed in 3D. The “Perspective” drop-down list determines the degree of perspective (0%, 30%, or 60%), which is applied only if the “Right-angled” box is unchecked.
2.2. “Chart A” tab
- Definition of the first series of charts.
- If the data source of the series is an aggregate query, the “Y” and “X” columns are not selected, and instead of the “Chart A” to “Chart D” tabs the dialog offers only the tab of the series with this query.
2.2.1. Name
- The name of the legend of the first series of the chart.
2.2.2. Data source
- The data source defines the source database records displayed in the first series of the chart.
- Data source settings are made in the graphical designer of database queries. A detailed description of the database query designer is provided in the separate “Database Query Designer” guide.
2.2.3. Y
- Select a column that specifies a value on the Y axis.
2.2.4. X
- Select a column that specifies a descriptive value on the X axis.
2.2.5. Type
- A chart type that allows the selection of one of the following values:
- Column
- Stacked column
- Bar
- Stacked bar
- Line
- Spline
- Step line
- Area
- Spline area
- Stacked area
- Pie
- Doughnut
- Point
- Bubble
- For the “Column”, “Stacked column”, “Bar”, and “Stacked bar” types, the “3D cylinder” check box is offered next to the chart type.
2.2.6. Style
- For the “Bubble” type, it determines the shape of the bubbles: “Circle”, “Square”, “Diamond”, “Triangle”, “Cross”, “Star (4)”, “Star (5)”, “Star (6)”, or “Star (10)”.
- For the “Pie” and “Doughnut” types, it determines the drawing style of the slices: “Default”, “SoftEdge”, or “Concave”. It is offered only if the “3D chart” box is not checked, and it takes effect only in a chart rendered as an image — that is, in older browsers or in a chart that combines a pie or doughnut series with a series of another type.
2.2.7. Label position
- The position of the numeric values: “Inside” or “Outside”.
- It is offered for the “Bar”, “Stacked bar”, “Pie”, and “Doughnut” types, and only if the “Show labels” box is checked.
2.2.8. Label
- The content of the label of a slice: “Text”, “Value”, “%”, “Text + Value”, “Text + %”, or “Text + Value + %”.
- It is offered for the “Pie” and “Doughnut” types, and only if the “Show labels” box is checked.
2.2.9. Options
- Swap axes
- It is offered only for an aggregate query with grouping that has no date grouping column.
- Fill time gaps
- It is offered only for an aggregate query that groups the data by a date column.
- Checking this box determines whether time continuity should be ensured in the resulting data set in the column according to which the data is grouped. Where aggregated rows are missing, they will be automatically populated with all other columns set to “0”.
2.3. “Chart B” tab
- Definition of the second series of charts.
2.4. “Chart C” tab
- Definition of the third series of charts.
2.5. “Chart D” tab
- Definition of the fourth series of charts.
2.6. “Other” tab
2.6.1. Color palette
- Chart color palette that allows the selection of one of the following values:
- empty value – the pastel palette, the same as for the “Pastel” value
- Default – the pastel palette, the same as for the “Pastel” value
- Earth tones
- Berry
- Chocolate
- Excel
- Fire
- Sea green
- Transparent
- Pastel
- Gray scale
- Light
2.6.2. Font name
- The font name used to display label texts, legends, and values in the chart.
2.6.3. Font size – Title
- The text size used to display headings.
2.6.4. Font size – Legend, values
- The text size used to display legends and values in the chart.
2.7. “Rights” tab
2.7.1. Rights
- Rights define a list of user groups and users who have permission to display the control on the view page.
- For a new control, the rights are prefilled from the control at the position selected before inserting it; if no position is selected, from the rights of the view page.
2.7.2. Replace rights to other controls
- The “Replace rights to other controls” feature is used to unify rights across the entire view page for controls that are related in terms of rights.
- Thanks to the “Show...” link, it is possible to display a list of all controls on the view page, including the setting of the rights of these controls. A check box is displayed for each control to select it. When the control is saved, the same rights are then set for the selected controls.
- An alternative for unifying rights within the entire view page is the overview of the rights settings of all controls, displayed by the “Show summary...” link on the “Rights” tab in the view page settings.
2.8. “Administration” tab
- The “Administration” tab is only displayed for existing controls.
2.8.1. Location
- Select the view page on which the control is located.
- The drop-down list contains the view pages located in the same application and in the same category as the view page on which the control stands. For a view page without a category, it offers only view pages without a category. For a new control, it contains only the current view page.
2.8.2. Other
- Change type to
- The drop-down list offers the types of controls to which conversion of the control is supported.
2.9. “Save”, “Copy”, “Delete”, and “Close” buttons
- “Save” button – Saves changes to the control settings.
- “Copy” button – Creates a new copy of the current control with identical settings, but with a newly generated unique identifier.
- “Delete” button – Permanently deletes the control.
- “Close” button – Closes the control settings dialog without saving changes.