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Home > Presentation Designer > Design Objects > Line Graph

Line Graph



This object allows you to display historical data from one or more data sources in the form of a line graph.  Line graphs are more complicated to configure than other gauges, but they offer greater flexibility, allowing for a variety of different comparisons between different data sources over time.

Placement Properties

See the general Placement Properties page for more information.

Graph Properties

Time Scale Unit and Behavior

Time Scale Unit Behavior Description
Days Calendar Week Shows data for the days of the week for a given week
Calendar Month Shows data for the days in a given month
Relative to Present Shows data for a specified number of days relative to the current date
Hours Calendar Day Shows data for the hours for a given day
Relative to Present Shows data for a specified number of hour relative to the current time
Months Calendar Year Shows data for the months of a given year
Relative to Present Shows data for a specified number of months relative to the current month

Plots

By default, you will have one data point that will appear on the graph. However, if you right-click next to the plot number, you are given some options, including the option to Insert an additional plot. You can add several plots one at a time. To link a plot to a data point, click on the red Links icon, which will open the Point Manager window. Use the Point Manager to select the data source you wish to display in the Plot. (See the Point Manager page for more information about selecting data.) The current value retrieved from the data source will be shown in the Current Value text box.

If you need to convert your data, such as changing between US customary units and metric units (Fahrenheit to Celsius), from base units to derived units (Hertz to Megahertz), or between derived units (gallons to cubic feet), the Unit Multiplier and the Unit Offset allow you to do just that.  With Data Interpretations, you have the option of graphing either Normal, which uses the actual values of the data, or Change Over Time, which shows the changes of those values over time.

To change the color of the line, select a color from the Color Picker by clicking on the box next to Color or by entering the hexadecimal value in the Color text box. You can also be adjust the transparency of the color with the slider to the left of the text box. To adjust the thickness of the line, enter a pixel value in the Line Thickness text box, or click on the up/down arrow next to Line Thickness and move the mouse cursor up the screen to increase the thickness or down the screen to decrease the thickness.

Additionally, you may alter the amount of data sampled for this linked data point.  Choosing Uniform Sampler from the Data Sampler drop down box, you can indicate the maximum number of sample by entering a value in the Max Samples text box (default = 100), or by clicking on the up/down arrow next to Max Samples and moving the mouse cursor up the screen to increase the value or down the screen to decrease the value. From the Data Sampler drop down menu, the other choice is Interval Sampler, which samples the data once per unit interval on the graph.

The data from a Vantage Point Server is always retrieved by a presentation in the context of the current date and time. For example, if you have chosen Hours as the Time Scale Unit, you can either display the data by hours of the current day (Calendar Day) or the previous 24 hours (Relative to Present). Regardless of which Time Scale Unit you choose, Relative to Present always displays data leading up to the present. However, if you choose one of the other behaviors, you can alter the time period shown with the Offset option in the Time Scale Settings. The offset is relative to the present and is the same units as the chosen Time Scale Unit.

Display Properties

Text Properties

Use the Title text box to give your line graph a title. With Title Alignment, choose where the title appears in relation to the Line Graph – top, bottom, both, or neither. Color the text of the Title with Title Color, selecting a color from the Color Picker by clicking on the colored box next to Title Color or by entering the hexadecimal value in the text box. You can also be adjust the transparency of the color with the slider to the left of the text box.

Use the X-Axis Label to identify the X-Axis and the Y-Axis Label to identify the Y-Axis. With X-Axis Alignment, chose where the X-Axis Label appears in relation to the Line Graph – top, bottom, both, or hidden. With Y-Axis Alignment, chose where the Y-Axis Label appears in relation to the Line Graph – left, right, both, or hidden. Color the text of the axis labels with Label Color, selecting a color from the Color Picker by clicking on the colored box next to Label Color or by entering the hexadecimal value in the text box. You can also be adjust the transparency of the color with the slider to the left of the text box.

The Label Fonts settings allow you to modify the font of the Indicators, Labels, and Title. From the drop-down boxes, you can select a Typeface from among those installed on your computer. Check boxes allow you to Bold and Italic the labels. Select a Font Size by entering a value into the font size text box, from 1 to 72 in 0.001 increments, or by clicking on the up/down arrow to the right of the font size text box and moving the mouse cursor up the screen to increase the font size or down the screen to decrease it.

Axis Properties

The Axis Color, Outline Color, and Grid Color settings allow you to adjust the color of their respective elements. Select a color from the Color Picker by clicking on the colored box next to Axis Color, Outline Color, or Grid Color, or by entering the hexadecimal value in the adjacent text box. You can also be adjust the transparency of the color with the slider to the left of the text box.

Tick lengths indicate how far the lines which indicate values extend past the graph. Enter numbers into either the X-Axis Tick Length or Y-Axis Tick Length text boxes to adjust the respective values, or click on one of the respective Up/Down arrows adjacent to them and move the mouse cursor up the screen to increase the value or down the screen to decrease the value.

If you want to increase or decrease the distance between the ticks and their values, use the X-Axis Margin or the Y-Axis Margin text boxes to adjust their respective values.

Background Settings

Choose from one of the following options from the drop-down box (click a property for more information):

  • Linear Gradient - Transitions from one color to another.

  • Advanced Image - Uses an image for the background.

  • Blank - No colors, gradients, or images.

  • Solid Color - Uses a single color for the background.

  • Rectangular Gradient - Transitions from one color to another in a square pattern.

  • Image - Uses an image for the background.

  • Circular Gradient - Transitions from one color to another in a circular pattern.

Border Padding determines the distance between the outside edge of and the entire graph, including titles and labels, contained within it. Enter a value in the text box, or click on the Up/Down arrows and move the mouse cursor up the screen to increase the distance and down the screen to decrease the distance.

Auto Fit Mode

This setting allows you to specify how the plotted data is displayed in relation to the graph. You have the option between Axis Locked Fit (default), Fixed Range, Sliding Fit, and Disabled.

Axis Locked Fit, which is the default, places the high value at the top of the graph while leaving you to determine the position of the low value on the graph by adjusting the Axis Y setting. Minimum Range specifies the minimum difference between the displaying of the high value and the low value. Border Margin determines the physical distance between the high value and the edge of the graph.

With Fixed Range, you specify the maximum and minimum values that the graph will show. Enter a value into the respective text box, or click the respective Up/Down arrow to the left of the Max Value and Min Value labels and move the mouse cursor up the screen to increase the respective value or down the screen to decrease it.

Sliding Fit attempts to maximize the amount of space the displayed data plotting occupies within the graph. With Minimum Range you specify the minimum difference between the displaying of the high value and the low value. Border Margin determines the physical distance between the high value and low value from the edges of the graph.

General Properties

See the General Properties page for more information.


This is the final article in the Design Objects chapter.



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