Changing graph formatting

The Graph toolbar includes a variety of commands for modifying particular aspects of the graph layout. You can also modify the graph directly in the Graph tab or Graph window by performing the following common Windows operations:

  • Clicking a graph, or a graph legend, to display its handles and then dragging a handle to change the item’s size
  • Clicking an item to select it, then dragging the item to move it
  • Double-clicking graphs and graph legends to display Properties dialog boxes.

The graph display area

When you generate a graph using the menu options in the Analyze menu, the graph appears in a new tab of the Analytics display area. The graph header contains the name of the ACLScript command executed to generate the graph, while the footer contains the complete syntax of the command.

When you generate a graph directly from a view, the graph appears in a new window. The graph header contains the phrase “Graph Column(s) from View.”

The display area for graphs generated from both commands and views includes the same functionality, with the exception that the Drill-down option is disabled in the toolbar for graphs generated from views.

The graph toolbar

The graph toolbar, located above the graph header, contains buttons that allow you to do the following:

  • Configure settings for various aspects of the graph display
  • Save, copy, or print the graph
  • Drill-down to analyze specific subsets of the graph data in the associated view

Depending on the method you used to generate the graph and the type of graph being displayed, some toolbar functionality might not be available. For example, the Drill-down command is not available when you generate a graph by selecting data in a view.

Icon

Name

Description

Graph Type

Used to select the type of graph that you want to display

Graph Properties

Used to edit graph properties such as font, background, frame, and whether you want the graph display to include axes, legends, or grid lines

Legend Properties

Used to edit legend properties such as font, border, and color schemes for each field displayed in the graph

Axis Properties

Used to edit axis properties such as font, style and scale

Format Data

Used to edit data format properties such as font, which fields to include in the graph, orientation, labels, and color schemes for data series

Label Properties

Used to edit label properties such as font, border, and orientation

Show/Hide Legend

Used to toggle the display of the graph legend

Show/Hide Axis

Used to toggle the display of the graph axis

Print Graph

Used to print the graph to any installed Windows print device

Save Graph as Bitmap

Used to save the graph as a bitmap image file

Copy Graph to Clipboard

Used to copy the graph to the clipboard for pasting into other applications

Edit Command

Used to edit the command that you executed to generate the graph

Rotate Chart Left

Used to rotate a pie chart to the left

Rotate Chart Right

Used to rotate a pie chart to the right

Drill-down

Used to open selected graph segments in a table view for analysis

Change graph type

The default graph type is a 3D bar graph. Depending on the type of data you are working with, you can display graphs in the formats listed below. Only options that apply to the data in your graph are available. Options that do not apply are disabled.

Note

If you want to change the default type of graph that Analytics generates, enter an appropriate SET GRAPH command in the command line.

Icon

 Graph type

Icon

 Graph type

Icon

 Graph type

2D bar graph

3D stacked graph

3D layered graph

3D bar graph

2D pie chart

Line graph

2D stacked graph

3D pie chart

Benford graph

 

  1. Click Graph Type .

    Note

    If the results you are graphing contain a single item, Analytics disables the stacked and 3-D layered options. If the results contain multiple items, stacked and layered options are available but pie chart options are unavailable.

  2. Click one of the available graph formats.
  3. Click OK.

    Tip

    To separate the sections of a pie graph, right-click on a section and select Explode Pie.

Change graph properties

The Graph Properties dialog box allows you to change the background color, axis properties, and borders of your graph. You can also change the font used for all text elements on the graph.

  1. Click Graph Properties .
  2. Click the appropriate tab for the graph property you want to edit.
    • Global Font Change graph text font, style, size, color, or background settings for all text elements on the graph.
    • Background Change details of the graph display area’s border and background.
    • Frame Change border and background settings for the frame containing graphed results data.
    • Options Select options for displaying the axis, legend, and grid lines.
  3. Click OK.

Change graph legend properties

The Legend Properties dialog box allows you change the legend font and color, or customize the legend box.

  1. Click Legend Properties .
  2. Click the appropriate tab for the legend property you want to edit:
    • Legend Attributes Change border attributes including style, color, thickness, and drop shadow.
    • Font Change legend text font, style, size, color, or background settings.
    • Data Series Change color schemes for the graphical representation of fields and toggle the option to display them as either transparent or solid.
  3. Click OK.

    Note

    You can right-click the legend to choose fields to display in the legend or to hide the legend. You can also click Show/Hide Legend in the toolbar.

Change graph axis properties

The Axis Properties dialog box allows you to change the style, scale, and font of a graph axis.

  1. Click Axis Properties .
  2. Click the appropriate tab for the axis property you want to edit:
    • Axis Style Change properties such as style, color, thickness, and the optional inclusion of tick marks to delineate regular intervals on the axis.
    • Axis Scale Specify minimum and maximum values to display on the axis and major units by which the axis is divided. Select Auto to have these values automatically assigned. You can also specify the orientation of any text values you choose to display.
    • Font Change axis text font, style, size, color, or background settings.
  3. Click OK.

    Tip

    You can right-click the axis to switch between a vertical and horizontal representation of the axis. You can also click Show/Hide Axis in the toolbar.

Change graph data display properties

The Format Data dialog box allows you to select which fields are displayed in a graph, and change the colors assigned to each field. For example, you can display fewer fields, or display a field that is hidden by default.

You can also change the font size, style, color, and orientation of the data labels, or hide them from view altogether.

  1. Click Format Data .
  2. Click the appropriate tab for the data display property you want to edit:
    • Data Move available fields that you want displayed in a graph to the Selected fields list. Use the Up and Down buttons to change the order in which the fields are displayed in the graph and in the legend.

      Tip

      You can also choose which available fields to display by right-clicking the graph display area and selecting Select Fields.

    • Options Change label text orientation options.
    • Font Change data display text font, style, size, or color of text on the x axis.
    • Data Series Change color schemes for the graphical representation of fields and toggle the option to display them as either transparent or solid.
  3. Click OK.

Add graph labels

You can add and move graph labels as necessary.

  1. Right-click the area of the graph where you want to place the label and select Add Label.
  2. Enter the label text in the text box.
  3. Click OK.
  4. If you want to move the label, do the following:
    1. Click the label so that the border of the label box is visible.
    2. Position the pointer on the border of the label box so that it changes to a four-headed arrow.
    3. Drag the label box to the position on the graph where you want to place the label.

Change graph label properties

The Label Properties dialog box allows you to change label properties. Labels describe elements of graphs generated from a command or a view. You can add new labels to a graph by right-clicking in the graph display area and selecting Add Label.

  1. Click the label you want to change and click Label Properties .
  2. Click the appropriate tab for the label property you want to edit:
    • Orientation Rotate the label orientation by degrees, or change the vertical or horizontal alignment of label text.
    • Font Change label text font, style, size, color, or background settings of the selected label.
    • Attributes Change border attributes for the label, including style, color, thickness, and drop shadow.
  3. Click OK.

    Tip

    Right-click a label to cut, copy, paste, or delete the label.

Rotate pie charts

You can rotate pie charts left or right. The rotate options are only available for pie charts.

  1. Depending on the direction you want to rotate the pie chart, do one of the following:
    • To rotate left, click Rotate Chart Left .
    • To rotate right, click Rotate Chart Right .
  2. Repeat as necessary to continue rotating the pie chart in 22.5 degree increments.