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Designing Charts

This page includes quick steps for loading tables and creating simple charts, as well as FAQs about charts.

For a detailed reference of properties that affect charts, see Common Properties and Chart Properties.

Some default chart widgets in Atrius Solution Builder

Load Data

Before you can design a chart or data grid, you must load a table in the dataflow.

To load a table, follow the steps in Working with Tables.

Tutorial: Create a Simple Chart

This tutorial shows you how to add series and axes to a basic chart using data in your dataflow.

To create a simple chart, take the following actions:

1. Select the stage in the Outline or Document window, then select Insert > Charts > Chart.

2. In your table, find the column that corresponds to the "X" or "Y" value that you want to use for a series, then drag the column header to your empty chart widget.

This task only works in Edit mode.

When you release the mouse button, a Select Axis panel appears.

3. Continue the Select Axis panel for the series:
1. In the Select series drop-down, select a series type, such as "Line Series" or "Column Series".
2. For each axis, select a table column name from the drop-down menu. For example, you may use "Date" data on the "X" axis and "Temperature" data on the "Y" axis.
3. For each axis, select an axis type from the drop-down menu.
• Use "Date Time Axis" for linearly progressing date and time.
• Use "Linear Axis" for other linearly increasing values.
• Use a "Category" axis when the data is not a number or date.
4. In the Select series drop-down, select a series type, such as "Line Series" or "Column Series".



4. Click OK. To add more series from the same table, repeat steps 2 and 3. Check Use Existing Axis for both axes.

Reminder: Choose the same axis types as the first series, and use values with the same units. Drop table columns into another area of the chart, not into an existing series.

5. Set the properties that you want for each series.

6. Set the properties that you want for each axis.

7. Set the properties that you want for the plot area.

Using Multiple Tables with Charts

With a linear, logarithmic, or datetime axis, each series can come from a different table.

With a category axis, all series must come from the same table.

Series Stacker

A series stacker groups multiple series that use the same axes. Within the group, series can be overlaid or stacked using the Series Stacker's Type property. Stacked series contribute to a total value, as shown in the following image.

To create a series stacker, select "Multiple Series" in the Outline, then right-click the series and choose "Group".

Chart Recorder Mode

The recorderMode property optimizes performance for line and area charts that you can update by adding a row to the end of the data and deleting a row from the beginning. In such a case, the recorderMode property causes the chart to update with reloading the unchanged values. A Realtime Recorder block with a full buffer determining the chart data is an example of this event.

An example of a chart that can use Recorder Mode.

To use Chart Recorder Mode, take the following actions:

1. In the Outline, select the series, and in the Advanced properties panel, set recorderMode to "TRUE". (Required)

2. Select the renderer for the axis that scrolls. This action is likely to be a horizontal datetime axis. In the Advanced properties panel, set clipLeftLabel and clipRightLabel to "TRUE". (Recommended)
3. With the same axis renderer selected in the Property Inspector, set Labels to "Auto", and set Left/Right LabelThreshold to "0%". (Recommended)

To learn more about designing charts, go to the Charts FAQ.

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