Formatting a Chart Using the Wizard

The wizard helps you to format a chart in just a few steps. You choose a chart type, specify a title, specify the number of data series and categories specify the colors of the chart, and define the properties of individual series and of the axes.

You can fully format your chart using the wizard. If you want to change further details in the chart, you can do so in the Chart Designer (see Defining Chart Properties ).

You have added a Web item of the type Chart in the Web Application Designer and opened the Chart Designer by double-clicking the Web item.

If you used the wizard the last time you used the Chart Designer, it is opened again with the wizard.

• Choose Wizard.

The structure of the viewing window changes: The individual wizard steps with short descriptions and properties that you can change for each step are displayed to the left. The chart preview is displayed to the right.

The chart preview changes according to the values you assign to the properties. This gives you an idea of how your chart will appear later on.

By choosing Nextor Back, you can navigate to the next or previous step in the wizard.

Step 1: Select chart type

• Choose the required chart type.

You can display variations (for example, a 3D chart) on a chart type by choosing the plus sign beside the particular chart type and expanding the structure tree.

When choosing a chart type, make sure that it is suitable for your data source (see also Chart Types ).

Step 2: Define texts and random data

You can set values such as the following in the upper left window:

• Define a title and subtitle for the chart
• Specify labels for the axes
• Assign a unit to the axes

Make the following entries in the lower left window:

• The number of series and categories as they occur in your data source
• The Minimum Value and Maximum Value that correspond to your query

The number of data series and categories of the chart preview then corresponds to the appearance of the final chart; this enables you to envisage its appearance. The values are specified using random data.

Number of Tab Pagesand Number of Categories specify the maximum number of series or categories to be displayed in your chart, even if your data source contains more series or categories.

The also applies to Minimum Valueand Maximum Value.

Step 3: Value of properties

In this step of the wizard, you can set specific properties for all rows in your chart or for individual rows (for all pie charts and polar charts: categories).

For example, you can change the chart type for just one series or label just one series.

1. In the upper left window, select All Seriesor select an individual series.
2. Change the properties for the selected series in the lower area of the window.

You can also change the color and border color, as well as the label for a series. The properties available depend on the chart type.

Step 4: Element properties

In this step of the wizard, you can set specific properties that affect the background, the drawing area, or the legend. You can also modify the font for the chart title and chart subtitle.

• For example, you can set a color ramp in the background:
  1. Select Background in the upper left window.
  2. Enter a Color and a Secondary Color. Specify a color ramp in the Gradientfield.
• You can set the same properties for the drawing area and you can also set a transparency by entering a value between 0 and 100 in the Transparencyfield.
• If you select Titleor Subtitle, you can specify the font, orientation, size, color, and style.
• To change the properties of the legend, select the legend. In the lower left window, you can specify whether the legend is to be visible (Visibility), whether you only want to display the legend (Alignment → Only Legend), and where the legend is to be positioned (Position → Left for example).

Step 5: Axis properties

You can format the axes of your chart in this step.

The wizard omits this step for chart types without a vertical axis, such as a pie chart.

1. Select the required axis in the upper left window.
2. Select the corresponding properties in the lower left area.

If more axes are listed for formatting than are visible in the chart preview, the additional axes do not have the property Visibility.Select the Visibilityfield under the relevant axis to make it visible, and then format it as required.

Step 6: Completion

You close the wizard in the last step. You have the following options:

• Choose Refine to continue working on the chart in Chart Designer.
• Choose Completeto save the formatting settings for the chart and return to Web Application Designer.

Your settings are now saved with the Web item in the Web Application Designer. You can edit the chart and change your settings whenever required. If you edit a chart using the wizard, the wizard is opened again when you next edit it.