ActiveReports 11
Chart
ActiveReports 11 > ActiveReports User Guide > Concepts > Page Report/RDL Report Concepts > Toolbox > Chart

The Chart data region shows your data in a graphical representation that often makes it easier for users to comprehend large amounts of data quickly. Different types of charts are more efficient for different types of information, so we offer a wide variety of chart types. This makes it easy and cost effective to add charting to your reports, as there is no need to purchase and integrate a separate charting tool.

To hone in on your needs, when you first drag the Chart report control onto a page report/RDL report, you can select the broad category of chart type to use: Bar, Column, Scatter, Line, or Dot Plot.

Once you select a chart category, there are a number of dialogs to help you to customize your chart.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within many of these properties to create an expression to determine the value, or you can select a theme value to keep reports consistent.

Chart Appearance

To open the Chart Appearance dialog, select the Chart on the report, and below the Properties window, click the Chart appearance command. This dialog has the following pages.

Tip: To go directly to the Plot Area page, click in the middle of the chart to select the Plot Area, then under the Properties Window, click Property dialog.

Gallery

The Gallery page of the Chart dialog, in basic mode, displays each of the broad categories of chart types, plus subtypes so that you can refine your choice. For even more chart types, click the Advanced button.

Basic Chart Types

Bar Charts

Bar charts present each series as a horizontal bar, and group the bars by category. The x-axis values determine the lengths of the bars, while the y-axis displays the category labels. With a bar chart, you can select from the following subtypes.

Column Charts

Column charts present each series as a vertical column, and group the columns by category. The y-axis values determine the heights of the columns, while the x-axis displays the category labels. With a column chart, you can select from the following subtypes.

Scatter Charts

Scatter charts present each series as a point or bubble. The y-axis values determine the heights of the points, while the x-axis displays the category labels. With a scatter chart, you can select from the following subtypes.

Line Charts

Line charts present each series as a point, and connect the points with a line. The y-axis values determine the heights of the points, while the x-axis displays the category labels. With a line chart, you can select from the following subtypes.

Dot Plot Charts

A Dot Plot chart is a statistical chart containing group of data points plotted on a simple scale. Dot Plot chart are used for continuous, quantitative, univariate data. The dot plot chart has one subtype.

Plain: Displays simple statistical plots. It is ideal for small to moderate sized data sets. You can also highlight clusters and gaps, as well as outliers, while conserving numerical information.

Advanced Chart Types

Area Charts

Area charts present each series as a point, connect the points with a line, and fill the area below the line. The y-axis values determine the heights of the points, while the x-axis displays the category labels. With an area chart, you can select from the following subtypes.

Pie Charts

Pie charts present each category as a slice of pie or doughnut, sized according to value. Series groups are not represented in pie charts. With a pie chart, you can select from the following subtypes.

Financial Charts

Stock charts present each series as a line with markers showing some combination of high, low, open, and close values. The y-axis values determine the heights of the lines, while the x-axis displays the category labels. With a financial chart, you can select from the following subtypes.

Other Charts

Other chart types may be used for special functions like charting the progress of individual tasks. You can select from the following subtypes.

Title

Chart title: Enter an expression or text to use for the title.

Font

Family: Choose the font family name.

Size: Choose the size in points for the font.

Style: Choose Normal or Italic.

Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and Bolder.

Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.

Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.

Palette

Default: The same as Subdued below, the recommended palette for charts.

EarthTones: A palette of autumnal browns, oranges, and greens.

Excel: A palette of muted plums, blues, and creams.

GrayScale: A palette of patterns suitable for printing to a black and white printer.

Light: A palette of pale pinks and peaches.

Pastel: A palette of blues, greens, and purples.

SemiTransparent: A palette of primary and tertiary colors that allows the backdrop to show through.

Subdued: A palette of muted tones of browns, greens, blues, and grays.

Vivid: The same as Subdued, but with richer tones.

Custom: A palette of colors that you define. When you select Custom, you can list colors that are used in the order you specify.

Area

Border

Style: Choose an enumerated style for the border.

Width: Set a width value in points between 0.25pt and 20pt.

Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

Background Fill Color

Fill Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

Gradient: Choose from one of the following gradient styles.

Gradient End Color: When you choose any gradient style other than None, this property becomes available. Choose a Web or Custom color.

Plot Area

Border

Style: Choose an enumerated style for the border.  

Width: Choose a width value between 0.25pt and 20pt.

Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

Background Fill Color

Fill Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

Gradient: Choose from one of the following gradient styles.

Gradient End Color: When you choose any gradient style other than None, this property becomes available. Choose a Web or Custom color.

3D Effects

These properties are enabled when you select the 3D checkbox on the Gallery page.

Display the chart with 3D visual effects: Select this check box to enable all of the following properties.

Horizontal rotation: Move the slider to rotate the chart to left and right. All the way to the left (-90°) shows the chart from the left side, while all the way to the right (90°) shows it from the right side. The default value is 20°.

Vertical rotation: Move the slider to rotate the chart up and down. All the way to the left (-90°) shows the chart from the bottom, while all the way to the right (90°) shows it from the top. The default value is 20°.

Wall thickness: Move the slider to change the thickness of the walls at the axes. The default value is 0% and the range of values is 0% (left) to 100% (right). If the chart type is pie or doughnut, this property is ignored.

Perspective: Move the slider to change the perspective from which the chart is displayed. The default value is 0% and the range of values is 0% (left) to 100% (right). If you select Orthographic Projection, this property is ignored.

Shading: Select the type of shading to apply to the chart. The default value is Real.

Orthographic Projection: Select this check box to use orthographic or "true drawing" projection. This type of projection is ignored with pie and doughnut chart types.

Clustered: With chart types of bar and column, select this check box to cluster series groups. Other chart types ignore this setting.

Display bars as cylinders: With chart types of bar and column, select this check box to display cylinders instead of bars or columns.

Defaults (button): Click this button when you want to set all of the 3D effect properties back to their default values.

Chart Data

See the Chart Data Dialog topic for all of the pages and tabs available for customizing your chart data. 

Chart Legend

To open the Chart Legend dialog, select the Chart on the report, and below the Properties window, click the Chart legend command. This dialog has the following pages.

General

Show chart legend: Clear this check box to disable the legend. This also disables all of the other properties on this page.

Use Smart Settings: Check this option to apply smart settings or clear this checkbox to activate the properties given below.

Layout: Choose the layout style for the legend.

Position: Select an enumerated value to determine the position of the legend relative to the chart area. The default value is RightCenter.

Display legend inside plot area: Select this check box to display the legend inside the plot area along with your data elements.

Style

The Style page of the Chart Legend dialog allows you to control the Font, Border, and Fill properties for the legend.

Font

Family: Choose the font family name.

Size: Choose the size in points for the font.

Style: Choose Normal or Italic.

Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and Bolder.

Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.

Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.

Border

Style: Choose an enumerated style for the border.  

Width: Enter a width value between 0.25pt and 20pt.

Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

Background Fill Color

Fill Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

Gradient: Choose from one of the following gradient styles.

Gradient End Color: When you choose any gradient style other than None, this property becomes available. Choose a Web or Custom color.

Chart Axis

Click the Axis X or Axis Y line of the chart to select AxisXLine or AxisYLine, then under the Properties Window, click Property dialog. The Chart Axis dialogs let you set axis properties on the data region with the following pages.

Note: The X and Y Axis dialogs are disabled if your chart type is doughnut or pie.

Title

Axis X or Axis Y

X- or Y-Axis title: Enter text to display near the X or Y axis of the chart.

Text alignment: Choose Center, Near, or Far.

Font

Family: Choose the font family name.

Size: Choose the size in points for the font.

Style: Choose Normal or Italic.

Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and Bolder.

Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.

Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough. 

The following are additional properties available for the Y-axis that allow you to plot two or more series along it. Composite charts have two or more series plotted along the Y-axis.

Name: Enter a name for each Y axis that is unique within the chart. Note that you can add a maximum of six Y-axes.

Position: Choose Left or Right.

Margin: Enter the distance between two consecutive Y-axes.

 

Name Position Margin Description
Y1 Left 0 Displayed on the left. It is closest to the plot area.
Y2 Left 10 Displayed on the left of Y1. The distance between Y1 and Y2 is 10.
Y3 Right 0 Displayed on the right. It is closest to the plot area.
Y4 Right 20 Displayed on the right of Y3. The distance between Y3 and Y4 is 20.
Y5 Left 30 Displayed on the left of Y2. The distance  between Y2 and Y5 is 30.

The image below depicts each of the Y-axes from the table above.

Line Style

Axis Line Appearance

Style: Choose from an enumerated style for the axis line.

Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

End Cap: Choose either None or Arrow as the End Cap style, or enter an expression using Expression Editor dialog.

Labels

Show x- or y-axis labels: Select this check box to show labels along the axis and to enable the rest of the properties on this page.

Format code: Select a format code from the list or use a custom .NET formatting code to format dates or numbers. For more information, see MSDN's Formatting Types topic.

Font

Family: Choose the font family name.

Size: Choose the size in points for the font.

Style: Choose Normal or Italic.

Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and Bolder.

Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.

Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.

Major Grid Lines

Show major grid lines: Select this check box to show grid lines for the axis.

Interval: Set the interval at which you want to show major grid lines or tick marks or both.

Border

Style: Choose one from the enumerated styles for the border.

Width: Enter a width value between 0.25pt and 20pt.

Color: Select a color for the border.

Tick mark: Choose one of the following values to determine whether and where to display major tick marks. The style and interval of the tick marks are set with the above properties.

Minor Grid Lines

Show minor grid lines: Select this check box to show minor grid lines for the axis. 

Interval: Set the interval at which you want to show minor grid lines or tick marks or both.

Border

Style: Choose one from the enumerated styles for the border.

Width: Enter a width value between 0.25pt and 20pt

Color: Select a color for the border.

Tick mark: Choose one of the following values to determine whether and where to display minor tick marks. The style and interval of the tick marks are set with the above properties.

Scale

Minimum: Leave this value blank to allow the data to determine the minimum value to use.

Maximum: Leave this value blank to allow the data to determine the maximum value to use.

Logarithmic scale: Select this check box to display axis data as a percentage of change instead of as absolute arithmetic values.

Numeric or time scale values: Select this check box to indicate that the data on the X axis is scalar so that the chart fills in missing numbers or dates between data values. This property is only available on the X axis. 

Other

Cross at: Leave this value blank to allow the chart type to determine where the axis should cross the other axis, or you can enter a custom value. 

Side margins: Select this check box to add padding between the data and the edges of the chart.

Interlaced strips: Select this check box to display alternating light and dark strips between major intervals specified on the Major Grid Lines page. If none are specified, a default value of 1 is used.

Reversed: Select this check box to reverse the direction of the chart. This will have different effects depending on chart type.  

Reference Line (Y Axis only)

Value: Enter a value.

Line/Border

Style: Choose one from the enumerated styles.

Width: Set a width of the axis line.

Color: Select a color for the axis line.

Legend Label: Enter a label for the legend to display in the viewer.

See Also