Chart

The Chart control is used for data visualisation in reports. It is used to graphically represent a series of points using 2D or 3D chart types.

There are many built-in Chart view types to choose from, such as Bar, Point, Line, Pie and Doughnut, Area, Radar and Polar, Range Bar, Gantt, Candle Stick and Stock.

A Chart control contains multiple elements (diagram, series, series points, axes, legend, titles, labels, strips, constant lines, etc.). When any of these elements is selected, the Property Grid shows only the properties for the selected item. Visual Chart elements which can be highlighted or selected, are described in Chart with Static Series.

The Chart control is data-aware in a different manner than the other report controls. Consider three common report scenarios:

• Static data for a Chart's series is provided manually. It can be done using the Series Collection Editor accessed from the Chart's Series property. It is used to manually define values and arguments for each series point.

• A Chart's series is created automatically, taking data from the Chart's Data Source and dependent on the rules defined by the Series Template property. This approach is described in Chart with Dynamic Series.

• Each series is created and customized manually and each has a separate Data Source. This approach is described in Chart with Static Series.

A created chart can be customized using both the Property Grid and the Chart Wizard. To display the Chart Wizard, click a Chart's Smart Tag, and in the displayed actions list, click the Run Wizard.

The Chart Wizard will guide the user through the process of customizing the Chart, from defining its view type to providing its data and customising its appearance.

In the Property Grid, the Chart's properties are divided into the following groups:

Appearance

Appearance Name

Used to choose one of the chart appearance options, defining how a Chart's elements (Diagram, Axes, Legend) are drawn.

Background Color

Specifies the background colour for a Chart.

Background Image

Used to load a background image to a Chart (or define its URL), and also define whether it should be stretched to fit the entire Chart's area or not.

Borders, Border Color and Border Width

Specifies border settings for the control.

Fill Style

Used to specify the fill style of a Chart's background (Empty, Solid, Gradient or Hatch) and define other fill options if required.

Formatting Rules

Displays the Formatting Rules Editor used to choose which rules should be applied to the control during report generation, and define the precedence of the applied rules. For further information, refer to Conditionally Change a Control's Appearance.

Image Type

Used to specify whether a Chart should be internally rendered as a metafile in a report (in which case the quality of the rendered image will be good, but in some cases some details of the control may be lost), or as a bitmap (in which case the quality of the rendered image will sometimes be poor, but control will be drawn more precisely).

Palette Name

Used to choose one of the built-in palettes to be used to draw a Chart's series.

Palette's Base Color Number

Used to define an integer index determining the base colour for the palette defined by the Chart's Palette Name property.

Style Priority

Used to define the priority of various style elements (such as background colour, border colour). For further information on style inheritance, refer to Styles Concepts.

Behaviour

Anchor Vertically

Specifies the vertical anchoring style of the control, so that after page rendering it stays attached to the top control, bottom control, or both.

Scripts

This property contains events, which can be handled with the scripts. For more information on scripting, refer to Handle Events via Scripts.

Visible

Specifies whether the control should be visible when the report is previewed.

Data

(Data Bindings)

If the current report is bound to data, this property is used to bind some of a Chart's properties (Bookmark, Navigation URL and Tag) to a data field obtained from the report's data source, and to apply a format string to it. For further information, refer to Display Values from a Database (Bind Report Elements to Data).

Data Adapter

Specifies the data adapter that will populate a Chart's data source assigned using the Data Source property. It is automatically set to the appropriate value when the Data Member property is defined. For further information, refer to Chart with Static Series.

Data Member

Specifies the data source member which supplies data to a Chart. For further information, refer to Chart with Static Series.

Note:
It is not usually necessary to specify the Data Member property when binding a Chart to data. This property should only be set directly if the data source dataset contains more than one table.

Data Source

Determines a Chart's data source. For further information, refer to Chart with Static Series.

Series Data Member

Determines the name of the data field values of which are to be used to automatically generate and populate a Chart's series. For further information, refer to Chart with Dynamic Series.

When Chart binding is used to automatically generate series within a chart control based upon the data obtained from the selected data source (defined by the Data Source property), a rule must be defined to enable the Chart recognize the data records values of which are used to construct individual series objects. To do this, the Series Data Member property, which specifies the data field whose values are taken into account when series objects are automatically created and populated, can be used.

Each automatically generated series derives its name from the data field specified by the Series Data Member property. For example, a name is used to identify a series within the chart control's legend. The names of all automatically generated series can be supplemented with the same prefix and suffix defined by settings which are accessible from the Series Name Template property.

The template settings for the dynamically created series are defined by the specific properties which are available from Series Template property of a Chart. In particular, the Argument Data Member and Value Data Members properties specify the data fields from which the arguments and data values of the series data points are obtained.

Note:
If the Series Data Member property is not set for a Chart, the Chart control cannot automatically generate series even if the Argument Data Member and Value Data Members properties are defined.

Series Name Template

Determines the settings used to name data bound series defining the prefix and suffix texts for the names of series which are dynamically created as a result of binding a Chart to data (using the Data Source, Series Data Member, Argument Data Member and Value Data Members properties). The series names, to which these prefixes and suffixes are added, are derived by each series from the data field defined by the Series Data Member property. For further information, refer to Chart with Dynamic Series.

Note:
The settings available via the Series Name Template property are not applied to the data bound series which are contained within the Series collection of a Chart.

Series Sorting

Used to define the sort mode of a Chart's series: None (default), Descending or Ascending).

Series Template

Used to customise a template for series which are created dynamically as a result of binding a Chart to data (via the Data Source and Series Data Member properties). The settings which are available via the Series Template property are common to all such data bound series. These settings enable users to provide centralized customization of all dynamically created data bound series. For further information refer to Chart with Dynamic Series.

Note:
The settings which are customized using the Series Template property do not apply to the series contained within the Series collection of a Chart.

Tag

This property enables users to add additional information to the control; for example its Id, by which it can then be accessed by scripts.

If the current report has a data source, the Tag property can be bound to a data field obtained from the data source. To do this, expand the (Data Bindings) property and from the Tag.Binding dropdown list, select the required data field.

Design

(Name)

Determines a control's name, by which it can be accessed in the Property Grid, the Report Explorer and by scripts.

Elements

Diagram

Used to customise a Chart's diagram elements: main and secondary axes and panes.

By default, a Chart is displayed in the Default pane, but if necessary, each Chart's series can be displayed in a separate pane. To do this, click pane's ellipsis to display the Pane Collection Editor, enabling users to manage and customize panes. Then select the required series within the Chart and set its View.Pane property to the required pane.

Legend

Used to customise a Chart's legend, by defining such properties as text alignment and antialiazing, font style, background colour or image, border options, markers' size and visibility, shadow options.

Series

Displays the Series Collection Editor, used to manage and customise a Chart's series.

Note:
Series which are bound to data at the level of a chart control (in particular, using the Data Source, Series Data Member and both the Argument Data Member and Value Data Members properties) are created dynamically, based upon the data obtained from the specified data source, and they are not presented within the Series collection. To perform a centralized customisation of such series, use the settings available from the Series Template property.

Titles

Displays the Chart Title Collection Editor, used to manage and customise a Chart's titles.

Layout

Location

Specifies the location of the control in report measurement units..

Size

Specifies the size of the control in report measurement units.

Navigation

Bookmark and Parent Bookmark

These properties are used to create a hierarchical structure within a report called a document map.

If the current report has a data source, the Bookmark property can be bound to a data field obtained from the data source. To do this, expand the (Data Bindings) property and from the Bookmark.Binding dropdown list, select the required data field.

For further information, refer to Add Bookmarks.

Navigation URL and Navigation Target

Use the Navigation URL property to specify a URL for web browser navigation when a user clicks the control. The web browser displays a page in a window or a frame as specified by the Navigation Target property.

Note:
A URL should have an appropriate prefix (for example, 'http://'). Cross references can be created within the report by assigning the name of the target control to the Navigation URL property, and setting the Navigation Target property to _self. For further information, refer to Create Hyperlinks.

If the current report has a data source, the Navigation URL property can be bound to a data field obtained from the data source. To do this, expand the (Data Bindings) property and from the Navigation URL.Binding dropdown menu, select the required data field.