Configure trend options and style

Use the Configure Trend pane to customize the trend. You can edit visual styles, scale options, the time range, and the appearance of traces.

1. Right-click the trend and then click Configure Trend to open the Configure Trend pane.

2. Under Trend Options, customize the trend and its scale:

   • Title

     To change the text that appears above the trend symbol, select Title and type in the text box below.

   • Foreground

     Select the color of the foreground, which includes the start and end time and the duration of the display.

   • Background

     Select the color of the background.

   • Format

     Select the default format for numbers in the trend:

     Format	Description
     Database	Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item: For PI points or PI AF attributes with a PI point data reference, the format depends on the value of the point's DisplayDigits attribute: Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to the right of the decimal point. Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits. For PI Vision calculations or PI AF attributes without a PI point data reference, numbers show 5 significant digits. All data items show the thousands separator.
     General	Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-4, the format will switch to use scientific notation.
     Number	Show numbers in the custom format that you specify: Decimal Places The number of digits shown after the decimal. Use 1000 separator Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large numbers.
     Scientific	Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

   • Traces

     Configure the presentation style of each trace in your trend.

     • Line

       Default setting. Displays a trace line with no individual recorded data points.

     • Data Markers

       Displays individual recorded data points with connecting lines between them.

     • Scatter Plot

       Displays individual recorded data points without any connecting lines.

   • Grid

     • Bands

       Default setting. Horizontal bars in alternating colors that divide each value on the Y axis.

     • Lines

       Horizontal and vertical lines that divide each item on the X and Y axes.

     • Plain

       Blank background with only tick marks on the axes

3. Under Value Scales, customize the number of scales and their range for the trend.

   Note: These settings apply regardless of whether you set the scale according to minimum and maximum values of the trend's range of plotted values or to their configured database values.

   • Scale Type

     Select the type of scale or scales shown on the axis:

     • Multiple scales

       Show separate high and low values for each individual data item on the trend. Each scale shows a pair of high and low limits along the top and bottom of the value scale. Incremental scale values are shown for the first trace.

     • Single scale

       Show only one value scale comprised of the lowest and highest values for all the traces in the trend.

     • Grouped Scales

       Allows you to categorize the traces into groups, with each group of traces sharing a scale. For example, if a trend symbol has several traces showing pressure data and several other traces showing flow rate data, you might use Grouped Scales to have all pressure traces share one scale and all flow rate traces share another scale. Once you select Grouped Scales, a Value Scale Groups window opens that allows you to assign traces to groups.

       

       If you want to automatically group together traces that use the same unit of measure or traces that are of the same attribute, select the Configure Groups icon then select Group by Unit or Group by Attribute.

       If you want to manually assign traces to groups, use the left and right arrows to move traces between the ungrouped column on the left to the groups on the right. You can select multiple traces then move them all at once. Once you add at least one trace to the first group, you can add more groups by selecting the Add Group icon.

       Note: The scales appear on the trend symbol in the same order as they appear in the Value Scale Groups window. The first group's scale acts as the primary scale, so that all other scales use the same number of incremental ticks as the first group.

       You can delete an unwanted group by selecting the Delete Group icon. All traces in the deleted group are moved to the ungrouped column on the left.

       You can optionally replace the default group names such as Group 1, Group 2, etc. with customized group names by simply replacing the text in those group name fields.

       You can choose to leave traces in the left column if you want those traces to be ungrouped so that they retain their own individualized scales. You can customize the scales for ungrouped traces under Trace Options, using the Scale Range option.

       Select Save when you are finished setting up the groups.

       Once you save scale groups, a Configure Scale Groups button appears in the Configure Trend pane so that you can reopen the Value Scale Groups window to edit the groups if needed. Additionally, once scale groups are created, you can select an individual scale group then choose a Color and Scale Range that is applied only to that scale group. The chosen Color appears on the symbol for all of the traces within the selected scale group. However, you can optionally override the color for any individual trace using the Color option under Trace Options.

   • Scale Range

     Select the range of values on the axis:

     • Autorange of dynamic values

       Set the scale to the minimum and maximum plotted values of the trend's time range.

     • Database limits

       Set the scale to use the data item's minimum and maximum values defined in PI Server. How the minimum and maximum values are defined in PI Server vary based on the data type, however any PI AF attribute that has defined minimum and maximum limit attribute traits uses those values for the scale.

     • Custom limits

       Set the maximum and minimum values manually by entering the Top and Bottom values.

       Note: You can use this Custom Limits setting only with the Single scale or Grouped scales options. To set custom limits for a trend with multiple scales, refer to the Scale Range option under Trace Options.

     • Invert scale

       Select this check box to reverse the scale's maximum and minimum values.

   • Scale Labels

     • Inside plot area

       Set the scale labels to display inside of the plot area.

     • Outside plot area

       Set the scale labels to display outside of the plot area.

       Note: Scale labels display inside of the plot area if you make the trend size too narrow while using the Outside plot area setting.

4. Under Time Range, adjust the specific window and time scale for your trend:

   • Start and End Times

     Set the time range for the trend with three options:

     • Display time range

       Set the trend time range to what is configured for the overall display. Trends configured with the Display time range option update when you change the display time. Conversely, changing the trend's time range by panning or zooming the trend will also update the display time.

     • Duration and Offset

       Set the time range for the data displayed in the trend (in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months) and the offset from the overall display's end time (in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months). Trends configured with the Duration and Offset option update when you change the display time. Updating the time range for a trend configured with the Duration and Offset option by panning or zooming the trend detaches it from the display's time.

     • Use custom time range

       Set a custom start time and end time for the trend. Relative PI Time is also acceptable (Y, T, *,*, -8h, etc.). Trends configured with the Use custom time range option do not update when you change the display time.

   • Time Scale

     Grid lines for the time scale line up with whole units of time, such as days, hours, minutes, and so on. On a trend that receives updates, traces scroll as time passes. For an updating trend, the current time is indicated by a dotted vertical line.

     Configure labels for the time axis in one of three ways:

     • Default

       Shows only the start and stop time in the scale for your trend as defined by the Start and End Times control.

     • Timestamps

       Labels the start and end time limits with the date and time. When space permits, the elapsed time between these lines is also shown.

     • Relative

       Labels each grid line with the amount of time preceding the end time limit in days, hours, minutes, or seconds. For example, the scale grid lines might be labeled -4h, -3h, - 2h, -1h, meaning 4, 3, 2, and 1 hours before the end time.

     • Offset from start time

       Labels each grid line with the corresponding time markers counting up to the trend end time. For example, for a time range of one day, each grid counts up to 24 for the number of hours in a day.

5. Under Trace Options, customize or delete the trend's individual traces.

   1. If you have multiple traces on the trend, use the list of traces to select the trace you want to configure or delete.

      

      • Use the left pair of Up or Down arrows to move the selected trace higher or lower on the trend in relationship to other traces.

      • Use the right pair of Up or Down arrows to move the selected trace all the way to the top or bottom of the trend.

      • Click X to delete the selected trace.

   2. Customize the appearance of the selected trace:

      • Legend Label

        Text that describes the trace. Select a label from the list (an attribute name or description) or enter custom text.

      • Color

        Select the color of the trace.

        If your Scale Type is Grouped scales and the selected individual trace belongs to a group, you have the following options:

        Default to scale group setting - the trace uses the color that is specified for its group in the Value Scales section of the Configure Trend pane.

        Set color for this trace - allows you to override the color that is specified for trace's group and you can select a custom color that is applied to the individual trace.

      • Weight

        Set the width of the trace.

      • Style

        Select the style of the trace, which can be a line, dots, dashes of various lengths, or combinations of dashes and dots.

      • Marker

        Select a symbol (if you want to include one) to add to the left of the trace Legend Label.

      • Regression Line

        Select to show a regression line on the display for the trend. A regression line is a straight line, best-fit representation of the trend's data points, which can help you quickly see the general direction and severity of the trend line.

      • Format

        Select the number format for the selected trace:

        Format	Description
        Trend Setting	Show numbers in the default format specified for the trend.
        Database	Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item: For PI points or PI AF attributes, the format depends on the value of the point's DisplayDigits attribute: Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to the right of the decimal point. Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits. All data items show the thousands separator.
        General	Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-5, the format will switch to use scientific notation.
        Number	Show numbers in the custom format that you specify: Decimal Places The number of digits shown after the decimal. Use 1000 separator Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large numbers.
        Scientific	Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

   3. If your trend has multiple scales or grouped scales, use the Scale Range list to specify the maximum and minimum values on the value scale of each trace. If you are using grouped scales, you can specify a Scale Range only for ungrouped traces, and not for any traces that belong to a scale group.

      Select from the following options:

      • Default to trend settings

        If you are using multiple scales, selecting this option sets the scale of the trace to the setting defined for the trend in Scale Range setting under Value Scales. If you are using grouped scales, selecting this option applies Autorange of dynamic values to the trace.

      • Set limits for this trace

        Allows you to set the scale of the trace with one of the Scale Range options defined above.

6. Under Font, select your preferred font from the Name dropdown.

   Note: If the selected font is not installed on a user’s system, an alternative font will be used by the browser. Roboto and Roboto Slab are installed with PI Vision, so will display consistently for all users.

   To change the font size:

   • Select or enter a size in the Size dropdown.

   • Use the Increase Font Size and Decrease Font Size buttons to change the size incrementally.

7. If you want to reset all the settings in the pane to the default settings, select Reset to default.

8. If you want to save the current settings as the default settings for trend symbols, select Save as default. The saved settings are applied by default when a user creates a new trend symbol, and they are applied when a user selects Reset to default in this pane.

   Note: You must have administrator privileges to save defaults.

9. Click the down arrow at the top of the pane and then click Add Navigation Link to add a navigation link to the symbol.

   See Add a navigation link to another display or website.