Reports: Customizing a Chart

When designing a chart, Spiro Reports offers a wide range of options to customize the chart and improve the overall appearance in different ways. In this section, we will discuss various options provided by Spiro Reports to customize the chart that you create.

Title and Description

Spiro Reports provides options to customize the chart title, description and data display in the General tab.
To customize these settings :

Open the corresponding chart.
Click the Settings option in the toolbar. The Settings screen General tab will open as shown in the following screenshot.

The following table describes various options in the general tab.

Option	Description
General
Title	Specify the unique title of the chart. This is mandatory.
Description	Specify a description of the chart. This is Optional.
Display
Display 'Unknown' value as	specify the value you wanted to display in the chart if data contains null or empty values.
Show Missing Values	Select Show Missing Values to plot the chart including the data points (date/categories) which does not have any corresponding value in the underlying data. Deselecting this will skip these points in the axis.
Show Data Label	This option will be available in the case of Pie and Funnel Chart. With this, you can set whether to display the percentage or value as a data label over the corresponding section. You could also choose to show the chart without the data label.
Show Conversion Rate	Select this to display the conversion rate of the funnel in percentage, by comparing the value of the last slice with the first slice in the funnel.
Funnel Design	Select the funnel design. The available options are. weighted height Uniform height weighted width

Click Apply once you have set all required options.

Axis Settings

Spiro Reports will automatically set values for chart axes properties such as X-axis and Y-axis labels, axis range, the interval between labels, etc. while creating a chart. You can also customize these properties to suit your needs using the Axis tab in the Settings screen.

To customize axis settings:

Open the chart and then click the Settings option in the toolbar.
The Settings screen will open. Click the Axis tab. You can also open the Axis tab by clicking the settings icon next to X/Y Axis in Edit Mode.

The following table describes various options available in the Axis tab.

Option	Description
X-Axis
Label	This option consists of two fields. They are: Name: Text field to specify the name of the X-axis. By default, the name of the corresponding column will be set as an axis label. Font: Multi-column drop-down displaying options to customize the font style, size and color of the X-axis label.
Tick Marks	Font: This option is used to set the font style of the tick marks on the X-axis. It contains multi-column drop-down displaying options to customize the font style, size, and color of the tick mark. Direction: This option can be used to set the orientation of X-axis tick labels. Available options are: Auto - Align the tick labels in the most appropriate direction based on the number of characters in the tick label. Horizontal - Align the tick labels in a horizontal direction. Vertical - Align the tick labels in the vertical direction (90-degree angle to the axis). Slanting - Align the tick labels in a slanting direction (45-degree angle to the axis).
Format	This option will be available only for a numeric column added to the axis. The Format link to format the numeric data for the tick marks. These options will be similar to that of the table column formatting.
Range	Spiro Reports will automatically calculate the X-axis range based on the maximum and minimum values in the data series. If required, you can set a custom range by selecting the Range check box and then entering the maximum and minimum values in the corresponding fields. This option will be available only when numeric data columns are added to the X-axis and the chart type is set to Line, Area, or Scatter chart.
Interval	Spiro Reports will automatically determine the interval between axis labels based on the axis label length and the size of the chart. If required, you can set a custom interval by selecting the Interval check box and then enter the interval value in the corresponding field. This option will be available only when numeric data columns are added to the X-axis and the chart type is set to Line, Area or Scatter chart.
Y-Axis
Label	This option consists of two fields. They are: Name : Text field to specify the name of the X-axis. By default, the name of the corresponding column will be set as an axis label. Font: Multi-column drop-down displaying options to customize the font style, size, and color of the X-axis label.
Tick Marks	Font: This option is used to set the font style of the tick marks on the X-axis. It contains multi-column drop-down displaying options to customize the font style, size, and color of the tick mark. Direction: This option can be used to set the orientation of X-axis tick labels. Available options are: Auto - Align the tick labels in the most appropriate direction based on the number of characters in the tick label. Horizontal - Align the tick labels in a horizontal direction. Vertical - Align the tick labels in the vertical direction (90-degree angle to the axis). Slanting - Align the tick labels in a slanting direction (45-degree angle to the axis).
Data Label	This option can be used to display Y-axis values as data labels in the chart. On selecting this option a text string that displays the Y value corresponding to each data point will be added. Note: In case, if you have dropped a column into the Text shelf when creating a chart, then it will override the data label setting provided.
Format	This option will be available only for a numeric column added to the axis. The Format link to format the numeric data for the tick marks. These options will be similar to that of the table column formatting.
Range	Spiro Reports will automatically calculate the X-axis range based on the maximum and minimum values in the data series. If required, you can set a custom range by selecting the Range check box and then entering the maximum and minimum values in the corresponding fields. This option will be available only when numeric data columns are added to the X-axis and the chart type is set to Line, Area, or Scatter chart.
Interval	Spiro Reports will automatically determine the interval between axis labels based on the axis label length and the size of the chart. If required, you can set a custom interval by selecting the Interval check box and then enter the interval value in the corresponding field. This option will be available only when numeric data columns are added to the X-axis and the chart type is set to Line, Area, or Scatter chart.

Note: The Axis tab is not applicable for Pie and Web chart types, as they do not have any axis.

Borders and Colors

When a chart is created, Spiro Reports will set the default background and border for the new chart. However, you can customize these settings to enhance the look and feel of the chart. The Borders & Colors tab in the Settings screen provides various options to customize the chart appearance.

To customize the chart appearance:
Open the chart and then click the Settings option in the toolbar.
The Settings screen will open. Click the Borders & Colors tab.
Customize the chart and then click Apply.

The following screenshot illustrates the Borders & Colors tab.

The following table describes various options available in the Borders & Colors tab.

Option	Description
Chart Fill Color	This option is used to customize the default color of the chart fill for single data series.
Border Style	This option is used to customize the chart border. This consists of two options. A drop-down to set the border line style. A color picker to set the border line color.
Gridline Style	This option is used to customize the chart grid line. This consists of two options. A drop-down to set the gridline style. A color picker to set the gridline color.
Background Color	This option is used to set the chart background. Available options are: Default - Set the default setting as chart background. Normal - Set the selected single solid color as the chart background.

Tooltip

The Tooltip tab will be available only when a column is added in the Tooltip field while creating the chart. This enables you to format the data for the chart tooltip.

To customize the chart tooltip:

Open the chart and then click the Settings button.
The Settings screen will open. Click the Tooltip tab.
Specify the tooltip label name in the Label field.
Click the Format link to format the data for the tooltip. The options in the Format column dialog will vary depending on the data type of the column.

The following screenshot illustrates the Tooltip tab.

Legend Settings

Legend in a chart provides a quick overview of the different data series involved in the chart along with the color associated with each series. Legend consists of Legend Title and Legend Items. Each legend item consists of a colored box that indicates the data series and the name of the data series.

In Spiro Reports, by default, the legend will be placed on the right side of the chart, and legend items will be added to it depending on the data series involved in the chart. You can customize the legend position, legend title, legend filters, and the colors of each data series easily.

To customize the legend:

Open the corresponding chart and click the Settings option in the toolbar.
The Settings screen will open. Click the Legend tab.
The Legend tab provides various options to customize the legend properties. Set the options as required and then click Apply.

The following screenshot illustrates the Legend tab.

The following table describes the options available in the Legend tab:

Option	Description
Show Legend	This option allows you to show or hide the legend in your chart
Show Legend Title	This option allows you to show or hide the legend title in the chart. You can also change the default title of the legend by typing in the title you want into the Legend Title text box.
Show Legend Filters	This option allows you to add Legend Filters which enables users to dynamically filter the data series using the legend items. On selecting this option a checkbox will be added to each legend item.
Legend Position	This option allows you to set the position of the Legend in a chart. Supported positions are: Right Left Top-Left Top-Center Top-Right Bottom-Left Bottom-Center Bottom-Right
Color Palette	Select the color palette to choose from. These are categorized into different types. Supported options include, Solid Color Monochrome Gradient You can also select a color palette based on the palette type that is selected. Spiro Reports has a predefined set of color palettes that you can choose from. Apart from this, you can also add new color palettes.
Colors	This option allows you to override the colors of the individual series of the chart. Use palette colors - In case you have over-ridden any of the series colors using the Colors option mentioned above, you can use the "Use Palette Colors" option to reset the series colors with the colors of the selected color palette.

The following screenshot illustrates the resulting legend, when Legend Title and Legend Filters options are selected and Legend Position is set to Bottom Left.

You can also change the color of each data series using the corresponding legend item in the chart Edit Mode.

Adding Threshold

Spiro Reports provides you an option to draw threshold lines in a chart to highlight specific values. Threshold lines can be added horizontally or vertically at a fixed value on the X or Y-axis of a chart. A threshold will be useful to highlight specific values for better visualization and for comparing the data series. For example, you can set a threshold line to represent the maximum sales target, and another to represent the lowest acceptable sales target to spot regions that are out of sales target easily. Spiro Reports allows adding up to four threshold lines in a chart.

To add a threshold in your chart:

Open the corresponding chart and then click the Settings option in the toolbar.
Click the Threshold tab in the Settings screen.

Add a threshold value by selecting a reference axis in the Reference Axis drop-down.
Enter the desired name of the threshold line in the Name text box.
Enter the value of the data point at which you want to draw a horizontal/vertical line in your chart in the Value text box.
Spiro Reports will automatically set threshold color. You can also change the default color using the color picker.
You can add more thresholds using the +Add Threshold link.
Click Apply once you have added the required threshold lines.

The following screenshot illustrates a chart with two threshold lines.

You can remove an existing threshold any time using the Remove link next to the corresponding threshold in the Settings screen.

Setting Chart Drill Down Path

The Drill Down tab allows you to set a drill-down path for your chart axis. This path is specific to the chart where you are defining it.

To Define a drill-down path:

Open the corresponding chart and click the Settings option in the toolbar.
The Settings screen will open. Click the Drill Down tab.
The Drill Down tab will open. In case if there are any drill paths already defined at the table level it will be displayed by default.
You can modify the drill-down paths or define a new path for the chart axis.
Click Apply. The drill-down path will be defined for this chart.

If you want to define the path globally (i.e., for all charts), then you need to define that for the corresponding columns at the table level.

Customizing Chart Color

In Spiro Reports, when you create a chart, colors to represent the various data series involved will be automatically assigned to your chart. This will be picked from the color palette assigned to your chart. However, you can change the default colors of the data series.

To customize the data series colors in your chart:

Open your chart in Edit Design Mode.
Click on the color box of the legend item of the data series for which you want to change the color.
Select Change the Legend Color option in the menu that shows up.
A color picker dialog opens. Choose the required color from the full range of colors available. You can also specify the color by specifying the RGB value or the Hexadecimal value in the corresponding fields provided or choose a color from the listed color palette.
Click OK after choosing the required color.

The newly chosen color will show up in your chart for the corresponding data series as shown below.

You can also customize the legend colors using the Legend tab in the Settings option.

We have now seen how to customize the chart colors for a single chart. It is also possible to change the chart colors for all the charts in your reporting database.

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