Axes Categories

Standard Axes

An Axis line can have many functions. An axis line provides a reference for measuring coordinates. The line of an axis also provides a way for displaying Tic marks and Scales. NetCharts allows for the zero base line of an axis to be located at the Top, Bottom, Left and Right of the chart. Moreover, you can have a series of Axes and a series of Scale Sets on one line.

CDL Example:
      LeftTics = ("ON",black,"SansSerif",10,null,null)
      BottomTics = ("ON",black,"SansSerif",10,null,null)
      LineSet1 = (12.5,27),(91,91)

 

Multi-Scaled Single Axes

CDL parameters for axes allow a single axis to have multiple scales. For example, the chart displayed below has a botom axis with two scales. The number of scales an axis can have is theoretically unlimited although it will be practically bounded by the size of the chart.

CDL Example:
     BottomTics = ("ON",black,"SansSerif",10,90,null);
     LeftTics = ("ON",null,"SansSerif",10,0,null);
     BottomFormat = (DATE,"%n %d","01-Jan-2001 12:01:00","1D");
     Footer = ("[Sundays shown in gray]",black,"SansSerif",10,0);
                 

 

Multiple Axes in a Single Dimension

This feature allows multiple axes to be defined in the same physical space that is usually occupied by a single axis. In other words, one can define multiple left, top, bottom or right axes. Each axis can be independently defined and controlled. Up to 10 axes can be defined in each dimension. The parameters that define each additional axis are the same as the standard axis parameters with the exception of a number at the end.

CDL example:
     LeftFormat = (DECIMAL, "$###,###", , );
     LeftFormat2 = (DECIMAL, "########", , );
     LeftFormat3 = (DECIMAL, "$###,###", , );

The parameters LeftFormat and LeftFormat1 are considered the same for backward compatibility.

 

Logarithmic Axes

The NetCharts rendering engine supports logarithmic axes. X and Y axes can be logarithmic.

    LeftScaleMode1 = (LOG,16.0);
    LeftScale1 = (300.0,6000.0,1000.0);

Using LOG requires that the scale minimum be non-zero;

 

Variable Axis Labeling

This feature allow additional control over axis tic mark drawing and labeling. The drawing on each tic mark on an axis can be specifically enabled or disabled.

There are 4 new CDL parameters for variable tic labeling, one for each axis location.

TopTicLocations	Top Axis Tic Mark Locations
BottomTicLocations	Bottom Axis Tic Mark Locations
LeftTicLocations	Left Axis Tic Mark Locations
RightTicLocations	Right Axis Tic Mark Locations

Axes Parameters

Active Labels Parameters

 TopActiveLabels[N] = ("Label1", "URL1", "Target1"),("Label2", "URL2", "Target2"), ...;
 BottomActiveLabels[N] = ("Label1", "URL1", "Target1"),("Label2", "URL2", "Target2"), ...;
 LeftActiveLabels[N] = ("Label1", "URL1", "Target1"),("Label2", "URL2", "Target2"), ...;
 RightActiveLabels[N] = ("Label1", "URL1", "Target1"),("Label2", "URL2", "Target2"), ...;


   example: TopActiveLabels1 = ("","BarchartMon.html","InfoFrame"),
                                                   ("","BarchartTue.html","InfoFrame2"), ...;

The ActiveLabels parameter specifies a list of custom active labels to be associated with each tic mark label. That is, these labels will be displayed whenever the mouse "dwells" over a given tic mark label. This can be used to provide the user with additional information about that particular value or to "drill-down" to another document. See Active Labels for a detailed explanation of active label capabilities.

[N] represents the nth axis in the given, (top, bottom, left, right), axes series. For example, BottomActiveLabels2 is the active label of the 2nd bottom axis. BottomActiveLabels and BottomActiveLabels1 are considered the same for backward compatibility.

In a Bar/Combo/Stock Chart, the BarActiveLabels parameter overrides the BottomActiveLabels (for VERTICAL bars) or the LeftActiveLabels (for HORIZONTAL bars) parameters.

 

AxesLayout Parameters

      TopAxesLayout = value, value, ...;
      BottomAxesLayout = value, value, ...;
      LeftAxesLayout = value, value, ...;
      RightAxesLayout = value, value, ...; 

      example: TopAxesLayout  = 85, 15;

The AxisLayout parameter is used to specify the percentage of available space that each axis will occupy.

AxesLayoutDirection Parameters

   TopAxesLayoutDirection = mode;
   BottomAxesLayoutDirection = mode;
   LeftAxesLayoutDirection = mode;
   RightAxesLayoutDirection = mode;

        example:  TopAxesLayoutDirection = NORMAL;

The AxisLayoutDirection parameter is used to specify the direction of the new axis, OUTWARD or NORMAL.

 

Margins Parameters

   TopMargins = (start,end);
   BottomMargins = (start,end);
   LeftMargins = (start,end);
   RightMargins = (start,end);

        example:  BottomMargins = (10,10);

The BottomMargins parameter is used to define space at the left and right side of the bottom axis and applies to datasets mapped to the bottom axis. Likewise, LeftMargins defines space at the bottom and top of the left axis and applies to datasets mapped to the left axis.

 

Axis Scrolling/Zooming Parameters

   TopScroll[N] = (ScrollMin, ScrollMax);
   BottomScroll[N] = (ScrollMin, ScrollMax);
   LeftScroll[N] = (ScrollMin, ScrollMax);
   RightScroll[N] = (ScrollMin, ScrollMax);


        example:  TopScroll2 = (0, 98);

The Scroll parameter specifies a range of values in which the axis can be scrolled. When the ScrollMin and ScrollMax values are defined for a given axis, the axis will be displayed as a slider bar, using the axis color defined, with a white background. The relative size of the slider represents the percentage of the entire range currently being displayed. That is, it graphically depicts the size of the current axis range (MinValue and MaxValue attributes) relative to the scrollable region (ScrollMin and ScrollMax attributes).

[N] represents the nth axis in the given, (top, bottom, left, right), axes series. For example, TopScroll2 is the scroll area range of the 2nd top axis. TopScroll and TopScroll1 are considered the same for backward compatibility.

 

Both values must be set in order for axis scrolling/zooming to be enabled and they should be smaller and larger than the Min and Max attributes specified for the same axis.

When scrolling is enabled for one or more axes, the following keyboard interaction is supported:

Key Pressed	Action Taken
Left Arrow	The Bottom/Top axis will be stepped by one tick mark to the left.
Right Arrow	The Bottom/Top axis will be stepped by one tick mark to the right.
Up Arrow	The Left/Right axis will be stepped by one tick mark up.
Down Arrow	The Left/Right axis will be stepped by one tick mark down.
PageDown	All axes will zoom IN by a factor of 2.
PageUp	All axes will zoom OUT by a factor of 2.
Home, End	All axes will zoom OUT to their maximum specified values.

 

In addition to the keyboard interaction, the following mouse interactions are supported:

Mouse Action	Action Taken
Press and hold mouse button within the chart and drag the mouse while holding the button down	A rubber band box will appear while the mouse is dragged around. When the mouse button is released, the chart will zoom IN to show the region highlighted by the box. If the ESCAPE key is pressed during the drag operation, the zoom will be aborted.
Press mouse button within the chart while holding SHIFT key.	All axes will zoom IN by a factor or 2.
Press mouse button within the chart while holding CONTROL key.	All axes will zoom OUT by a factor or 2.
Press mouse button over a single slider bar while holding SHIFT key.	Only that axis will zoom IN by a factor or 2.
Press mouse button over a single slider bar while holding CONTROL key.	Only that axis will zoom OUT by a factor or 2.
Press and hold mouse button over a single slider bar and drag the mouse in either direction.	When the mouse is released, only that axis will scroll to the location specified by the slider bar.
Press mouse button one either side of a single slider bar.	Only that axis will step by one tick mark in the given direction.

Java programmers can specify the exact behavior of mouse event processing with regard to zooming through the following instance variables in the NFGraph class:

Variable	Possible Values
mouseShiftDown	NOZOOM, ZOOMIN (default), ZOOMOUT
mouseControlDown	NOZOOM, ZOOMIN, ZOOMOUT (default)
mouseMetaDown	NOZOOM, ZOOMIN, ZOOMOUT (default)
zoomAction	Event.MOUSE_UP, Event.MOUSE_DOWN (default)

The mouseXXXDown variables define the zoom action taken whenever the mouse is clicked within the graph region and the user is holding down either the Shift, Control or Meta keys. (The meta-down mouse event is generated by the right-mouse button.)

 

AxesSizes

	AxesSizes = (bottomsize, topsize, leftsize, rightsize);

        example: AxesSizes = (1, 1, 1, 1);

AxesSizes specifies the amount of space that will be allocated to draw top, bottom, left and right axes. AxesSizes is typically used in conjunction with PlotArea to further control the layout of the PlotArea of a chart.

 

ChartElementSpacing

	ChartElementSpacing = spacing;

        example: ChartElementSpacing = 2;

ChartElementSpacing represents the size in pixels of the horizontal and vertical space between chart elements.

 

Scale Parameters

	TopScale[N] = (MinValue, MaxValue, StepValue);
        BottomScale[N] = (MinValue, MaxValue, StepValue);
        LeftScale[N] = (MinValue, MaxValue, StepValue);
        RightScale[N] = (MinValue, MaxValue, StepValue);

        example: TopScale = (0,100,10);

The Scale parameter specifies the minimum and maximum data values which will be displayed along the axis. If the Scale parameter is not defined then the tic mark locations will be automatically determined based on the actual data values being displayed. That is, the axis will be "autoscaled" using the current data values to determine "reasonable" values for MinValue, MaxValue and StepValue.

Any combination of MinValue, MaxValue and StepValue may be defined. Those attributes that are not defined will have "reasonable" values chosen for them.

If the StepValue is defined but not as an even multiple of the difference between the MinValue and MaxValue, then no tic mark will be displayed at the Max Value.

Note:
In some charts, the Scale parameter is ignored for a given axis. For example, in the BarChart, the BottomScale attributes are automatically determined by the number of bars being displayed.

Note:
The TopScale and BottomScale parameters are not supported in Strip Charts.

 

ScaleMode Parameters

	TopScaleMode[N] = (mode,logBase), (mode,logBase),...;
    	BottomScaleMode[N] = (mode,logBase), (mode,logBase),...;
    	LeftScaleMode[N] = (mode,logBase), (mode,logBase),...;
    	RightScaleMode[N] = (mode,logBase), (mode,logBase),...;
                 
     example: TopScaleMode2 = (LOG,2);
         example: BottomScaleMode = (LINEAR);        

The ScaleMode parameter is used to specify which scale mode should be used on a given axis.

LINEAR	Use a Linear scale mode (base unused)
LOG	Use a Logarithmic scale mode with log base = logBase

[N] represents the nth axis in the given, (top, bottom, left, right), axes series. For example, TopScaleMode2 is the scale mode of the 2nd top axis. TopScaleMode and TopScaleMode1 are considered the same for backward compatibility. The default value for the scalemode parameter is LINEAR.

 

AxisZoom

	BottomZoom[N] = ON | OFF 
	LeftZoom[N] = ON | OFF 
	RightZoom[N] = ON | OFF 
	TopZoom[N] = ON | OFF 

When AxisZoom = ON, clicking and dragging a rectangle over a chart will zoom with respect to that axis on the chart. This zoom operation does not require the axis to be scrollable.

   example: LeftZoom = ON;

 

RubberbandFill

	RubberbandFill = color;

Defines the color of the rubberbanded box created by clicking and dragging a zoom rectangle.

   example: RubberbandFill = yellow_100;

 

RubberbandBorderStyle

	RubberbandBorderStyle = (linetype, linewidth, linecolor);

Defines the borderstyle to apply to the rubberbanded box created by clicking and dragging to create zoom rectangle. The linewidth defaults to 1 pixel. The linecolor defaults to black.

   example: RubberbandBorderStyle = (DASHED,2,YELLOW);

SOLID	A solid line is displayed (default).
DOTTED	A dotted line is displayed.
DASHED	A dashed line is displayed.
DOTDASH	Alternating dots and dashes are displayed.

 

ScaleSet Parameters

	TopScaleSet[N] = (min, max, step, percentage),...;
    	BottomScaleSet[N] = (min, max, step, percentage),...;
    	LeftScaleSet[N] = (min, max, step, percentage),...;
    	RightScaleSet[N] = (min, max, step, percentage),...;



          example: TopScaleSet = (0,600,100,60);
                         TopScaleSet2 = (600,1000,60);

The ScaleSet parameter is used to specify a series of contiguous scales (minimum, maximum, and step size) to be used on an axis.

Min	The minimum value of the scale
Max	The maximum value of the scale
Step	The tic step size within the scale
Percentage	The percentage of available space this scale should occupy

[N] represents the nth axis in the given, (top, bottom, left, right), axes series. For example, TopScaleSet2 is the scale set of the 2nd Top axis. TopScaleSet and TopScaleSet1 are considered the same for backward compatibility.

Note that all scale minimums must be equal to the previous scale's maximum in the same axis. Also, the scaleset parameter can not be used with a Logarithmic scale mode.

 

AutoscalePad

        AutoscalePad=N;
				

AutoscalePad specifies a hint to the Netcharts logic that is used to automatically determine an axis range. When no AxisScale parameters are specified for an axis, the axis automatically chooses a range based on the data values that are being plotted. Autoscalepad can be used to control these automatically choosen values.

AutoscalePad is specified as a percentage of the data range. For example, if a data series has a minimum value of 100 and a maximum value of 200, NetCharts will auto scale the axis to range from 100 to 200. If in addition AutoscalePad=10 is specified, NetCharts will autoscale the axis to start at 10% below 100 and end at 10% above 200. If a minimum of maximum value is the data series is 0, that value will not be modified by AutoscalePad.

 

Tics Parameters

        TopTics[N] = ("Mode", Color, "Font", FontSize, FontAngle, interiorAlignment,backgroundColor,rotationPoint);
        TopTicLength[N] = ("Mode", Color, "Font", FontSize, FontAngle, interiorAlignment,backgroundColor,rotationPoint);
  	BottomTics[N] = ("Mode", Color, "Font", FontSize, FontAngle, interiorAlignment,backgroundColor,rotationPoint);
   	LeftTics[N] = ("Mode", Color, "Font", FontSize, FontAngle, interiorAlignment,backgroundColor,rotationPoint);
   	RightTics[N] = ("Mode", Color, "Font", FontSize, FontAngle, interiorAlignment,backgroundColor,rotationPoint);

        example: TopTics3 = ("ON",black,"Helvetica",10);

The Tics parameter specifies the label attributes for the tic marks displayed along the axis. If TicMode is "OFF", then the tic marks will not be displayed, otherwise the tic labels will be generated based on the other parameter settings and will be displayed using the given label attributes in the Tics parameter. If any attribute is not defined, the previous value of that attribute will be used. See Label Parameters for more details concerning label attributes.

The rotationPoint specifies which end of a tic label (right or left) will be used to rotate the axis labels. The default is right.

[N] represents the nth axis in the given, (top, bottom, left, right), axes series. For example, BottomTics2 specifies the label attributes for the tic marks of the 2nd bottom axis. BottomTics and BottomTics1 are considered the same for backward compatibility.

 

TicLength Parameters

        BottomTicLength = Length;
        LeftTicLength = Length;
  	RightTicLength = Length;
   	TopTicLength = Length;

        example: TopTicLength = 10;

The TicLength parameter specifies the size of axis tic marks which are displayed. The value defines the number of pixels to use for the length of the tic mark. Setting the value to -1 will default the tic length to the number of pixels used for the width of the character zero (0) as found in the font applied to the label.

 

TicLayout Parameters

	TopTicLayout[N] = (Mode, SkipCount, StaggerLevels);
   	BottomTicLayout[N] = (Mode, SkipCount, StaggerLevels);
   	LeftTicLayout[N] = (Mode, SkipCount, StaggerLevels);
   	RightTicLayout[N] = (Mode, SkipCount, StaggerLevels);

       example:  TopTicLayout2 = (AUTOSTAGGER,5,3);

The TicLayout parameter is normally used in cases where the tic axis labels may overlap if not adjusted.

The Mode attribute indicates the type of layout mode that should be used, with the following modes currently supported:

NORMAL	The default mode specifies that no explicit layout processing should occur.
AUTO	Insures that labels never overlap. If labels are overlapping, it automatically staggers labels up to the number of levels defined in the StaggerLevels parameter (by default 2). If the labels still overlap, even after staggering, labels will be automatically skipped at a constant interval until none overlap.
AUTOSKIP	Indicates the axis labels should be automatically skipped at a constant interval if (and only if) they overlap.
AUTOSTAGGER	Indicates that axis labels should be automatically staggered up to the number of levels defined in the StaggerLevels parameter, if (and only if) they overlap
SKIP	Indicates that a certain number of axis tics should be skipped, and uses the SkipCount parameter to determine that number. (by default 1)
STAGGER	Indicates that axis labels should be staggered, using the number of levels defined in the StaggerLevels parameter. (by default 2)
SKIPSTAGGER	Indicates that axis labels should be skipped and staggered, using the SkipCount and StaggerLevels parameters. (by default 1 and 2)

The SkipCount parameter, if greater than zero, is used to determine the number of tics that should be skipped should the Mode be set to SKIP.

The StaggerLevels parameter is used to determine the number of "levels" axis labels can or should be staggered to.

 

MajorTicColor Parameters

	TopMajorTicColor[N] = color;
   	BottomMajorTicColor[N] = color;
   	LeftMajorTicColor[N] = color;
   	RightMajorTicColor[N] = color;

              example:  TopMajorTicColor2 = red;

The MajorTicLayour parameter controls the color of the major tics on the specified axis.

 

MinorTicColor Parameters

	
	TopMinorTicColor[N] = color;
   	BottomMinorTicColor[N] = color;
   	LeftMinorTicColor[N] = color;
   	RightMinorTicColor[N] = color;

              example:  LeftMinorTicColor = green;

The MinorTicLayour parameter controls the color of the minor tics on the specified axis.

 

TicLocations Parameters

      TopTicLocations = value, value, value, ...;
      BottomTicLocations = value, value, value, ...;
      LeftTicLocations = value, value, value, ...;
      RightTicLocation = value, value, value, ...;

              example: LeftTicLocations = 0,100,200,300,400,500,600,900,1200,1500,1800;
                             LeftLabels = null, null, 200, null, 400, null, 600, 900, 1200, 1500, 1800;

The corresponding Labels parameter can be used in conjunction with the TicLocations parameter for complete control of tic drawing and tic labeling. The TicLocations parameter defines the specific locations where the labels in the corresponding Labels parameter should be drawn. For example, the chart below is Multi-Scaled and has a Variably Labeled Axis. the left axis has tic marks drawn at 10 locations, while only 7 of those tics are labeled. This was accomplished by using the example LeftTicLocations and LeftLabels parameters above.

 

 

DrawMinorTics

      TopDrawMinorTics = ON | OFF;
      BottomDrawMinorTics = ON | OFF;
      LeftDrawMinorTics = ON | OFF;
      RightDrawMinorTics = ON | OFF; 

      example: TopDrawMinorTics  = OFF;

The DrawMinorTics parameter specifies whether or not to draw minor tics..

 

Axes Numeric Formats

Format Parameters

   TopFormat[N] = (FormatType, "FormatExpr", "TimeBase", "TimeUnit");
   BottomFormat[N] = (FormatType, "FormatExpr", "TimeBase", "TimeUnit");
   LeftFormat[N] = (FormatType, "FormatExpr", "TimeBase", "TimeUnit");
   RightFormat[N] = (FormatType, "FormatExpr", "TimeBase", "TimeUnit");


        example: LeftFormat = (FLOAT, "%.2f");

[N] represents the nth axis in the given, (top, bottom, left, right), axes series. For example, LeftFormat2 is the format of the 2nd left axis. LeftFormat and LeftFormat1 are considered the same for backward compatibility.

The numeric labels that are automatically generated by the axis can be formatted using the Format parameter. The FormatType attribute specifies the type of number being displayed by that axis, with the following types currently supported:

• FLOAT
• INTEGER
• DATE
• SIMPLEDATE
• DECIMAL
  

The FLOAT type specifies that the numeric values should be displayed with decimal parts, while the INTEGER type specifies that the numeric values should be displayed as integers, rounded if necessary. The DATE type specifies that the axis tic values should be interpreted as date/time values. See Date/Time Values and SimpleDateFormats for more details concerning date and time values. For information on DECIMAL types see: Decimal Format Type.

The FormatExpr attribute of the Format parameter specifies a display format to be used for each axis tic label and each active label displayed generated by default. The format allows a developer to specify numeric and date/time formats using expressions similar to those provided in the C/Unix printf function. The format expressions can consist of an arbitrary string, plus one or more occurrences of format components, which are preceded by '%'.

The TimeBase and TimeUnit attributes are used only for the DATE format type. The TimeBase attribute specifies the base date to be used when determining the actual date/time value when a time unit or numeric value is used in the Scale, Scroll, or DataSet parameters. The TimeUnit attribute specifies the time unit multiplier to be used when determining the actual data/time value when a numeric value is used in the Scale, Scroll, or DataSet parameters. See Date/Time Values and SimpleDateFormats for more details concerning date and time values.

The following format components are supported for the numeric format types:

Format Type	Component(s)	Description
FLOAT	%f	Display numeric value with fixed number of decimal digits, possibly zero.
	%g	Display numeric value using platform specific default format. Generally, this results in a "reasonable" format, unless a large number of decimal digits exists or the number is very large or very small.
INTEGER	%d	Display numeric value as an integer, rounding if necessary.
DECIMAL		See: Decimal Format Type

For the numeric types, the following modifier can be applied to the format component to yield different outputs:

	-,0WW.DD

where all parts are optional and are interpreted as follows:

-	Left justify the result, otherwise right justify it.
,	Separate the whole number into groups using the group symbol. By default, a comma is used as the group symbol and the group size is set to 3. The NumberFormat parameter can be specified to change the group symbol and/or the group size. If the group symbol is changed, then the same symbol should be specified in all format expressions in place of the comma. This option is ignored if zero padding is also specified.
0	Pad with leading zeros, if necessary, to fill entire field.
WW	Total width of the formatted field. If the field is naturally wider than this value, it is ignored.
.	Separate the whole number from the decimal number using the decimal symbol. By default, a period is used as the decimal symbol. The NumberFormat parameter can be specified to change the decimal symbol. If the decimal symbol is changed, then the same symbol should be specified in all format expressions in place of the period.
DD	Number of decimal digits to display (%f format only). If not specified, the default number is 2.

For example, for the FLOAT value 1234.456, the following formats yield the result shown:

Format	Result
%g	1234.456
%f	1234.46
%,f	1,234.46
%d	1234
%,d	1,234
%8.1f	1234.5
%08.1f	001234.5
Cost=$%,.1fM	Cost=$1,234.5M

 

The DECIMAL format type characters listed here are used in non-localized patterns with two exceptions, the currency sign and quote.

Symbol	Location	Localized?	Meaning
0	Number	Y	Digit
#	Number	Y	Digit, zero shows as absent
.	Number	Y	Decimal separator or monetary decimal separator
-	Number	Y	Minus sign
,	Number	Y	Grouping separator
E	Number	Y	Separates mantissa and exponent in scientific notation. Need not be quoted in prefix or suffix
;	Subpattern boundary	Y	Separates positive and negative subpatterns
%	Prefix or suffix	Y	Multiply by 100 and show as percentage
\u2030	Prefix or suffix	Y	Multiply by 100 and show as percentage
(\u00A4)	Prefix or suffix	N	Currency sign, replaced by currency symbol. If doubled, replaced by international currency symbol. If present in a pattern, the monetary decimal separator is used instead of the decimal separator
'	Prefix or suffix	N	Used to quote special characters in a prefix or suffix, for example, "'#'#" formats 123 to "#123". To create a single quote itself, use two in a row: "# o''clock"

More information on the DecimalFormat class can be found at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/docs/api/java/text/DecimalFormat.html.

 

NumberFormat

BottomTics  = ("", x000000_178, "Arial Plain", 10, 0, CENTER, , CENTER);
BottomScale = (0,80,null);

LeftTics    = ("", x000000_178, "Arial Plain", 10, 0, CENTER, , CENTER);
LeftScale   = (0,300,null);