Default Chart in the Canvas Native view

Not supported by TWC

A default or on-demand chart is a pre-configured chart that you can access anytime from a Canvas or Canvas.View screen in design or native run mode in a separate dialog box. The default chart feature provides a customizable means to open multiple default charts from a screen, and to trend selected data from different controls, such as a CygNet Grid or Text Tool control, quickly giving visual context to your data. A default chart can be associated with a Canvas screen or opened on demand from that screen in run mode. Any chart configuration can be saved with a Canvas chart file (.ccf) extension, which can be opened directly, or assigned as the default chart for a specific screen. The series on a default chart supports the following appearance options including: series type (bar line, spline, step, area, etc.), point visibility, point size, point labels, label color and connector color. Default charts also support absolute and relative dates, date overrides, and historical rollups.

Sample default chart

Sample Default Chart in Canvas.View

Configure the Default Chart

Any chart configuration can be saved and used as a default chart. The default chart features are identical to those of the Canvas chart control, and support the configuration of one series, point visibility, point size, point labels, label color and connector color, absolute or relative dates, rollups, the CygNet connection, legend, axes, toolbar, and panning and zooming modes to suit your needs. See the following chart topics for more information about general chart configuration:

Save a Default Chart

Once you have configured a suitable chart in design mode, save it as a default chart, then you can assign it to a screen as the default chart, and access it in run mode.

Not supported by TWC To save a chart as a default chart:

Not supported by TWC To open a previously saved default chart:

Assign a Default Chart to Screen

A default chart can be associated with a Canvas screen or opened on demand from that screen in run mode. Open the Canvas screen in design mode and locate the Default Chart properties in the Properties pane. Configure the following properties to set the default chart file, date range, rollups, and the series appearance:

UI Property Script Property Description
Default ChartBack to top

Begin date

Screen.DateStart

The Begin date or Start or Start date property specifies the start date and time for a control (or screen or chart or column) for an absolute date and time view window. The format is MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm:ss AM/PM. The default value is the system date and time at which the control was first added to the screen. Click Set date to change the date using the date picker.

Begin relative date

Screen.RelativeStart

The Begin relative date or Relative start date or Start property specifies a wildcard string defining the amount of time by which to adjust the start date and time. The space-separated elements in this string must be of the form: "x-#", "x+#", or "x=#" where # is an integer and x is one of the following unit specifiers: y — Year, m — Month, d — Day, H — Hour, M — Minute, S — Second, and # is an integer. T wildcard is also supported and must be in the form: T, T+#, T-#, where T represent today at midnight, T-1 is yesterday at midnight, and T+1 is tomorrow at midnight, etc. Any integer can be used. For example, H-8 represents data from the 8 hours before the current hour, d+3 represents data 3 days after the current day, and d+2 H+1 M+30 represents data 2 days, 1 hour and 30 minutes after the current date and time. d-4 H=6 sets the relative start date and time to four days ago (d-4) at 6:00 a.m. (H=6). See Date and Time Wildcards for more information about adjusting relative time.

Default chart file

Screen.DefaultChartFile

Not supported by TWC The Default chart file property specifies the path to the chart file associated with this screen.

  • Click Open dialog box to access the Open dialog box and select either:
  • Click BSS to access an APPS or BSS folder.
    • Browse to the folder and file you want to open.
  • Click Local to access a local or network file-system folder.
    • Browse to the folder and file you want to open.
  • Click OK to save the file path.
  • Or click Cancel to abort and close the Open dialog box.

Default chart file source

Screen.DefaultChartFileSource

This property specifies the source of the file, object file, screen file, image file, or video file. Options include:

  • BSS — Indicates that the file is stored in an APPS or BSS folder
  • Local — Indicates that the file is stored in a local or network file-system folder. Not supported by TWC

End date

Screen.DateEnd

The End date or End property specifies the end date and time for a control (or screen or chart or column) for an absolute date and time view window. The format is MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm:ss AM/PM. The default value is the system date and time at which the control was first added to the screen. Click Set date to change the date using the date picker.

End relative date

Screen.RelativeEnd

The End relative date or Relative end date or End property specifies a wildcard string defining the amount of time by which to adjust end date and time. The space-separated elements in this string must be of the form: "x-#", "x+#", or "x=#" where # is an integer and x is one of the following unit specifiers: y — Year, m — Month, d — Day, H — Hour, M — Minute, S — Second, and # is an integer. T wildcard is also supported and must be in the form: T, T+#, T-#, where T represent today at midnight, T-1 is yesterday at midnight, and T+1 is tomorrow at midnight, etc. Any integer can be used. For example, H-8 represents data from the 8 hours before the current hour, d+3 represents data 3 days after the current day, and d+2 H+1 M+30 represents data 2 days, 1 hour and 30 minutes after the current date and time. d-4 H=6 sets the relative end date and time to four days ago (d-4) at 6:00 a.m. (H=6). See Date and Time Wildcards for more information about adjusting relative time.

Override chart dates

Screen.OverrideChartDates

Not supported by TWC The Override chart dates check box indicates whether to use the screen's dates, when displaying charts for this screen.

Rollup period

Screen.RollupPeriod

Not supported by TWC The Rollup period property works in conjunction with the Rollup unit to define the interval by which a specified Rollup type takes place. For example, if you selected Minutes from the Rollup unit drop-down menu, then typed 3 in the Rollup period field, rollups for the control would occur every three minutes. Enter only whole numbers.

Note: If rollups are configured for a default chart four labeled rollup series will be added to the chart:

  • Real Time — no rollup
  • Min — Calculated minimum
  • Max — Calculate maximum
  • Mean — Calculated mean

Rollup unit

Screen.RollupUnit

Not supported by TWC The Rollup unit property options define the time units by which a specified Rollup type takes place. The Rollup Unit options are as follows:

  • None (default)
  • Minutes
  • Hours
  • Days
  • Seconds

For instance, if you select Minutes, rollups occur on a minute basis. The interval is further defined by the Rollup Period setting, which defines how many (in this case) minutes long a rollup period is.

Top of subunit

Screen.RollupTopSubUnit

Not supported by TWC The Rollup top of subunit property enables you to specify the time offset by which a rollup is evaluated with greater precision. Subunit refers to the next smaller unit of time from the time unit defined in the Rollup unit property. So, if Rollup unit is set to hours, the implied rollup subunit would be set to minutes. The numeric value is the number of subunits added to starting time of each cell or series.

Using the example of hours and minutes, if the starting time of an item would otherwise have been 09:00 AM, if subunits is set to 15, the starting time of that item would be 09:15 AM.

Use relative date

Screen.UseRelativeTime

The Use relative date check box indicates whether to use relative dates and time for the chart. Use the Begin/Start and End properties to specify the relative date ranges to use in the chart.

If Use relative date is unchecked all dates and time will be absolute. Use the Begin/Start and End properties to specify the absolute date ranges to use in the chart.

Default SeriesBack to top

Label background color

Screen.DefaultLabelBackgroundColor

Not supported by TWC The Label background color property specifies the background color of the label associated with the point in the default chart series.

Label connector color

Screen.DefaultLabelConnectorColor

Not supported by TWC The Label connector color property specifies the color of the label border and the connector line linking the label to the point in the default chart series.

Label text color

Screen.DefaultLabelForegroundColor

Not supported by TWC The Label text color property specifies the color of the text on the label associated with the point in the default chart series. The text color is sometimes known as the foreground color.

Point size

Screen.DefaultPointSize

Not supported by TWC The Point size property specifies the size of the point displayed on the default chart series. The default value is 5.

Series type

Screen.DefaultSeriesType

The Series type property specifies the style to use for the chart series. Click Down arrow to select an option from the drop-down menu. Options include:

  • Bar — A bar chart visualizes data as a set of rectangular bars, with the length of each bar representing the value of each data point. Each bar is the color assigned to the series. Not supported by TWC
    • When adding a series showing custom non-CygNet data in a Bar chart type via script, you must set the color at the point level. This allows for points to be colored differently from each other.
  • Line — A line chart shows information as a series of data points connected by straight lines. This is the default series type for the chart.
  • LineArea — An line area chart is based on the line chart and shows information as a series of data points connected by straight lines, with the area between the X-axis and the line filled with the line color. Not supported by TWC
  • Spline — A spline chart is a line chart where data points are connected by a smooth curve. Not supported by TWC
  • SplineArea — A spline area chart is based on the spline chart where data points are connected by a smooth curve, with the area between the X-axis and the line filled with the line color. Not supported by TWC
  • Step — A step chart is a line chart in which data points are connected by horizontal and vertical lines, looking like a series of steps. Not supported by TWC
  • StepArea — A step area chart is based on the step chart where data points are connected by horizontal and vertical lines, looking like a series of steps, with the area between the X-axis and the steps filled with the line color. Not supported by TWC

Click here to see an example of each type of series.

Show point labels

Screen.DefaultShowPointLabels

Not supported by TWC The Show point labels check box indicates whether the series will display a label associated with each point value in the default chart series when in run mode. The labels will dynamically reorient their position when you resize or reshape a screen.

Show points

Screen.DefaultShowPoints

Not supported by TWC The Show points check box indicates whether the series will display a point at the location of each value on the default chart series.

Accessing the Default Chart in Canvas

Once configured a default chart is accessible from several places in Canvas, Canvas Viewer, or Canvas.View:

If no default chart is configured, Canvas will allow you to select the location where the default chart is saved from the Open dialog box, either in an APPS or BSS folder or a local or network file-system folder.

You can also trend selected data from different controls, quickly giving visual context to your data. The default chart is accessible from the right-click context menu for any control that shows single point values.

Add Trend Data to a Default Chart

Several controls support the option to add point values as a new series to a default chart, providing additional visual context for trended data:

  • Select the object, right-click and select Add to chart from the context menu, then select:
    • New chart — Add values to a new default chart
    • New chart with rollups — Add rolled-up values to a new chart. Four labelled rollup series will be added to the default chart:
      • Real Time — No rollup
      • Min — Calculated minimum
      • Max — Calculate maximum
      • Mean — Calculated mean
    • Chart n — Add values to a previously opened default chart
  • The point values for the time range specified for the screen will be displayed as a series in the default chart
  • You can add as many default charts as you want
  • You can add a series from different controls to same default chart, or from the same control to different default charts
  • See Default Chart for more information about the default chart feature
  • See Using a Chart in Run Mode for more information about hiding and removing series from a default chart
  • See Viewing Data in a TWC Ad Hoc Chart for information about adding a CygNet point presented in the web view to an on-demand or ad hoc chart.
 

Context menu

Grid cell context menu
Add data to default chart