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Scatter Chart

An example of a scatter chart.

Charts are graphical representations of numerical data. It is possible to switch between different representations of an existing chart, by changing the Chart Type in the Chart Properties: General page.

The scatter chart presents pairs of values from two expressions. This is useful when you want to show data where each instance has two numbers, for example, country (population and population growth).

The easiest way to create a new scatter chart is to click the Create ChartCreate chart button in the toolbar.

By a right-click on the scatter chart the Scatter Chart: Object Menu will be displayed. It can also be accessed from the Object menu, when the scatter chart is the active object.

See also:

Object Menu

Right-click on a chart and a float menu appears. This menu can also be found under Object menu when the chart is active.

The menu contains the following commands:

Object menu properties
Property Description
Properties... Opens the Properties dialog where the parameters defining the chart can be set.
Notes

Allows creating and sharing notes about the current object.

Detach The chart title is appended with the text “(Detached)” and the chart is no longer updated with selections made in the document (though selections may actually still be made from the chart). The command is available only if the chart is attached. By making a copy of a chart and detaching it, you may make direct comparisons between the copy and the original.
Attach Attaches a detached chart. The chart becomes dynamically linked to the data. The command is available only if the chart is detached.
Set Reference By choosing this option you set a chart reference, i.e. a fixed plot of the chart with the current selections. When further selections are made in the document the reference plot remains, dimmed in the background. Chart axes etc will be adjusted to always include the maximum of the background data set and the current data set. The current data set is always plotted on top of the reference plot, i.e. some portions of the reference plot may be obscured by the current data set plot. The way the background is dimmed can be controlled via the Reference Mode setting on the Chart Properties: General page. The display of reference chart plots is only possible in some chart types, e.g. bar charts, line charts, combo charts, radar charts, scatter charts, grid charts and gauge charts with needles. It is not possible to set a reference for a chart that contains a drill-down or a cyclic group. The reference will be lost when closing the document or when reloading data. The maximum number of objects that can be included when using the Set Reference option is 500.
Clear Reference This command is replaced with the Set Reference command when a reference is set. By choosing it the previously set reference will be cleared and the chart will revert to normal plot mode.
Clone Makes an identical copy of the chart. If a detached chart is cloned the clone will be attached.
Order

This cascade menu is only available when the Design Grid command of the View menu is activated or when the Always Show Design Menu Items under User Preferences: Design is checked. It contains four commands to set the layout layer of the sheet objects. Valid layer numbers are -128 to 127.

  • Bring to Front: Sets the layout layer of the sheet object to the largest value currently used by any sheet object on the current sheet.
  • Send to Back: Sets the layout layer of the sheet object to the smallest value currently used by any sheet object on the current sheet.
  • Bring Forward: Increases the layout layer of the sheet object by one. Maximum value is 127.
  • Send Backward: Decreases the layout layer of the sheet object by one. Minimum value is -128.
Clear All Selections Clears all selections in the dimensions and expressions of the chart.
Print... Opens the Print dialog where print settings can be specified.
Print as PDF...

Opens the Print dialog with the Microsoft Print to PDF printer pre-selected. After pressing the Print button you will be prompted for a file name for the PDF output file. This command is only available if a PDF printer is available on the system.

Send Values to Excel Exports the underlying data (the straight table equivalent of the chart) to Microsoft Excel, which is automatically launched if not already running. The table will appear in a new Excel worksheet. For this functionality to work Microsoft Excel 2007 or later must be installed on the computer.
Export... Opens a dialog for saving an image of the chart to file. The image can be saved as png, jpg, bmp or gif.
Copy to Clipboard This cascade menu contains the various copy options for the sheet object.
Values
Copies the values to the clipboard in the form of a table.
Image
Copies an image of the chart object to the clipboard. The image will include or exclude the sheet object caption and border depending on the settings in the User Preferences: Export page.
Object
Copies the entire sheet object to the clipboard for pasting elsewhere in the layout or in another document opened within the current instance of QlikView.
Linked Objects

Opens a menu with the following commands for linked objects.

  • Adjust Position of Linked Objects: All linked objects on all sheets are adjusted to the same position and size as the one/ones highlighted.
  • Unlink This Object/Unlink Objects: This destroys the link between the objects, making them different objects with different object IDs.
Minimize Iconizes the object. Clicking on the Minimize icon in the object caption (if shown) produces the same result. This command is available only if minimizing is allowed in the object's Properties dialog on the Caption page.
Maximize Enlarges the object to fill the sheet. Clicking on the Maximize icon in the object caption (if shown) produces the same result. This command is available only if maximizing is allowed in the object's Properties dialog on the Caption page.
Restore Restores a minimized or maximized object to its previous size and location. Double-clicking the icon of a minimized object or clicking the Restore icon in the object caption (if shown) of a maximized object produces the same result. This command is available only for minimized or maximized objects.
Help Opens QlikView help.
Remove Removes the sheet object from the sheet.

Chart Properties: General

On the General page you can set such properties as titles and chart type. It is the first page in the Quick Chart Wizard and in the Chart Properties dialog.

General chart properties
Property Description
Window Title

The title to be displayed in the window header. The title can also be defined as a calculated formula for dynamic update of the label text. Click the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog for easier editing of long formulas.

Expression syntax for calculated formulas

Show Title in Chart

By default, the label of the first expression defined is set as chart title. Clear the check box if no chart title should be displayed. To display the original title, simply mark the check box. The title can also be defined as a calculated formula for dynamic update of the label text. Click the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog for easier editing of long formulas. The chart title is not displayed in pivot tables or straight tables.

Expression syntax for calculated formulas

Title Settings Define advanced settings for the chart title by clicking the Title Settings button.
Print Settings

Clicking the Print Settings button takes you to the Print Settings dialog where it is possible to define margins and header/footer format. The Print Settings dialog holds two pages, Print Layout and Print Header/Footer.

Print: Layout and Print: Header/Footer

Alternate State

Choose one of the available states in the list. The following Alternate States are always available.

  • Inherited: The sheets and sheet objects are always in the inherited state unless overridden by the QlikView developer. This setting is inherited from the object on the level above, a chart in a sheet gets the same settings as the sheet if inherited is chosen.
  • Default state: This is the state where most QlikView usage occurs and is represented by $. The QlikView document is always in the default state.
Object ID

This is used for macro purposes. Every sheet object is assigned a unique ID. We recommend that you use alphanumeric characters only in the ID. Linked objects share the same object ID. You may edit this ID number later on.

For charts, the ID starts with CH01.

Internal Macro Interpreter

Detached If enabled, the chart will be detached, that is, it will no longer be dynamically updated when selections are made.
Read Only If enabled, the chart will be read only, that is, selections cannot be made by clicking or painting with the mouse in the chart.
Calculation Condition Typing an expression in this text box sets a condition that needs to be fulfilled for the chart to be displayed. If the condition is not fulfilled, the text "Calculation condition unfulfilled" will be displayed in the chart. The value may be entered as a calculated formula. Click on the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog.
Chart Type The Chart Type group is where you select the basic layout of the chart. For more information on each chart type, see Chart types.
Fast Type Change

In this group you can enable an icon in the chart from which the user can change chart type without going through the chart properties dialog.

  • Allowed Types: In this list you select which chart types that should appear in the drop-down. Two or more types have to be chosen for fast type change to be enabled.
  • Preferred Icon Position: In graphical charts, the fast type change icon can be positioned either inside the chart or in the sheet object caption. In table charts, the caption is the only alternative.
Reset User Sizing By pressing this button, all user sizing of legend, title etc. in graphical charts will be reset. Docking of individual items will not be affected.
Reset User Docking By pressing this button, all user docking of legend, title etc. in graphical charts will be reset.
Error Messages

Opens the Custom Error Messages dialog.

Custom Error Messages

Reference Mode Settings for how the reference background should be plotted when using the Set Reference option from the chart's context menu. This setting is only meaningful for some charts.

See also:

Chart Properties: Dimensions

The Chart Properties: Dimensions page is reached by right-clicking a chart and selecting Properties or by selecting Properties from the Object menu when the chart is active.

When you create a chart, you should first ask yourself two questions:

  • What do you want to look at? What should the sizes of the bars in the bar chart correspond to? The answer might be the "sum of sales", or something similar. This is set on the Expressions tab.
  • What do you want to group it by? Which field values do you want to use as labels for the bars in the bar chart? The answer might be "per country", or something similar. This is set on the Dimensions tab.

A chart can display one or more dimensions. The upper limit depends on the actual chart type, the complexity of the data and the available memory. Pie, line and scatter charts can display a maximum of two dimensions, bar, block and grid charts three. Radar and funnel charts can only display a single dimension, and gauge charts use no dimensions at all. Further dimensions are ignored.

A chart dimension gets its values from a field which is specified on the Chart Properties: Dimensions page. Instead of being a single field a dimension can also consist of a group of fields (see Edit Groups below).

A dimension can be a single field, a group or an expression (calculated dimension). It can also be a synthetically created dimension

Move fields back and forth by selecting (click, Ctrl-click) and using the Add> or <Remove buttons, or by double-clicking your selections directly.

Chart dimensions may also be calculated from an expression.

Dimension properties
Property Description
Available Fields/Groups

Lists all fields/field groups that are available for use as dimensions (i.e. along the x-axis in a typical bar chart). Field groups will be preceded by a vertical arrow for drill-down groups or a curved arrow for cyclic groups.

Groups are defined in the Document Properties: Groups page. Select the items to be used/removed by clicking them. Use the Add > or the < Remove button to move them to the desired column.

The number of dimensions that can be displayed varies with different chart types.

All fields which appear in more than one internal table will be preceded with a key symbol. Pie charts, line charts and scatter charts cannot display more than two dimensions. In bar charts, up to three dimensions can be shown.

Document Properties: Groups

Show System Fields Checking this option will display the system fields in the Available Fields/Groups column.
Show Fields from Table

From here, you control what fields/groups appear in the Available Fields/Groups list. The drop-down list displays the alternative All Tables by default.

The alternative All Tables (Qualified) shows the fields qualified by the name of the table(s) they occur in. This means that key (connecting) fields will be listed more than once. (This alternative is only used for viewing purposes and has nothing to do with Qualify fields in the load script.)

It is also possible to view the fields of one table at a time. Note that available groups are always listed.

Edit Groups... This button takes you directly to the Document Properties: Groups page, where field groups to be used as dimensions can be defined.
Animate... Opens the Animation dialog, by which you can make use of the chart's first dimension for animation. Animation is only available for bitmap charts excluding pie charts. Some functional limitations apply when using animations.
Trellis... Opens the Trellis Settings dialog where you can create an array of charts based on the first dimension. Any type of bitmap chart can be made into a trellis display.
Used Dimensions

This list contains the dimensions currently selected to be used as dimensions in the chart. The number of dimensions that can be used varies with the type of chart. Superfluous dimensions for any given type will be disregarded.

When used in tables, the dimension data cells can be dynamically formatted by means of attribute expressions. Whenever an attribute expression is entered for a dimension, its icon will turn from gray scale to color, or as in the case of Text Format, from gray to black. These settings will have precedence over chart settings. Click on the "+" expansion icon in front of any dimension to display the placeholders or the dimension's attribute expression.

  • Background Color: Double-click on Background Color in order to enter an attribute expression for calculating the cell background color of the dimension cell. The expression used should return a valid color representation (a number representing the Red, Green and Blue components as defined in Visual Basic). This is done by using one of the special chart color functions. If the result of the expression is not a valid color representation, the program will default to black.
  • Text Color: Double-click on Text Color in order to enter an attribute expression for calculating the cell text color of the dimension cell. The expression used should return a valid color representation (a number representing the Red, Green and Blue components as defined in Visual Basic). This is done by using one of the special chart color functions. If the result of the expression is not a valid color representation, the program will default to black.

    Color functions

  • Text Format: Double-click on Text Format in order to enter an attribute expression for calculating the font style of text in the table cell for each dimension cell. The expression used as text format expression should return a string containing a '<B>' for bold text, '<I>' for italic text and/or '<U>' for underlined text.

With the Promote and Demote buttons, dimensions in the Used dimensions list can be sorted.

Add calculated dimension...

Adds a new dimension and opens it for editing in the Edit Expression dialog. A chart dimension is often in a single field, but can also be dynamically calculated. A calculated dimension consists of an expression involving one or more fields. All standard functions may be used. Aggregation functions may not be used, but the Aggr function can be included for achieving nested aggregation.

Expression syntax for calculated formulas

Edit... Opens the dimension for editing in the Edit Expression dialog. See Add calculated dimension... above for details on calculated dimensions.
Settings for Selected Dimension

In this group you find settings for individual dimensions.

Enable Conditional: Marking this check box hides or shows the dimension dynamically, depending on the value of a condition expression entered, by clicking the ... button in the edit box below.

Suppress When Value Is NULL: If this check box is enabled, the selected dimension in the Used Dimensions above will not be displayed in the chart if its value is NULL.

Show All Values: Enable this check box to show all the dimension values regardless of the selection. As the expression value is zero for excluded dimension values, the option Suppress Zero-Values in the Presentation page must be deselected for Show All Values to work. Show All Values does not apply if you use an expression as dimension.

Show Legend: When Show Legend is checked, the "names" of field values are shown along the x-axis.

Label: With the Label option checked, the name of the field is shown. Labels can be edited in the text box below. A label can also be defined as a calculated label expression for dynamic update of the label text. Click on the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog for easier editing of long formulas. For more information, see Expression syntax for calculated formulas

Advanced...: This button opens the Advanced Field Settings dialog which offers settings for image representation of field values and special text search options. For more information, see Advanced Field Settings

Comment: A commentary field where the selected dimension can be described. The comment may be entered as a calculated formula. Click on the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog.

Page Breaks: This setting only applies to the employment of page breaks in the printout from a pivot table or straight table. Three modes are available, with the following effects:

  • No Breaks: Will only insert page breaks at the end of each page, as required.
  • Conditional Breaks: Inserts a page break, unless all rows with the following dimension value can be fitted on the current page.
  • Forced Breaks: Inserts a page break whenever the dimension value changes

Chart Properties: Dimension Limits

Dimension limits can be set for chart types, except for gauge charts and pivot tables.

The Dimension Limits tab controls the number of dimension values you can see in a given chart.

Before getting to that, it is important to describe the effect that the three options in the dropdown produce. The dropdown contains three values: First, Largest and Smallest. These values control the way the calculation engines sorts the values it returns to the charting engine. It is mandatory to have one of these options selected, if the dimension is to be restricted. The sorting only occurs for the first expression, except in pivot tables when the primary sort may override the first dimension sort.

This property page is used for defining dimension limits. Each dimension in the chart is configured separately.

Limits

Restrict which values are displayed using the first expression

These properties are used to determine how many dimension values are displayed in the chart, according to settings made below.

Show only

Select this option if you want to show the First, Largest or Smallest x number of values. If this option is set to 5, there will be five values displayed. If the dimension has Show Others enabled, the Others segment will take up one of the five display slots. The First option will return the rows based on the options selected on the Sort tab of the property dialog. If the chart is a Straight Table, the rows will be returned based on the primary sort at the time. In other words, a user can change the values display by double-clicking on any column header and making that column the primary sort.The Largest option returns the rows in descending order based on the first expression in the chart. When used in a Straight Table, the dimension values shown will remain consistent while interactively sorting the expressions. The dimensions values will (may) change when the order of the expressions is changed.The Smallest option returns the rows in ascending order based on the first expression in the chart. When used in a Straight Table, the dimension values shown will remain consistent while interactively sorting the expressions. The dimensions values will (may) change when the order of the expressions is changed.Enter the number of values to display. The value may be entered as a calculated formula. Click on the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog.

Show only values that are:

Select this option to display all dimensions values that meet the specified condition for this option. Select to display values based on a percentage of the total, or on an exact amount. The relative to the total option enables a relative mode which is similar to the Relative option on the Expressions tab of the property dialog. The value may be entered as a calculated formula. Click on the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog.

Show only values that accumulate to:

When this option is selected,all rows up to the current row are accumulated, and the result is compared to the value set in the option. The relative to the total option enables a relative mode which is similar to the Relative option on the Expressions tab of the property dialog, and compares the accumulated values (based on first, largest or smallest values) to the overall total. The value may be entered as a calculated formula. Click on the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog. Select Include Boundary Values to include the dimension value that contains the comparison value.

Expression syntax for calculated formulas

Information noteNegative values will not be included when calculating the accumulated restriction sum. We recommend that you don't use relative restrictions for fields that can contain negative values.
Information noteIf you add a limit to a calculated dimension and the data is sorted on the same calculated dimension, the dimension limit will be applied before the sort order is applied.

Options

Show Others

Enabling this option will produce an Others segment in the chart. All dimension values that do not meet the comparison criteria for the display restrictions will be grouped into the Others segment. If there are dimensions after the selected dimension, Collapse Inner Dimensions will control whether individual values for the subsequent / inner dimensions display on the chart. In the Label field, enter the name you wish to display in the chart. If no text is entered, the label will be automatically set to the expression text.
The value may be entered as a calculated formula. Click on the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog.

Show Total

The chart will display a total for the selected dimension when this option is enabled. This total behaves differently than the expression total, which is still configured on the Expressions tab of the property dialog. Label: Enter the name you wish to display in the chart. If no text is entered, the label will be automatically set to the expression text. The value may be entered as a calculated formula. Click on the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog.

Global Grouping Mode

The option only applies to inner dimensions. When this option is enabled the restrictions will be calculated on the selected dimension only. All previous dimensions will be ignored. If this is disabled, the restrictions are calculated based on all preceding dimensions.

Expression Totals Compared to Dimension Totals

Dimension Totals are generated by the calculation engine, and are then returned to the charting engine as separate rows (or dimension values). This will have an impact on the Others rows. The difference between using Expression Totals and Dimension Totals can be seen below.

Example comparison between expression totals and dimension totals, which are separated by dimension
Expression Totals and Dimension Totals

When Dimension Totals is used, it is possible to have sub-totals within a straight table.

Chart Properties: Expressions (Scatter Chart)

The Chart Properties: Expressions page is reached by a right-click on a scatter chart and selecting Properties from the Object menu. This is a simplified Expressions dialog that is only displayed when the alternative Advanced Mode is not checked.

The X group is used for determining the x-dimension. In the same manner, the y-dimension is created in the Y group. In this simplified Expressions dialog, all x- and y-dimensions will be defined as Avg(FieldName). The Avg (average) is used as default, since it is the function most likely to produce a valid scatter.

For either dimension, a Label can be specified. This label can also be defined as a calculated formula. Click the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog for easier editing of long formulas.

Expression syntax for calculated formulas

In the Z group you can specify an optional expression which will be used to calculate the size of each data point plotted in the scatter:

Optional expressions
Option Description
Bubble Chart If this option is checked a third (z) chart expression will be used to calculate the relative size of the scatter points. The value of the expression will determine the area of the bubble plotted.
Bubble Size Expression This is where you enter the expression that determines the relative size of the bubble drawn at each scatter point. Click the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog for easier editing of long formulas.

Sets the sort order of the values in the sheet object. Some sort options may not be available for all sheet objects.


If more than one sort order is specified, the sort order will be state, expression, frequency, numeric, text, load order. State refers to the logical state (selected, optional, or excluded).

Chart Properties: Style

On this page you can determine a basic style for the chart. Not all the listed features are available for every chart type.

  • Look: Choose one of the available styles. This may in some instances affect not only the appearance of the chart but also its functionality.
  • Orientation: Set the orientation of the chart, vertical or horizontal.
  • Subtype: The mode is set in this group, either Grouped or Stacked mode for bars (Overlayed or Stacked for Radar charts. This setting is only functional when the chart displays two dimensions or one dimension and more than one expression. Negative values in stacked bars are stacked separately downwards below the x-axis. For bar charts, when using continuous axes scaling, stacked layout is the only allowed layout.

    For the presentation of bar charts with multiple dimensions and expressions the following principles apply:
    • A maximum of two dimensions can be shown on the x-axis.
    • A third dimension can be shown with multicolored stacked bars.
    • Only table charts can display more than three dimensions.
    • When two or more expressions are enabled, the two first dimensions are shown on the x-axis and the expression with multicolored stacked bars.
    • When two or more expressions are enabled and the subgroup is set to stacked, all expressions within one stack will be calculated according to one axis (by default the left). This will be the case even if you set one expression to be calculated according to the left axis and one to be calculated according to the right axis.

    The following list shows how subtypes are presented with multiple dimensions and expressions:

    • One dimension
      • 1 expression: single bar
      • 2+ expressions: expressions are grouped or stacked
    • Two dimensions
      • 1 expression: Dimensions are grouped or stacked
      • 2+ expressions: Dimensions are grouped
    • Three dimensions
      • 1 expression: 1st and 2nd dimensions are grouped, 3rd dimension is stacked
      • 2+ expressions: 1st and 2nd dimensions are grouped, expressions are stacked
    • Four dimensions
      • 1 expression: 1st and 2nd dimensions are grouped, 3rd dimension is stacked
      • 2+ expressions: 1st and 2nd dimensions are grouped, expressions are stacked
  • 3D View: The settings in this group define the angle from which the chart is viewed in 3D modes.
    • Top Angle: Defines the vertical angle of the 3D view. The value must be an integer between 5 and 45.
    • Side Angle: Defines the side angle of the 3D view. The value must be an integer between 5 and 45.
  • Plot Color Style: This control can be used to impose a color style on all plot colors in the chart. When a style is selected in the drop-down list all colors under Color Map on the Colors page will be changed to the selected style. The change is instantaneous and the setting itself will not be saved until the next time you enter this page of the dialog. The actual base colors in the color map are unaffected. The Plot Color Style is not available for all chart looks. The following options are available:
    • Solid Color: Sets all colors in the color map to solid colors.
    • Dark Gradient: Sets all colors in the color map to a color gradient going towards black.
    • Light Gradient: Sets all colors in the color map to a color gradient going towards a darker tone.
    • Glossy: Gives a glossy look to all bars.
  • Plot Area Background Style: This control can be used to change the appearance of the plot area background. This setting is only available for charts with a plot area. The following options are available:
    • Frame: A frame is drawn around the plot area.
    • Shadow: This option gives a shadow effect on the plot area background.
    • Minimal: This setting removes the plot area background.
  • Preview: Offers a preview of the basic visual properties of the chart.

Chart Properties: Presentation (Scatter- Grid Chart)

This property page is used collectively for scatter charts and grid charts, with some options available only for one of the chart types. When a scatter chart has two field dimensions instead of one defined on the Dimensions page, each value in the first field dimension will result in one scatter data point for each of its associated values in the second one. These may then be connected by lines. The following display options are available in the Representation group:

Display options
Option Description
Only Lines Data is represented by lines between data points.
Only Symbols Data is represented by symbols, drawn at the data points.
Both Lines and Symbols A combination of the alternatives above.
Autosize Symbols Adjusts the maximum bubble size to the size of the scatter chart/to the number of values in the grid chart.
Line Width Determines the width of the line, if a line representation is specified. The value can be specified in mm, cm, inches (", inch), pixels (px, pxl, pixel), points (pt, pts, point) or docunits (du, docunit).
Trendline Width This setting determines the width of trend lines.
Symbol Size Determines the size of symbols, if a symbol representation is specified.
Max Bubble Size Sets the size of the largest bubble in the chart. Available only for some looks (selected on the Style tab) in combination with Only Symbols or Both Line and Symbol for Representation, and if Autosize Symbols is deselected.
More display options
Option Description
Show Arrows Set display options for arrows on connecting lines (See the Representation group, above!). Arrows will be directed between scatter points in the sequential order defined by the sort order of the second field dimension. Check this alternative to have arrow heads displayed on the connecting lines.
Arrow Size The size of the arrow head can be edited here.
Style Select from several styles from the drop-down list.
Bubble Scaling

Select how to scale the bubbles in a grid chart based on either of:

  • Radius
    The bubbles are scaled according to radius.
  • Area
    The bubbles are scaled according to area. This is the default option for a new grid chart. In most cases this option provides the best visual representation of the data.

In the Labels in Chart group you may set display options for labels on data points. The labels plotted are the same as the ones in the legend.

Label options
Option Description
Max Labels Shown Limits the number of plotted labels. Setting this number too high may degrade chart clarity.
Labels on Datapoints Check this alternative to have labels displayed.
Pop-up Labels Check this alternative to display the corresponding dimension value in a pop-up window when pointing in the chart.
Highlight With this option checked, symbols and/or lines are highlighted when the mouse pointer hovers over them. Where a legend is included in the chart, the highlighting applies here as well, making it possible to single out one of several overlapping values.
Horizontal Position Select the horizontal orientation from the drop-down list: Left, Centered or Right.
Vertical Position Select the vertical orientation from the drop-down list: Above, Centered or Below.

The check boxes Suppress Zero-Values and Suppress Missing eliminate dimensions that are empty or contain only zeros from the table.

More label options
Option Description
Show X Label The label of x-dimension specified in the X group of Chart Properties: Expressions page is drawn at the end of the x-axis.
Show Y Label The label of y-dimension specified in the Y group of Chart Properties: Expressions page is drawn at the end of the y-axis.

Chart Properties: Expressions (Scatter Chart)

In the Legend group you can control the display of dimension data labels in the chart. Mark the check box to display data labels. Data labels are shown only for the current top level of the chart.

Legend options
Option Description
Show Legend Check this alternative to include a legend in the chart (checked by default). It is possible to change the legend by clicking the Settings... button. If the chart is dimensionless, but has several expressions, unmarking this check box will show the expressions on the axis instead.
Limit Legend (Characters) Enable this check box to limit the length of the dimension value strings that are displayed on axes and in the chart legend. Truncated values will be followed by ... in the chart.

Legend Settings

In the Chart Scrolling group you can make settings for scrolling in the chart.

Scroll options
Option Description
Enable X-Axis Scrollbar Enable this check box to show a scroll control in place of the X-axis. The scroll bar can be used to scroll the selection of the X-axis values that are displayed. The number of values shown at any one time will be the number set under When Number of Items Exceeds.

In the Reference Lines group you can define reference (grid-) lines intersecting the chart plot area from a given point on a continuous x-axis or a y-axis. Existing reference lines are listed in the window.

Reference line options
Option Description
Add Opens the Reference Lines dialog where a new reference line in the chart can be created.
Edit Highlight an existing reference line in the list and click this button to edit its properties in the Reference Lines dialog.
Delete Highlight an existing reference line in the list and click this button to delete it from the list.

Reference Lines

The Texts in Chart group is used for adding free-floating text to the chart.

Text options
Option Description
Add Opens the Chart Text dialog where a new chart text in the chart can be created.
Edit Highlight an existing text in the list and click this button to edit its properties in the Chart Text dialog.
Delete Highlight an existing text in the list and click this button to delete it from the list.

Chart texts

Free-floating texts appear at the top left position in the chart, but can be repositioned when the chart is in chart layout edit mode.

Sizing and moving chart components

Reference Lines

The dialog may vary slightly in appearance depending on the kind of chart that is used. A reference line is a line intersecting the chart plot area from a given point on one or both axes. It may be used, for example, to indicate a certain level or percentiles of chart data. The reference line is only drawn if it falls within the current range of the axis from which it origins.

Reference line options
Option Description
Label Enter a label to be drawn next to the reference line. The default value used is the expression. The label may be defined as a calculated expression.
Show Label in Chart Enable this setting if the label should appear next to the reference line.
Location Sets from which axis the reference line should originate, choose between X-axis, Y-axis and X-axis and Y-axis
Definition Sets the value at which the reference line should be drawn. The value be either a fixed Percentile (enter a value between 1 and 100 in the edit box) of the current chart data or an arbitrary numeric Expression.
Line Formatting Defines the layout of the reference line:
Weight
Specifies the weight of the reference line. The value can be specified in mm, cm, inches (", inch), pixels (px, pxl, pixel), points (pt, pts, point) or docunits (du, docunit).
Color
Sets the color for the reference line.
Style
Specifies the style for the reference line, for example, continuous, dashed or dotted.
Show Specifies the condition for displaying the reference line.
Always
The reference line will always be displayed.
Conditional
The reference line will be displayed or hidden depending on a conditional expression which will be evaluated each time the chart is to be drawn. The reference line will only be hidden when the expression returns FALSE.

Chart Properties: Colors

The Chart Properties: Colors page is opened by right-clicking a chart window and choosing the Properties command from the Object menu.

In the Data Appearance group it is possible to assign up to 18 different colors to the dimension field values of charts.

Appearance settings
Setting Description
Colors 1 - 18

Colors can be defined as solid colors or color gradients. To customize a color, click its button to open the Color Area dialog.

The Get Default Colors button resets the color map to the default settings of QlikView.

The Undo Color Changes button returns the color settings that applied upon entry to this dialog.

The Advanced... button opens the Advanced Color Map dialog where color maps can be set and retrieved on sheet, document, user and QlikView default level.

Multicolored Unchecking this option results in all bars having the same color.
Persistent Colors Checking this option locks the color map so that each value has a color permanently assigned to it.
Repeat Last Color Checking this option assigns the 18th color in the color map to any value after the 18th value. If unchecked, colors are just repeated in succession from 1 to 18.

In the Frame Background group color settings are made for the plot area background and the background of the area surrounding the plot area.

Background settings
Setting Description
Color

The chart will be plotted with a colored background. Different colors can be set for the plot area and the surrounding area.

Clicking either button opens the Color Area dialog.

Tip noteThe Background Color setting can be combined with the Image and/or Plot Area Only options below.
Background The color used for the background around the plot area or, in the case of some charts, for the entire chart background. The color can be defined as a solid color or a gradient via the Color Area dialog that opens when clicking the button. The default color is white.
Plot Area The color used for the plot area of the chart. The color can be defined as a solid color or a gradient via the Color Area dialog that opens when clicking the button. The default color is light gray. This setting is unavailable for pie charts, block charts, funnel charts and radar charts.
Image

Select this alternative and click the Image button to open the Select Image dialog, where it is possible to import a background picture.

Limit the imported picture to the Plot Area Only by checking this alternative.

Dynamic Image Enter a calculated expression to show dynamic background images that change with the selection. Available for bar, line, combo, scatter and grid charts.
Transparency Sets the degree of transparency of the chart background. At 0% the background will be completely opaque with the color defined under Background Color above. At 100% the background will be completely transparent.

In the Plot Area Border group you can assign Width and Color for the rectangle surrounding the plot area.

Chart Properties: Number

This property page applies to the active chart and contains the following controls for formatting values:

Number formats
Format Description
Expression Default Shows numeric values using the number format provided by the expression.
Number Shows numeric values with the number of digits set in the Precision spinner box.
Integer Shows numeric values as integers.
Fixed to Shows numeric values as decimal values with the number of decimal digits set in the Decimals spinner box.
Money Shows numeric values in the format shown in the Preview text box. The default format is the Windows Currency setting.
Date Shows values that can be interpreted as dates in the format set in the Format Pattern edit box. An example of this format is shown in the Preview text box.
Time Shows values that can be interpreted as time in the format set in the Format Pattern edit box. An example of this format is shown in the Preview text box.
Timestamp Shows values that can be interpreted as date + time in the format set in the Format Pattern edit box. An example of this format is shown in the Preview text box.
Interval Shows time as sequential time increment (e.g. format = mm shows the value as the number of minutes since calendar start ( 1899:12:30:24:00).

The Show in Percent (%) button operates on the following formats: Number, Integer and Fixed to.

Decimal and Thousand separators can be set in the edit boxes of the Separators group.

In the Symbol edit boxes symbols for unit, 1000, 1000 000 and 1000 000 000 can be entered.

The ISO button sets the time, date and timestamp formatting to ISO standard.

The System button sets the formatting to system settings.

Font

Here the Font, Font style and Size of the font to be used can be set.

The font can be set for any single object (Object Properties: Font), or all objects in a document (Apply to Objects on Document Properties: Font).

Further, the default document fonts for new objects can be set on Document Properties: Font. There are two default fonts:

  1. The first default font (List Boxes, Charts, etc) is used for most objects, including list boxes and charts.
  2. The second default font (Text Objects and Buttons) is used for buttons and text boxes, which are objects that usually need a larger font.

Finally, the default fonts for new documents can be set on User Preferences: Font.

For charts, buttons and text objects (except search objects) a font Color can also be specified. The color may Fixed or it can be dynamically Calculated from an expression. The expression must be a valid color representation, which is created using the color functions. If the result of the expression is not a valid color representation, the font color will default to black.

Color functions

Additional settings are:

  • Drop Shadow: If this option is checked a drop shadow will be added to the text.
  • Underline: If this option is checked the text will be underlined.

A sample of the selected font is shown in the preview pane.

Layout

A Layout setting will apply to the current object only, if it is made from the Object Properties page.
A Layout setting will apply to all objects of the specified type(s) in the document, if it is made from the Document Properties page.

Use Borders

Enable this setting in order to use a border around the sheet object. Specify the type of border by selecting it in the drop-down menu.

  • Shadow Intensity: The Shadow Intensity drop-down menu makes it possible to set the intensity of the shadow that surrounds the sheet objects. There is also the choice of No Shadow.
  • Border Style: The following predefined border types are available:
    • Solid: A solid unicolored border.
    • Depressed: Border giving the impression of depressing the sheet object from the background.
    • Raised: Border giving the impression of raising the sheet object from the background.
    • Walled: Border giving the impression of a wall around the sheet object.
  • Border Width: This option is available for all border types. The width can be specified in mm, cm, inches (", inch), pixels (px, pxl, pixel), points (pt, pts, point) or docunits (du, docunit).
  • Color: Click this button to open a dialog in which an appropriate base color can be chosen from the color palette for all border types.
  • Rainbow: Creates a rainbow colored border for all border types. The rainbow will start with the selected base color on top of the sheet object.

When Simplified is the chosen Styling Mode in Document Properties: General, there is no choice of border type, there is only the Shadow Intensity drop-down menu and the Border Width setting.

Rounded Corners

In the Rounded Corners group the general shape of the sheet object is defined. These settings allow for drawing of sheet objects ranging from perfectly circular/elliptical via super elliptical to rectangular. Rounded Corners is only available if you have selected Advanced Styling Mode in Document Properties: General.

  • Rounded Corners: Checking this option makes the alternatives for rounded corner shapes possible.
  • Corners: Corners for which the check box remains unmarked will be drawn rectangular instead.
  • Squareness: A variable number between 2 and 100 where 100 defines a rectangle with perfectly square corners and 2 corresponds to a perfect ellipse (a circle for a 1:1 aspect ratio). A squareness between 2 and 5 is usually optimal for achieving rounded corners.
  • Corner Radius: This setting determines the radius of the corners in fixed distance (Fixed) or in percent of the total quadrant (Relative (%)). This setting lets you control the extent to which the corners will be affected by the underlying general shape set under Squareness. The distance can be specified in mm, cm, inches (", inch), pixels (px, pxl, pixel), points (pt, pts, point) or docunits (du, docunit).

Layer

In the Layer group an object can be defined as residing in one of three layers:

  • Bottom: A sheet object with the Bottom layer property can never obscure sheet objects in the Normal and Top layers. It can only be placed on top of other sheet objects in the Bottom layer.
  • Normal: When created, sheet objects reside in the Normal (middle) layer. A sheet object in the Normal layer can never be obscured by sheet objects in the Bottom layer and can never obscure sheet objects in the Top layer.
  • Top: A sheet object in the Top layer can never be obscured by sheet objects in the Normal and Bottom layers. Only other sheet objects in the Top layer can be placed on top of it.
  • Custom: The Top, Normal and Bottom layers correspond to internally numbered layers 1, 0 and -1 respectively. In fact all values between -128 and 127 are accepted. Choose this option to enter a value of your choice.

Theme Maker...

Opens the Theme Maker wizard where you can create a layout theme.

Apply Theme ...

You can apply a layout theme to the object, sheet or document.

Layout Themes

Show

In the Show group it is possible to specify a condition under which the sheet object is displayed:

  • Always: The sheet object will always be displayed.
  • Conditional: The sheet object will be shown or hidden depending on a conditional function which will be evaluated continuously depending on e.g. selections etc. The sheet object will only be hidden when the condition returns FALSE.

    Conditional functions

Information note

Users with Admin privileges for the document can override all show conditions by selecting Show All Sheets and Sheet Objects in Document Properties: Security. This functionality can be toggled by pressing Ctrl+Shift+S.

Document Properties: Security

Options

In the Options group, it is possible to disallow moving and resizing of the sheet object. The settings in this group are only relevant if the corresponding check boxes are enabled in Document Properties: Layout and Sheet Properties: Security.

  • Allow Move/Size: If this option has been deselected it will be impossible to move or resize the sheet object.
  • Allow Copy/Clone: If this option has been deselected it will be impossible to make a copy of the sheet object.
  • Allow Info: When the info function is in use an info icon will be displayed in the window caption whenever a field value has information associated to it. If you don't want the info icon to be displayed in the caption, you can uncheck this option.

    Info
  • Size to Data: Normally the borders around all table sheet objects in QlikView will shrink when selections cause the size of the table to be less than allocated size for the sheet object. By deselecting this check box this automatic adjustment of size will be turned off leaving any surplus space blank.

Scrollbars

Various controls for changing the scrollbar layout are located in the Scrollbars group:

  • Preserve Scroll Position: With this setting enabled, QlikView will try to preserve the scroll position of tables and charts with a scroll bar when a selection is made in another object. The setting must be enabled in User Preferences: Objects as well. The scroll position is not preserved when you close the document.
  • Scroll Buttons: Sets the scroll button color. Select a color by clicking the button. Note that medium gray tones often render the best results for scroll bars. Either color can be defined as a solid color or a gradient via the Color Area dialog that opens when you click the appropriate button.
  • Scroll Background: Sets the scrollbar background color. Select a color by clicking the button.
  • Scrollbar Width: This control affects both the width and the relative size of the scrollbar symbols.
  • Scroll Style: Sets the scroll bar style. Select a style in the drop-down control. The Classic scroll bar style corresponds to QlikView 4/5 scroll bars. The Standard scroll bar style gives a more modern look. The third style is Light, which is a thinner, lighter bar.
    The Styling Mode must be set to Advanced for the scroll bar style to be visible. This setting can be found on the General tab by opening the Settings drop-down menu and selecting Document Properties.

 

  • Apply To...: Opens the Caption and Border Properties dialog where you can set where to apply the properties that have been set on the Layout page.

Caption

A Caption setting will apply to the current object only, if it is made from the Object Properties page.
A Caption setting will apply to all objects of the specified type(s) in the document, if it is made from the Document Properties page.

On the Caption page, specify layout options that are completely different from the general layout of the object.

  • Show Caption: When this option has been checked a caption will be drawn at the top of the sheet object. List boxes and other "box objects" will have the option switched on by default whereas buttons, text objects and line/arrow objects will not.
  • Title Text: In the text box you can enter a title to be shown in the caption of the sheet object. Use the Font... button to change the caption font.

Set the colors of the caption in its different states. The settings for Active Colors and Inactive Colors can be made separately from each other.

Click the Background Color or Text Color button to open the Color Area dialog. The Background Color can be defined as a solid or a gradient color on the Color Area dialog. Text Color can be defined a Fixed or a Calculated color using color functions.

Color functions

  • Wrap Text: If this option is checked, the caption will be displayed in two or more rows.
  • Caption Height (Lines): Set the number of caption lines in this edit box.

The precise size and position of the QlikView object can be determined and adjusted by the size/position settings for the Normal or Minimized QlikView sheet object. These settings are measured in pixels:

  • X-pos: Sets the horizontal position of the left side of sheet object in relation to the sheet's left edge.
  • Y-pos: Sets the vertical position of the top side of sheet object in relation to the sheet's upper edge.
  • Width: Sets the width of the QlikView sheet object.
  • Height: Sets the height of the QlikView sheet object.

The orientation of the caption label can be altered with the Caption Alignment options:

  • Horizontal: The label can be horizontally aligned: Left, Centered or Right within the caption area.
  • Vertical: The label can be vertically aligned: Top, Centered or Bottom within the caption area.

Special Icons
Many of the object menu commands of the sheet objects can be configured as caption icons. Select commands to be shown as caption icons by marking the check box to the left of each command in the list.

Information noteUse the special caption icons with care. Too many icons will only confuse the user.
  • Allow Minimize: When this option has been checked a minimize icon will be displayed in the window caption of the sheet object, providing that the object is minimizable. Furthermore, this will make it possible to minimize the object by double-clicking the caption.
  • Auto Minimize: This option becomes available when Allow Minimize is checked. When Auto Minimize is checked for several sheet objects on the same sheet, all but one will be automatically minimized at any time. This is useful e.g. for alternately displaying several graphs in the same sheet area.
  • Allow Maximize: When this option has been checked a maximize icon will be displayed in the window caption of the sheet object, providing that the object is maximizable. Furthermore, this will make it possible to maximizing the object by double-clicking the caption. If both Allow Minimize and Allow Maximize are checked, double-clicking will effect minimizing of the object.
  • Help Text: Here you may enter a help text to be displayed in a pop-up window. The help text may be specified as a calculated formula. This option is not available at document level. Click the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog for easier editing of long formulas.


    Expression syntax for calculated formulas

    Enter e.g. a description of the sheet object. A help icon will be added to the window caption of the object. When the mouse pointer is over the icon, the text will be displayed in a pop-up window.

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