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Charts
Overview

There are many different sources of data that can make use of the charting facility in McIDAS-V. It is possible to use the charting facility to display your data by selecting Data Probe/Time Series in the Displays menu in the Field Selector tab of the Data Explorer. The chart will be plotted in the Layer Controls tab, while a square representing the location of the probe will be shown in the Main Display window. The location of the probe can be changed by left-clicking on the probe and dragging it.

There are four levels of configuration available to the user, as well as several unique menu options for this display.

Chart Line Properties

At the lowest level, you can set the properties of how each parameter or field is shown. This is done through the Chart Line Properties dialog, which is opened by right clicking on the parameter below the chart and selecting Chart Properties.

Image 1: Chart Line Properties Dialog
Image 1: Chart Line Properties Dialog
Plot Properties

For each individual plot, there are a number of settings that can be changed through the Plot Properties dialog. This is also accessed through the View->Chart->Chart:->Properties... menu.

Image 2: Data Probe Properties Dialog
Image 2: Data Probe Properties Dialog

When right clicking on a chart, you can also zoom in and out and save the chart as an image. There are also a number of key and mouse bindings on the chart:

Chart Properties

There are several chart properties that can be changed through the Chart Properties dialog box. This is accessed by right clicking on the chart and selecting "Properties." The Chart Properties dialog box consists of three tabs: Title, Plot, and Other. The Plot tab includes three tabs within itself: Domain Axis, Range Axis, and Appearance.

The Title tab deals with the chart's title and its attributes.

Image 3: Title Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog
Image 3: Title Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog

The Domain Axis tab allows for customization of the Domain Axis.

Image 4: Domain Axis Tab in the Plot Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog
Image 4: Domain Axis Tab in the Plot Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog

The Range Axis tab allows for customization of the Range Axis.

Image 5: Range Axis  Tab in the Plot Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog
Image 5: Range Axis Tab in the Plot Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog

The Appearance tab has several options to change the appearance of the plot.

Image 6: Appearance Tab in the Plot Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog
Image 6: Appearance Tab in the Plot Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog

The Other tab deals with general chart properties.

Image 7: Other Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog
Image 7: Other Tab of the Chart Properties Dialog
Chart Layout

When you have multiple charts you can define different layouts for them using the View->Chart->Layout menu. There are a number of pre-defined layouts: Grid, Vertical, Horizontal, 2 Column, 3 Column, Tabs. The Grid Layout allows for much flexibility in how the charts are organized and laid out. The View->Chart->Layout->Change Grid Layout menu brings up the Grid Layout Editor:

Image 8: Edit Chart Layout Window
Image 8: Edit Chart Layout Window

You can add/remove rows and columns with the Plus and Minus button buttons. You can then drag the graphical representations of the charts to place them in the grid. A chart can also span multiple rows or columns. This is done by grabbing the black square on one side of the chart image and dragging it to change the row or column.

Menu Options

Many of the menu items seen utilizing this display are standard options that can be found in the Menus section of the Layer Controls Page. However, there are several menu options that are unique to the Data Probe/Time Series display.

The File menu has these unique options

The Edit menu has these unique options:

The View menu has these unique options:


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