Use the Data Axis Format page to specify options for the data axis of a graph. Depending on the graph type that you are using, the data axis can be the X-axis, Y1-axis, or Y2-axis. Data axes are quantitative axes, which visually identity data values that the markers in the graph, such as bars or lines, represent.
Show Axis Title -- Specifies whether to show the title of the axis on the graph. A typical title identifies the measure whose data appears on the axis. For example, if you have Sales data on the Y1-axis and Commission data on the Y2-axis, the axis title for the Y1-axis would be "Sales," and the title for the Y2-Axis would be "Commission." Until specified, the check box remains unchecked and no title is displayed on the graph. Once specified, the check box is checked automatically and a title will be displayed on the graph. You can type custom text or use parameter or column values that are provided by Insert. Click the Axis Title Font button to display the Font dialog box, where you specify font attributes.
Note: When you specify a graph title, subtitle, footnote, or axis title
in the Graph Wizard, you can insert lexical
references (to user parameters, system parameters, and columns) in the text.
For example, in the Show Title field on the Title page of the Graph Wizard,
type: title
text
&<P_1>
to insert the value of the user parameter P_1
into the title text
at runtime. The angle brackets (<>
) are required around the
parameter or column name.
Insert -- Select any system parameter and column values that you want to insert in the title.
Line Thickness -- Select the thickness for the line of the value axis.
Line Color -- Select a color for the line of the axis.
Minimum -- Specify the low value for the scale of the value axis. For example, on a vertical bar graph, if the scale is from 0 to 100 and the lowest data value is 50, then the data marker for the lowest data value will appear at the vertical middle of the graph. If the scale is from 50 to 100 and the lowest data value is 50, then the data maker for the lowest data value will appear at the very bottom of the graph. The default value for minimum scale is 0. If you do not want the graph to determine the low end of the axis automatically, then set the low value here and clear the Set Automatically check box.
Note: If the minimum scale value is greater than the lowest data value, then the data will not be accurately represented. Also, any data axis scale in which the minimum scale value is greater than 0 will distort the appearance of the data.
Maximum -- Specify the high value for the scale of the value axis. For example, on a vertical bar graph, if the scale is from 0 to 50 and the highest data value is 49, then the data marker for the highest data value will appear just below the top of the graph. If your scale is from 0 to 100 and the highest data value is 49, then the data marker for the highest data value will appear just below the vertical middle of the graph. The default value for minimum scale is 60. If you do not want the graph to determine the high end of the axis automatically, then specify the high value here and clear the Set Automatically check box.
Note: If the maximum scale value is less than the highest data value, then the data will not be accurately represented. Also, if the maximum scale value is less than the minimum scale value, then the graph will appear inverted.
Increment -- Specify the increment between the tick marks on the value axis. For example, if the scale is from 0 to 100 and the incremental scale value is 20, then tick marks appear at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 on the value axis. By default, the graph automatically calculates the distance between tick marks along the axis. If you want more or fewer tick marks than the graph calculates automatically, then set the increment here and clear the Set Automatically check box.
Base Line Value -- Set the value from which bars and area markers appear to originate. By default, this is zero (0). Bars that represent positive values appear above the base line, and bars that represent negative values appear below the base line. If you are plotting Fahrenheit temperature data, then you might set the base line to 32 to represent temperatures that are below freezing with bars that appear below the base line.
Logarithmic Scale -- Select this check box to use a logarithmic scale for the value axis. For example, on a scale ranging from 0 to 100, a logarithmic scale with a base value of 2 results in tick marks at the following places on the value axis: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128. Logarithmic scales are typically used in a rate-of-change graph.
Base -- Specify the logarithmic base value for the scale of value axis, such as 2, e, or 10. The base value is the exponent that the graph uses to determine where to place the tick marks.
Reference Lines -- Click this button to display the Reference Lines dialog box, where you specify the display of reference lines on the graph. Reference lines highlight a significant value, such as a passing score or an average value.
Axis Label Font -- Click this button to display the Font dialog box, where you specify font attributes for the axis label.
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