Data Sources - Enhanced Chart Customization Dialog Box

The Data Sources tab of the Enhanced Chart Customization dialog box displays the following items:

Data Sources List

Item

Description

Data Source Selection List

Allows you to add a data source to your chart by double-clicking a blank field in the list. You can apply different legend, data limits, time constraints, and general axis information for each data source that you add.

Acceptable data sources:

  • X Bar, R Bar, and S Bar – SD block (Statistical Data)
  • Histogram – HS block (Histogram)
  • Line/Multiline – Any block
  • XY – Any block, except SD, HS, ETR, SQT, SQD, or PA

Any changes made to the Data Sources List are applied immediately; clicking Cancel does not undo any changes.

Allowable number of data sources, by chart type:

  • X Bar, R Bar, S Bar, and Histogram – one
  • XY – two (one for the X axis and one for the Y axis)
  • Line/Multiline – multiple

NOTES:

  • In the configuration mode for XY charts, it is possible to enter a real-time data source with partial tag group substitutions (for example, fix32.@server1@.@[email protected]_cv) and a historical data source. However, in run mode, the quality column in the legend displays a Type Mismatch error code because the data types do not match.
  • If you change the data source type for an existing data source, any user-modified entries in the Data, Time, Legend, and Y Axis tabs will not re-default. To reset default values for a data source, the existing data source should be deleted, and a new data source should be added.
  • Proficy Historian Data Sources using expressions (for example, Hist1.INFO10.Simulation00001 + 30) are not supported for Enhanced Charts.

Add

Allows you to add a data source to the chart.

Delete

Allows you to remove a data source from the chart.

Move Up

Allows you to move the selected data source up in position in the list.

Move Down

Allows you to move the selected data source down in position in the list.

X Axis

Allows you to select the data source to use for the X axis.

NOTES:

  • By default, the data source at the top of the Data Sources List is used for the X axis.
  • This field is only available for XY charts.
  • Any changes made to the X axis selection are applied immediately; clicking Cancel does not undo any changes.

Apply to All Data Sources

For XY Charts and XY Chart Dynamos, the Apply to all Data Sources check box is disabled when you select the Time tab. The Time tab is enabled when the data source selected is the one being used for the X-Axis. The time for Historical data sources is kept in sync so any change to time is propagated to the other historical data sources.

For the Line Chart Dynamo, the Apply to all Data Sources check box is disabled when you select the Time tab. The Time tab is enabled if the data source is historical or Tag Group. Any change made on a Time tab is synchronized to all other Historical and Tag Group data sources.

For the Line Chart, the Apply to all Data Sources check box is enabled and available to be checked when the Time tab is selected. Unless this check box is checked and the Apply or OK button is pressed, the changes made to the Time tab apply only to the data source currently selected.

Data Tab

Item

Description

High Limit

Specify the high limit value for the selected data source.

Low Limit

Specify the low limit value for the selected data source.

Fetch Limits

Select this check box to specify that at run-time, the low and high limits of the selected data source are retrieved. Clear the check box to activate the High and Low Limit fields.

Show Gaps

Determines whether a blank space or a line is displayed to represent an area in a plot where there is no data.

NOTE: This field is not available for XY charts.

Interpolate Data

Causes the lines between plotted data to display as slopes, rather than flat lines. In the following illustration, the line on the left uses interpolated data. The line on the right does not.

NOTE: This field is not available for XY charts.

Maximum Display Points

Specify the number of data points to display for a data source over a given duration; the duration is indicated on the General Tab. This number cannot exceed the number specified on the General Tab in the Number of Points field.

NOTE: This field is not available for XY charts.

Historical Mode

Allows you to determine how iFIX selects data from a historical data source and displays it in the chart, and determines what each displayed value represents. The options are:

  • Sample – The last valid value found is trended, up to and including the start of the interval.
  • Avg – The average of all valid data found during the interval is trended, starting at the beginning of the interval, 12:00:00.
  • High – The highest valid data point value found during the interval is trended, starting at the beginning of the interval, 12:00:00.
  • Low – The lowest valid data point value found during the interval is trended, starting at the beginning of the interval, 12:00:00.
  • Interpolated – The data is interpreted by assuming that the line between two values is a straight line. All points along that line are estimated except the starting point and the ending point.
  • Trend – The raw data for the minimum and maximum values for each interval is returned.

NOTE: This field is not available for XY charts.

Time Tab

NOTES:

  • The following fields are only available if the data source is historical.
  • For XY charts, configuration choices made for the X axis data source are also applied to the Y axis data source.
  • For Line, X-Bar, R-Bar, S-Bar, and Histogram Charts, if the Apply To All Data Sources check box is checked, the selections you make on the Time tab are applied to all data sources.

Item

Description

Fixed Date

Specifies whether to enter a specific date on which to start the display.

Days Before Now

Specifies whether to enter the number of days prior to today to start the display. Allows you to enter the number of days prior to today to start the display. For example, if you want to define a time group to display data collected two days before the current date, enter 2.

Fixed Time

Specifies whether to designate a specific time to start the display, based on a 24 hour clock.

Lock Time

Locks the Fixed Time, even if you change the time zone in the Date and Time Properties dialog box in the Control Panel. This field is available only when you designate a specific time to start the display using the Fixed Time field.

Duration Before Now

Specifies whether to enter the duration prior to the current time to start the display. The minimum duration for a display is 0 seconds; the maximum is 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds.

Time Zone

Allows you to select the time zone to associate with the start time. You can select the client time (time zone for your computer), the server time (time zone used by the Historian server), or the tag time (uses the time zone bias of the tag, which is set in Historian). The default time zone is that of the client machine. This field is available only when Historian is used.

Adjust for Daylight Savings Time

Adjusts the time if the zone you selected is experiencing daylight saving. This field works only if you selected the Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes check box located on the Time Zone tab of the Date/Time Properties dialog box in the Control Panel. This field is available only when Historian is being used.

Duration

The Duration fields on this tab are display-only.  The information displaying in these fields come from the Duration specified on the General Tab. The fields specify the amount of data your chart displays along the time (X) axes. On the General Tab, you can enter any value from 0 to 365 days in the Days field.  In the Time field, enter the time in hours, minutes, and seconds.  You can enter any time up to 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds.

Interval

The Interval fields are display-only.  If you are using a historical data source, the Interval value is automatically calculated to a time that results in evenly spaced data, based on the Duration and Number of Points specified on the General tab.

Legend Tab

NOTE: If the Apply To All Data Sources check box is checked, the selections you make on the Legend tab are applied to all data sources.

Item

Description

Source

Specifies if the chart's data source appears in the legend.

Description

Specifies that a description of the data source appears in the legend.

Quality

Specifies that a description of the quality of the data source appears in the legend. This option is not available for histogram charts.

Value

Specifies that the value of the chart's data source appear in the legend. This option is not available for histogram charts.

Low Limit

Specifies that the low limit specified on the Data Source Data tab appears in the legend.

High Limit

Specifies that the high limit specified on the Data Source Data tab appears in the legend.

Eng Units

Specifies the engineering units for the data source connected to the legend item for the specified pen. This check box is selected for new charts and not selected for old charts.

Y Axis Tab

NOTES:

  • This tab is available only for Multi-Line and XY charts.
  • Although the Y Axis tab has fields enabled for an X Axis Data Source, and the various check boxes, bullets, and fields can be changed and saved, these selections are ignored if the data source is defined as the X Axis. However, if the X Axis data source is changed to a Y Axis Data Source, these selections are then applied.

This tab allows you to configure multiple Y axes in the XY Chart and Line Multiline Charts. You can now enter up to 16 data sources and individually configure the Y Axis. Multiple axes can be shown in the same graph, or in graphs stacked one on top of the other. Different plotting methods are supported for each data source.

Select a data source in the Data Sources List and then configure the following properties for the Y-Axis:

Item

Description

Title

The Title displayed along the Y Axis for the associated data source.

Y Axis Always Visible

Indicates whether the Y Axis for this data source is always visible.

NOTE: This applies only to the Multiple Y Axes Style.

Use Default Y Axis Settings

Indicates whether default Y Axis settings are displayed in the chart for the associated data source. The default Y Axis settings are those configured in the Axis tab. The Title is the only exception. If it is not empty then it will be used rather than the Y Axis Title configured in Axis tab.

NOTE: Selecting this option disables all other controls in this group.

Use Data Source Limits

If selected, the Y Axis for each data source is set according to the limits of the individual data source.

NOTES:

  • This option is available only if Use Default Y Axis Settings is not selected.
  • Selecting this option disables all other Data Source Limits controls in this group.

Linear/Log

Indicates whether the Y Axis legend for the associated data source is displayed in a linear or logarithmic style.

NOTE: This option is available only if Use Default Y Axis Settings is not selected.

Min

Specifies the minimum value of the Y Axis legend for the selected data source.

NOTE: This option is not available if Use Default Y Axis Settings or Use Data Source Limits is selected.

Max

Specifies the maximum value of the Y Axis legend for the selected data source.

NOTE: This option is not available if Use Default Y Axis Settings or Use Data Source Limits is selected.

Padding

Specifies the spacing between values and the top and bottom of plot area. This can be used to prevent points from being plotted at the very top or bottom of the plot. Valid values are 0-100 and represent a percent of the range (Max – Min). Max and/or Min may be calculated at run time based on selection of the Auto, Max or Min radio buttons.

NOTE: This option is not available if Min/Max is selected.

Auto, Min, Max, Min/Max

Auto allows iFIX to automatically calculate the Max and Min in run mode so that all data points are within the visible area of the chart for the selected data source.

Min allows you to specify the minimum value and automatically calculate the Max for the selected data source.

Max allows you to specify the maximum value and automatically calculate the Min for the selected data source.

Min/Max allows you to specify both the minimum and maximum values for the selected data source.

NOTE: This option is not available if Use Default Y Axis Settings or Use Data Source Limits is selected.

Export

Click to access the Exporting dialog box.

Snapshot

Click to get a maximized static snapshot of the chart, presented at full-screen size.

How Do I...