Glossary
2D |
Two-dimensional: having height and width but no depth (like a flat piece of paper). This usually refers to objects and attributes used in graphs with X & Y axes but no Z axis. |
2 1/2 D or 2.5D |
Two and a Half dimensional: a 2D graph type that uses artificial mweans to appear three dimensional. Example: add thickness to a pie graph so that the pie seems to have depth. |
3D |
Three-dimensional: having height, width and depth (like a cube). This usually refers to objects and attributes used in graphs with X, Y and Z axes. It also refers to text that has no thickness but can be slanted and skewed to the angle of a cube's floor or wall (it often accomodates a perspective view). |
Area |
(graph): The area graph type is like a line graph, except the area between the line and frame's edge (or axis's zero line) can be decorated with a fill: |
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Attached |
Permanently secured to another object. An attached object can not be moved on the chart. Example: a category axis header is attached to the category axis line, so the header cannot be moved (although the engine does not allow attached text to move, you can write code so that the header can move and the frame will move with it.). An example of an unattached object: the footnote label - it can be moved freely on the chart because it is not attached to anything. |
Autofit |
A process where the program automatically scales an object (eg. text) to a new size. Several autofit attributes offer choices on automating the amount of scaling. |
Back-ground |
A graph object that is as big as the chart's page size and always is the bottom layer on the chart - all other objects lie upon it. |
Bar |
[riser] (graph): Vertical or horizontal rectanglar bar that represents data. It stretches between a the frame's edge (or zero line) to a data value. |
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Bipolar |
For graphs with at least two series, a bipolar chart splits the graph in two halves and plots series on either half. This helps break up crowded data. Below are three bipolar bar charts. |
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If there were more series, you could choose side-by-side bipolar (for bar graphs), absolute bipolar (for line & area graphs), or stacked bipolar (for bar, line, & area graphs). |
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Callback |
The program asks the computer system to calculate a value and "call back" with an answer. This calculation takes time and not all systems are willing to give a callback. |
Chart |
The total image output by the program. This includes the back-ground on which eveything lies, the graphed data, scales, headers, annotations, and titles. Example: when you look at an output slide, you are looking at one entire chart. |
Column |
A vertical group of cells in the data manager or a table chart. |
Data text or datatext |
Text that specifically labels a QDR (eg. a label on a riser). Data text is usually attached to the QDR it describes, but the library allows the label to be located in different locations around the QDR. |
Data text format |
Data text can be drawn in a variety of different formats. The format can be specified by the DataTextFormat and DataTextFormatPattern property. DataTextFormat provides a group of preset data text formats (e.g., $, %, numeric only, etc). DataTextFormatPattern lets you define your own number format in the standard Java format style. |
Feeler |
A line or set of lines that stretch from a pie slice label to its pie slice. Feelers are visual aids that help you know that a particular number floating out in the frame belongs a particular pie slice. |
Frame |
The portion of the chart where data is graphed. Also defined as the "graph", the frame area includes scales, headers and items attached to the graph which help explain the graphed data. |
Graph |
The graphed data within the frame, and all objects attached to the frame. This includes the graphed data, scales, headers, grid lines, QDRs, and attached QDR labels. This does not include the back-ground on which eveything lies, annotations, or titles. Example: on a pie chart, the "graph" is the pie itself, feelers, and pie labels that can't be freely moved around on the chart - they somehow must be attached to the pie). |
Gridline |
Parallel lines on a graph that draw from one side of the frame to the other, dividing up the graph at regular intervals according to the scale. Grid lines help the eye measure the value of QDRs on the graph. A numeric axis can have both major and minor grid lines, since numeric ranges (eg. 5 - 10 - 15) can be subdivided. Ordinal axes should be limited to one grid line, since words can't be subdivided. For 2D bar graphs, the grid line should be minor. On 2D line and area graphs, it should be major if you want the line to go through the data points. |
Group |
Within the data manager, rows and columns can be viewed as series and groups. A group of data shows how a variable affects one member from each series. Example: looking at the prices of Ford Mustangs and Jaguar XJ-6s in 1970, 1980, and 1990. The variable is time (years), series #1 is the Mustang cost in 1970, '80 & '90, and series #2 is the XJ-6 cost in 1970, '80 & '90. There are three groups of data: Mustang & XJ-6 for 1970, Mustang & XJ-6 for 1980, and Mustang & XJ-6 for 1990. To isolate a group, we view the prices of both series at one point of time. If we add another year (ie. price data for both cars in 1965), we'll have another group. |
HiLo |
(graph): This graph type is used to chart stock prices. For each variable a vertical bar indicates the highest and lowest values. A line on the left side of the bar marks the opening value and a line on the right side marks the closing value. |
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Histogram |
This chart type graphs the distribution of data. The difference between the largest and smallest data values is broken down into equally spaced intervals. The histogram graphs how many points are in each interval. |
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HTML |
Hypertext Mark-Up Language |
JDE |
Java Development Environment (e.g., Symantec Visual Café, Borland JBuilding, Sysbase, PowerJ, or IBM Visual Age) |
Label |
Text on a graph or legend that explains an object. Labels are usually attached to the object they describe. Examples: scale labels are attached to their axis line, legend labels to their markers, pie slice labels to their feeler (or slice), and data text to their QDR. An exception: formula label for a data curve (eg. polynomial regression) is unattached; it can be moved freely. |
Legend |
Area of a chart with labels and colored or shaded shapes that identify QDRs on the graph. Legend labels are stored in the data manager as row headers or column headers. The legend area has a variety of attributes, including: does it have a border around it, is its orintation horizontal or vertical, can it automatically change its orientation, where are the labels relative to the markers? |
Line |
(graph): A line that represents data by connecting data points within a series. Each point represents a data value from the data manager. |
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Major |
Description of a grid line or tick mark that divides a graph at regular intervals according to the scale. Major grid lines cross their axis line at the exact location of the scale label. The graph is divided into equal sections, which can further be divided by minor grid lines or tick marks. |
Marker |
1) a 2D or 3D polygon that represents a data point on a graph or 2) an object in the legend that looks like its QDR (eg. a purple square in the legend that represents purple bars on the graph). Whether on the graph or legend, this object can have a variety of shapes and sizes. Markers are found in 2D & 3D scatter graphs, polar graphs, and sometimes on line and area graphs. |
Minor |
Description of a grid line or tick mark that divides a graph at regular intervals according to the scale. Minor grid lines cross their axis line at at equal intervals between major grids/ticks; they never align directly with a scale label. Since minor grids can align between header labels, they are ideal for bar charts where you don't want ordinal grid lines [which run parallel to the bars] going through a bar or group of bars; minor grids will separate one group of bars from another. |
Numeric |
Describes an axis with a scale and objects that are part of the graph's scale. The scale contains an axis line and numbers attached to the axis line (ie. numeric axis line & numeric text). An axis with a scale is a numeric axis. Both axes in a histogram are numeric axes.Ant.: ordinal. |
Object |
Every graphic element on a chart is an object. Everything you see (and even hidden items you can't see) are objects (the background, the graph frame, scales, headers, QDRs , annotations, etc, etc.). |
ObjectID |
A number is assigned to each object drawn on a chart to uniquely identify the object. When modifying chart attributes using methods, the ObjectID can be used to identify the piece of the chart for modification. Methods can be used to get an object's ID. For example, the getY1AxisLine() method returns the ID of the Y1AxisLine object. The setLineWidth() method, for example, could then be used to set the width of the Y1 Axis Line. Example: |
IdentObj id; |
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This example sets the width of the Y1 Axis Line to 10 pixels. |
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Ordinal |
Describes an axis with headers (ordinal axis) and objects that are part of the axis. This includes the axis line (ordinal axis line) and the headers themselves (ordinal text). Both axes in a spectral chart are ordinal axes. Ant.: numeric. |
Perspective |
The illusion that something is getting smaller the further it is from the eye. This effect is used in 3D graphs to give a greater sense of depth; as the lines of a cube's wall recede into the background, they begin to converge to meet at one unseen point. If all the lines were parallel, the graph would be isometric and would not appear to get smaller as it "receded" into the background. Perspective can make a graph appear as a real box appears to our eye or exagerate depth. |
Pie |
(graph): Pie charts present the relative sizes of data points compared to the sum of the data points. Slice sizes show proportions, not the absolute values. |
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Polar |
(graph): Polar graphs are like scatter graphs, except the two coordinates for each data point refer to distance from center and the angle. The circles serve as grid line references for distance and the lines through the center help relate angle. |
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QDR |
Quantitative Data Representation: a bar, area riser, line, or marker that represents data on 2D & 3D graphs. Example: a riser (bar) reaches a height or depth that corresponds to a number on a scale on a numeric axis. The number measures quantitative data(eg. "# of widgets", "how much profit"). The riser visually represents a quantity. |
Riser |
A 2D or 3D polygon that represents data by stretching between two specified points (one of which is always a value entered in the data manager). In 2D bar & area graphs, the riser may stretch from a frame edge or zero line. In a histogram, it stretches from the frame edge. In a HiLo chart, the riser stretches between the high and low values. For 3D graphs, risers stretch from the floor or a zero plane. 3D risers can have a variety of shapes and sizes. |
Row |
A horizontal group of cells in the data manager or a table chart. |
Scatter |
This chart type displays data points by plotting their X & Y coordinates. Each data point has two values (plus an optional cell for marker labels). |
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Series |
Within the data manager, rows and columns can be viewed as series and groups. A series of data shows how something is being affected by a variable. Example: the price of Ford Mustangs in 1970, 1980, and 1990. The "something" is the Mustang and the variable is time (years). We've chosen three points in time, and the Mustang's cost at each point. If you add another car's price data for the three years, you have a second series. |
Text |
Character strings such as titles, headers, labels. |
Tick mark |
A very short grid line that intersects the axis line (the frame's edge). Tick marks subdivide a graph, but are less obvious than grid lines. They are ideal for minor grid divisions, which are less significant than major divisions and might make the graph look too crowded if they drew from one frame edge to the other. Examples of different tick marks: inside ticks, outside ticks, spanning ticks, and a combination of major grid lines with minor ticks. |
URL |
Universal Resource Language |
Virtual Coordinates |
The chart is drawn using a virtual coordinate system. No matter what type of screen or printer device, the chart is created using the virtual coordinate system. The following diagram illustrates the virtual coordinate system. |
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The virtual coordinates are converted to device coordinates when an object is drawn on the device. Several functions provide conversion between the virtual coordinate system and device coordinates. |
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X (axis) |
1) on 2D graphs: refers to the numeric axis line and objects that are part of the axis (eg. grid lines). The X- axis can be horizontal or vertical, 2) on 3D graphs: describes objects that are part of the X-axis, such as grid lines. 3D graphs do not have axis lines. On a 3D scatter chart, X is a numeric axis. On 3D non-scatter graphs, X is an ordinal axis; series headers are attached to where the X-axis line would be (on the floor edge). In both cases, X-axis grid lines draw across the floor and up the right wall. |
X1 |
(axis): The X-axis on a 2D graph. |
Y |
(axis): 1) on 2D graphs: refers to a numeric axis line and objects that are part of the axis (eg. grid lines). The Y- axis can be horizontal or vertical, 2) on 3D graphs: describes objects that are part of the Y-axis, such as grid lines. 3D graphs do not have axis lines. On a 3D scatter chart, Y is a numeric axis. On 3D non-scatter graphs, Y is an ordinal axis; series headers are attached to where the Y-axis line would be (on the floor edge). In both cases, Y-axis grid lines draw across the floor and up the left wall. |
Y1 |
(axis): The primary Y-axis on a 2D graph. |
Y2 |
(axis): The secondary Y-axis on a 2D graph. This only occurs on Dual Y-axis graphs. |