You can create custom graph objects for all graph types that are used in the designer.
In your custom graph object, you can change the layout, add new
graph elements, modify roles, change the visual properties, and so on. Your custom graph object
is displayed under the
Custom heading
on the designer's
Objects tab.
For more information,
see Save a Custom Graph Object So It Appears in the Designer. You do not associate real data with the graph objects in the graph builder. Rather,
you build graph objects or
templates using
sample data that is shipped with the graph builder. Report designers assign data when they include
your graph objects in their reports.
The graph objects that you build have a consistent appearance that is compatible with
the designer’s graph objects. The graph builder enables you to produce a wide array
of graph objects with more options for layouts and visual properties. Using the graph
objects that you build, report designers can create simple or complex
graphical views of their data.
You can do the following
in the graph builder:
-
drag and drop graph elements onto the canvas. Graph elements include the
plots and charts that are available from the
Graph Elements pane.
-
use a gallery of predefined graph objects as templates from which you can build and
customize custom graph objects.
For more information,
see About the Graph Template Gallery.
-
combine and arrange the graph elements as needed. For example, you can layer multiple
graph elements in a cell, create a
lattice of cells in rows and columns, or combine these layouts.
There are two types
of lattice graphs:
-
A
data-driven lattice is a
multi-cell graph in which the cell data is determined by the values of one or more
class variables. The number of cells is determined by the unique values of the class variables. Each
cell of the lattice has the same graph elements. However, these graph elements have
different values of the class variables.
-
A
user-defined lattice is a multi-cell graph in which you create each cell independently. Each cell can
contain different types
of plots.
-
determine and configure which data
roles become available for assignment.
For more information,
see Working with Roles.
-
specify the visual
attributes of the graph elements. You can specify properties for the graph, the graph cells,
for individual graph
elements, for the axes, and for legends.
For more information,
see Working with Properties.