Plot Area

The tabs that are displayed depend on the chart type: <Chart type> Chart for pie charts, bar charts, plot charts and area charts; Chart Thresholds and Chart Markers for bar charts, plot charts, and area charts; and Scale, Center, Needle, Tick, and Range for gauge charts.

<Chart type> Chart

Pie charts, bar charts, plot charts and area charts have this tab for effects that are unique to the chart.

Type

For bar charts and area charts, you can change the chart to a stacked chart, which shows cumulative values. The Stacking Bar Chart is useful for showing multiple values for the same (multi-row) attribute.

Effect

For bar charts and pie charts, the appearance is three-dimensional by default and you can flatten the appearance by switching to 2D:

2D to render a two-dimensional chart.

3D to render a three-dimensional chart.

Select Plot Points

For plot charts, select Attributes in first row if you are plotting a single-row attribute group with the current data samples; or Attributes across multiple rows if this is a multiple-row attribute group or you are plotting historical data.

Plot Duration

For plot charts and area charts, the chart duration is set to one hour initially. After that, as new data samples arrive, the oldest plot points are removed to make room for the new. To change the duration from as little as five minutes to as much as 24 hours, either drag the slider bar or enter the time in the Hours and Minutes text boxes.

Included in axis bounds, when selected, takes into account the elapsed time when calculating the axis end time. The effect is that the chart rendering stops where the last data sample was plotted rather than stretch across the entire plot area. After the chart duration has been exceeded both types of charts look the same.

The Chart Duration area is disabled if this is a historical chart.

Refresh Rate

For plot charts and area charts, the refresh rate determines how often a data sample is taken at the agent and plotted on the chart. Use Refresh Rate from Workspace is the default selection. The refresh rate that is set for the workspace (View → Refresh Every) is applied to this chart as well. Select Refresh Area Chart Every to specify a refresh rate for the chart that is independent of the workspace refresh rate. You can choose a value from 10 seconds to 60 minutes.

Overlay

For bar charts, plot charts, and area charts, you can click Add Overlay to open a window for overlaying the chart with a line chart. Here you can add other attributes from the view's query that are applied as plot points and connecting lines. See Add Overlay.

Here is an example of a bar chart with overlay. The chart shows the current size and maximum size of three monitored logs: Application, Security, and System. The percentage of the log used is plotted over the bars. The animation shows the effect of moving the mouse pointer over the middle plot point: hover help shows that the Security log is at 13%. The Application log and System log are both at 100% usage.

Chart Thresholds

Bar charts, plot charts, and area charts have a Chart Thresholds tab that you can use to define a highlighted region representing a range of values on the chart.

Defined

The list shows the threshold names that are currently defined for the chart. To create a new threshold, click Create New and specify the name for the new threshold when prompted. You can then define the properties of the threshold in the Threshold and Fill Style fields. You can also rename or delete a threshold from the list.

Threshold

The fields in the Threshold area of the Chart Thresholds tab define value highlighted by the selected marker, as well as the style of highlighting to use:

Show Threshold

The check box is selected to display the threshold on the chart. You can hide a defined threshold by deselecting the check box.

Associated with

Select an available axis to use for thresholding from the list.

Start value

Accept the lowest value on the chart, -MAX Use default, or deselect the check box and enter the lower boundary of the threshold.

End value

Accept the highest value on the chart, MAX Use default, or deselect the check box and enter the upper boundary of the threshold.

Fill Style

Select the Pattern and Color to use to highlight the threshold. Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.

Advanced Options

Click this button to open the Chart Thresholds - Advanced options window, where you can configure additional options for how the threshold is displayed:

Select Visible in legend to include a color indicator and the threshold definition name in the legend.

Select Included in data bounds to confine the threshold display within the data boundary. This field might not change the chart display if the threshold is obscured by data points.

In the Boundary Lines area, you can specify that you want to draw lines on the chart marking the start and end values of the threshold, and configure the Pattern, Width, and Color of the boundary lines.

Chart Markers

A marker is a colored or patterned line drawn across the chart at a defined value along the value or category axis. You can use a marker to highlight a particular value for emphasis. Chart markers are available for the bar chart, plot chart, and area chart views.

Defined

The list shows the markers that are currently defined for the chart. To create a new marker, click Create New and specify the name for the new marker when prompted. You can then define the properties of the marker. You can also rename or delete a marker from the list.

Marker

The fields in the Marker area of the Chart Markers tab define value highlighted by the selected marker, as well as the style of highlighting to use:

• Click Show Marker to display the marker on the chart. You can hide a defined marker by deselecting this check box.
• In the Associated with field, select either the value axis or the category axis.
• In the Value fields, specify the value highlighted by the marker, or select Use default. The default value is the lowest value on the chart.
• In the Line Style area, select the pattern, width, and color to use for the marker. Click Custom Color to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own. See Custom Color.

Advanced Options

Click Advanced Options to open the Chart Markers - Advanced options window, where you can configure additional options for how the marker is displayed:

• Select Visible in legend to identify the marker by name in the legend for the chart.
• Select Included in data bounds to scale the chart so the marker is shown, even if it is not within the charted data values.
• Select Drawn before data to draw the marker first, so it is displayed behind the charted data. (By default, the marker is displayed in front of the data.)
• In the Chart label area, you can specify a textual label for the marker that is displayed within the chart.

Scale

These options are available for circular gauge and linear gauge charts.

Type and Orientation

Change the Type of a circular gauge chart to determine whether the gauge be rendered as a quarter, half, or full circle, and which direction the gauge will be oriented in. Change the Orientation of a linear gauge chart to determine whether the gauge will be rendered horizontally or vertically.

Color

Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own. See Custom Color.

Center

These options are available for circular gauge charts.

Show Center

Click Show Center to display the center of the gauge. You can hide the center by deselecting this check box.

Color

Select the color to use for the center. Click Custom Color to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own. See Custom Color.

Needle

These options are available for circular gauge and linear gauge charts.

Style

Change the Style of the needle to determine the shape of the needle on the rendered gauge. The available options are arrow, pointer, rectangle, tailed arrow, tailed pointer, and triangle. The default type is line.

Length

Change the Length of the needle to determine its span across the rendered gauge. This is displayed as a sliding scale.

Width

Change the Width of the needle to determine its width on the rendered gauge. This is displayed as a sliding scale.

Color

Select the color to use for the needle. Click Custom Color to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own. See Custom Color.

Tick

These options are available for circular gauge and linear gauge charts.

Type

Change the Type of the tick marks to determine their shape on the rendered gauge. The available options are circle, line, rectangle, reverse triangle, and triangle. The default type is line.

Tick Mark Color

Select the color to use for the tick marks. Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.

Label

You can click Show Tick Labels to turn off the range number that is displayed next to the tick mark. You can also select the color to use for the labels. Click Custom Color to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own. See Custom Color.

Range

These options are available for circular gauge and linear gauge charts.

Attribute

Select the attribute to which the specified range applies. If you chose multiple attributes for the view, you can select another attribute from the list.

Range Values (Minimum Value and Maximum Value)

Minimum Value shows the default lowest possible value for the selected attribute. You can edit the values to reflect a more realistic range, if needed. Select Use Default to return to the original values. Maximum Value shows the default highest possible value for the selected attribute. Specify a more realistic range, to decrease the data points in the gauge. Select Use Default to return to the original values.

Edit Subranges

You can add subranges for the range specified by clicking Edit Subranges... and defining a subrange by following the same procedure used to define the range.

Apply to all views that use this attribute

Apply to all views that use this attribute lets you apply this range, if appropriate, to this attribute on all other managed systems. The range is used only for gauge views of this attribute.