Configuring Spark Column Chart

FusionCharts Suite XT allows you to customize several cosmetic and functional properties for the spark column chart.

In this section, you will be shown how you can:

  • Configure period blocks

  • Configure the high and low columns

  • Add trend-lines/trend-zones

  • Configure hover effects

Configuring Period Blocks for the Chart

You can show period blocks on the chart using colored bands. This helps you easily interpret periods on the chart.

A spark column chart rendered with a period block of three months looks like this:

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Given below is a brief description of the attributes used to configure a period block:

Attribute Name Description
periodLength It is used to specify the number of data points that a period block will encapsulate. For our example, we will set this value to 3.
periodColor It is used to specify the hex code of the color that will be used to render the period block, e.g. #555555.
periodAlpha It is used to specify the transparency of the period block. This attribute takes values between 0 (transparent) and 100 (opaque), e.g. 60.

The data structure needed to configure a period block is given below:

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Configuring the High and Low Columns

By default, the spark column chart highlights, using a default color, the highest and lowest data plots and also shows their value. You can, however, configure the colors for the highest and lowest columns based on your requirement.

A spark column chart with the color of the high and low columns configured looks like this:

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Given below is a brief description of the attributes used to configure the high and low columns:

Attribute Name Description
highColor It is used to specify the hex code for the fill color for the column having the highest value, e.g. #D3CEBA
lowColor It is used to specify the hex code for the fill color for the column having the lowest value, e.g. #2222AA.

The data structure needed to configure the colors for the high and low columns is given below:

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Adding Trend-lines/Trend-zones

Adding Trend-lines

A spark column chart rendered with a trend-line looks like this:

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Given below is a brief description of the attributes used to render a trend-line:

Attribute Name Description
startvalue It is used to specify the starting value for the trend-line. For example, if you want to plot a slanted trend-line from value 102 to 109, the starting value will be 102.
endValue It is used to specify the ending value for the trend-line. For example, if you want to plot a slanted trend-line from value 102 to 109, the ending value will be 109.

The data structure needed to render a trend-line is given below:

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Customizing Trend-lines

A spark column chart with the cosmetic properties of trend-lines configured looks like this:

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Given below is a brief description of the attributes used to configure trend-line cosmetics:

Attribute Name Description
color It is used to specify the hex code of the color that will be used to render the trend-line and its associated text, e.g. #AB3456.
thickness It is used to specify the thickness of the trend-line, e.g. 5.
dashed It is used to specify whether the trend-line will be rendered as a dashed line. Setting this attribute to 1 will render the trend-line as a dashed line, setting it to 0 (default) will render it as a whole line.
dashLen It is used to specify the length of each dash, if the trend-line is rendered as a dashed line, e.g. 5.
dashGap It is used to specify the gap between each dash, if the trend-line is rendered as a dashed line, e, g. 2.
alpha It is used to specify the transparency of the trend-line. this attribute takes values between 0 (transparent) and 100 (opaque), e.g. 50.

The data structure needed to customize a trend-line is given below:

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Adding Trend-zones

A spark column chart rendered with a trend-zone looks like this:

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Given below is a brief description of the attributes used to render a trend-zone:

Attribute Name Description
isTrendZone It is used to specify whether the chart will be rendered with a trend-zone. Setting this attribute to 1 will render a trend-zone, setting it to 0 (default) will render a trend-line.
startvalue It is used to specify the starting value for the trend-zone. For example, if you want to plot a trend-zone from value 102 to 109, the starting value will be 102.
endValue It is used to specify the ending value for the trend-zone. For example, if you want to plot a trend-zone from value 102 to 109, the ending value will be 109.
color It is used to specify the hex code of the color that will be used to render the trend-zone and its associated text, e.g. #543ACD.

The data structure needed to render a trend-zone is given below:

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Configuring Hover Effects for the Chart

Starting FusionCharts Suite XT v3.4, you can use hover effects to improve the visual representation of your gauge.

A spark columnchart configured to enable hover effects looks like this:

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Given below is a brief description of the attributes used to configure the hover effect:

Attribute Name Description
highHoverColor It is used to specify the hex code of the fill color of the highest value column when the mouse pointer is hovered over it, e.g. #b0fdb0.
lowHoverColor It is used to specify the hex code of the fill color of the lowest value column when the mouse pointer is hovered over it, e.g. #b0fdb0.

The data structure needed to configure hover effects is given below:

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There! You have now seen how you can configure the functional and cosmetic properties of a spark column chart.