API Information: Chart Styles

Developers can control the chart style programmatically with the Style Intelligence API. This makes the BI platform well-suited for developers to embed into other applications, on-premise or cloud-based. All new customers get mentoring assistance for free to speed up their project delivery.

 

Z-Index Defaults

The GraphForm.setZIndex(value) property of a form object determines whether the object lies above or below other chart objects. When an object has a higher zIndex than a second object, the first object will partially or fully occlude the second object.

The table below provides the default zIndex settings for common chart objects.

Object	Default zIndex
Coordinate border	20
Grid line	30
Axis	40
Axis border	50
Visual object	60
Grid line on top of Object	70
Form object	80
Facet gridline	90
Text	100

The following Chart Object style constants are available for the singleStyle and separatedStyle chart properties within report onLoad Handler script.

Chart Style	Description
CHART_AUTO	Automatic style selection
CHART_PARETO	Pareto chart.
CHART_LINE	Line chart
CHART_LINE_STACK	Stacked line chart
CHART_POINT	Point chart
CHART_BAR	2D bar chart
CHART_BAR_STACK	Stacked bar chart
CHART_PIE	2D pie chart
CHART_3D_BAR	3D bar chart
CHART_3D_BAR_STACK	3D stacked bar chart
CHART_3D_PIE	3D pie chart
CHART_STOCK	High-low-closing chart
CHART_AREA	Area chart
CHART_AREA_STACK	Stacked area chart
CHART_RADAR	Radar chart
CHART_FILL_RADAR	Filled radar chart
CHART_CANDLE	Candle chart
CHART_WATERFALL	Waterfall chart

Line Styles

The Chart Object line style constants below can be used in all chart properties requiring line styles, such as axis grid lines, target lines, etc.

Line Style	Description
NONE	No line
ULTRA_THIN_LINE	Very thin line at ¼ of a point width
THIN_THIN_LINE	Very thin line at ½ of a point width
THIN_LINE	Thin line at one point width
MEDIUM_LINE	Medium width line
THICK_LINE	Thick width line
DOT_LINE	Dotted line
DASH_LINE	Dash line
MEDIUM_DASH	Medium size dash line
LARGE_DASH	Large size dash line

Summarization Formulas

The Chart Object summarization formulas below are available for chart scripting. See Summarization Formulas in the Report Designer for a description of the methods.

NONE	NTHMOSTFREQUENT
AVERAGE	NTHSMALLEST
CONCAT	POPULATIONSTANDARDDEVIATION
CORRELATION	POPULATIONVARIANCE
COUNT	PRODUCT
COVARIANCE	PTHPERCENTILE
DISTINCTCOUNT	STANDARDDEVIATION
MAX	SUMSQ
MEDIAN	SUMWT
MIN	SUM
MODE	VARIANCE
NTHLARGEST	WEIGHTEDAVERAGE

Legend Positions

The following legend positions are available for EGraph.setLegendLayout(value).

Line Style	Description
NONE	No legend
BOTTOM	Below X-axis title, aligned left
TOP	Above graph, aligned left
LEFT	To left of Y-axis title, aligned top
RIGHT	To right of graph, aligned top (default)
IN_PLACE	Superimposed on graph

What Chart Styles Are Popular Now?

Chart styles have evolved to emphasize clarity, accessibility, and engagement. Here are some popular chart styles currently trending:

1. Minimalist Design

• Characteristics: Clean, simple lines, minimal colors, and no unnecessary embellishments.
• Why It's Popular: Focuses on delivering data without distraction, making it easier to interpret information quickly.
• Common Usage: Line charts, bar charts, and scatter plots.

2. Bold Colors and Gradients

• Characteristics: Use of vibrant colors, often with gradients to add depth.
• Why It's Popular: Captures attention and makes charts visually appealing while still being functional.
• Common Usage: Heatmaps, area charts, and stacked bar charts.

3. Dark Mode

• Characteristics: Charts designed with dark backgrounds and light text and data points.
• Why It's Popular: Reduces eye strain, especially for digital interfaces, and looks modern and sleek.
• Common Usage: Any chart type, particularly for dashboards and mobile apps.

4. Data Storytelling with Annotations

• Characteristics: Incorporating text annotations, highlights, and callouts directly on charts to guide the viewer through the data.
• Why It's Popular: Helps to convey a narrative, making the data more relatable and understandable.
• Common Usage: Line charts, bar charts, and infographics.

5. 3D and Isometric Charts

• Characteristics: Adding a third dimension or isometric view to traditional 2D charts.
• Why It's Popular: Adds visual interest and can help to illustrate relationships in the data.
• Common Usage: Bar charts, pie charts, and geographical maps.

6. Interactive Charts

• Characteristics: Charts that allow users to interact by hovering, clicking, or zooming to explore the data in more depth.
• Why It's Popular: Enhances user engagement and allows for more detailed data exploration without overwhelming the initial view.
• Common Usage: Dashboards, web-based reports, and data journalism.

7. Infographic-Style Charts

• Characteristics: Combines traditional charts with visual elements like icons, illustrations, and custom fonts.
• Why It's Popular: Makes data more digestible and engaging, often used to tell a story or summarize complex information.
• Common Usage: Marketing reports, social media, and presentations.

8. Geospatial and Map-Based Charts

• Characteristics: Data visualizations that map data onto geographical locations, often with heatmaps or bubble overlays.
• Why It's Popular: Effective for displaying location-based data and trends, especially relevant in global analyses.
• Common Usage: Choropleth maps, bubble maps, and cartograms.

9. Dynamic and Animated Charts

• Characteristics: Charts that change over time or animate to show trends, often used in video or digital media.
• Why It's Popular: Adds movement to static data, helping to illustrate changes and trends in a more dynamic way.
• Common Usage: Time-series data, financial reports, and social media.

10. Data Art and Aesthetic Visualizations

• Characteristics: Charts that are as much about art as they are about data, using creative visuals to represent information.
• Why It's Popular: Merges data with design, often used in more creative industries or for public displays.
• Common Usage: Large-scale data sets, public installations, and experimental projects.

11. Custom and Branded Charts

• Characteristics: Tailored to fit a specific brand's color scheme, typography, and visual identity.
• Why It's Popular: Strengthens brand consistency and makes data presentations feel cohesive and on-brand.
• Common Usage: Corporate presentations, marketing collateral, and annual reports.

12. Small Multiples

• Characteristics: Multiple small charts of the same type, showing different facets of the same data set.
• Why It's Popular: Allows for comparison across categories or time periods without overwhelming the viewer.
• Common Usage: Line charts, bar charts, and maps.

Next: Create a Web Chart