Managing the Graph Legend in OnePager Charts for Version 8.0

Introduction to Graph Legend Properties Controls

Illustrations used in this article are from OnePager Pro Add-in and Standalone using data from Microsoft Project, however, Graphs & Data Cells features, functions, controls, and editing apply equally to all OnePager Add-in and Standalone editions that import from data sources like Microsoft Excel, Smartsheet, Oracle Primavera P6, Planisware Enterprise, Asana, and Wrike. At present Microsoft Planner source plans do not provide time-series data that can be processed and displayed by the Graphs & Data Cells feature of OnePager.

This article and the articles linked from here describe OnePager’s Graphs & Data Cells feature which provides you with the capabilities to show graphs of time-series data (e.g., Cost data) in graphic forms along with your Gantt/Timeline Charts. Additionally, the Graphs & Data Cells feature also provides you with the ability to show time-series data (e.g., Cost data) imported from your source plan in tabular forms.

This article describes the controls in the Graph Elements control group of the Chart Properties form’s Graphs & Data Cells tab for managing and editing a Graph’s Legend in Graph mode as shown below:

The Graph Elements control group shown above for the Chart Properties form has four controls that are applied to each Panel and Series within Panels. The four controls are enabled by checking the corresponding control checkbox ON or disabled by clicking the corresponding checkbox OFF. By default, three of the controls Graph Elements control group checkboxes are checked ON where the only exception is the X-Axis Properties checkbox where the default is disabled.

Of interest in this article is the Legend Properties sub-control group highlighted above. This sub-control group provides access to the controls that define, manage, and edit the Graph Legend for the Panel and all the Series that are enabled within the Panel. In order to access the Legend Properties’ controls, it is necessary to check the Legend checkbox ON to the left of the Legend Properties button. Once checked ON, the Legend Properties button is enabled and when clicked accesses the Panel’s Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n form shown below:

The Graph Legend Properties – Panel #1 form supports the Legend items for all Series in the Panel. The form has four controls groups with control options to manage and edit the Panel’s Legend’s (1) Size, (2) Border, (3) Title, and (4) Legend Item Font properties. These controls are discussed in detail in sections which follow.

Positioning the Graph Legend in the Graph Area for the Panel

When enabled for a Panel, the Graph Legend is automatically positioned in the center of the Y-Axis components of Title and Tic-labels when there is at least one swimlane defined for the Chart. This typical configuration is shown below:

The Graph Legend can be dragged and dropped anywhere within the Chart area or the Graph area. This topic is discussed later.

Adding Text Columns to the Chart does not necessarily change the position of the Graph Legend as shown in the illustration below where two Text Columns (Left#1 and Left#2) are added to the Chart:

Graph Legend Position in the Graph Area with Multiple Panels

Adding a Panel in the Graph area with the Legend Properties enabled for that Panel places its Graph Legend in its Graph area as shown below for a two Panel set:

A special case exists when the Chart has no Swimlanes or Text Columns. In this case, the Graph Legend is placed in the upper left corner of the Panel. See the sub-section at the link below for more information:

Graph Legends for Charts Without Swimlane Labels and/or Text Column Headers

The Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n form has four control groups where the first provides controls for the size of the Graph Legend. The second control group supports the properties of the Graph Legend’s Border for the Panel. The third control group has the controls for establishing the Panel’s Graph Legend Title properties. The last control group sets the Font properties for the Graph Legend Items. These four control groups are discussed individually in the sub-sections below.

Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n Form – Graph Legend Size Control Group

The Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n form’s Graph Legend Size control group has two controls for the Width and the Height of the Graph Legend rectangle. At the top of the control group you have the option to let OnePager determine the size of the Panel’s Legend by checking the Use automatic size checkbox ON. The default option is for the Use automatic size checkbox is initially checked ON thus allowing OnePager to initially set the Width and Height of the Panel’s Legend based on the properties of the Panel’s Legend Title and Panel’s Legend Items.

As is discussed in a sub-section below, you have the option to select the Panel’s Graph Legend with a mouse left or right-click and use the eight (8) grab points to manually adjust the Width and Height of the Panel’s Graph Legend. When you do so, OnePager unchecks the Use automatic size checkbox to OFF and places the results of the manual resizing in the Width and Height Windows as below:

The update to the Graph Legend Properties – Panel #1 form is shown in the three steps above. First, the Graph Legend for Panel #1 is manually selected and the grab points are used to increase its Width and Height (Step 1). Next, after the Graph Legend Properties – Panel #1 form is accessed using the Chart Properties form, it can be seen that the Use automatic size checkbox is checked OFF (Step 2) and the new Width and Height values are inserted in the associated windows (Step 3).

Although making manual changes to the Width and Height of a Graph’s Legend mavericks that Graph’s Legend, the change is NOT snapshot dependent. That is, the change made in any snapshot to a Graph Legend in any Panel is maintained in all snapshots.

Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n Form – Graph Legend Border Control Group

The Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n form’s Graph Legend Border control group has four controls as shown below. The default setting for the Hide legend border checkbox is checked OFF so that the first appearance of the Graph Legend in the Graph area contains the default border settings for visibility purposes. Checking the Hide legend border checkbox to ON hides the Graph Legend borders and OnePager displays the Graph Legend Title, if any and the Graph Legend items for the Panel and any of the enabled Series.

A typical Graph Legend Properties – Panel #1 form is shown below:

When these settings are applied, the Chart area and the Graph area looks like this:

The three controls in the Graph Legend Borders control group for Color, Width, and Dash are disabled when the Hide legend border checkbox is checked ON as shown below:

When the Hide legend border checkbox is checked ON the Chart area and the Graph area look like this:

With the Graph Legend’s borders hidden the Graph Legend is still selectable with the mouse cursor. Its position can be moved with the mouse left-click and its dimensions can be adjusted as shown below:

With the Graph Legend’s borders unhidden and the three control group controls enabled, clicking on the Color dropdown arrow accesses the standard OnePager Color Chooser form that can be used to edit the color of the Graph Legend border as shown here:

The Width control can be used to increase the width of the Graph Legend border for emphasis. However, it is not recommended to make that width too large as the space for the Graph Legend may be limited.

There are five (5) Dash types available for enhancing the look of the Graph Legend’s border as shown below:

An enhanced Graph Legend with a colored border, a width of 2.0, and Dash-dot-dot dash type looks something like this:

As a note, it is recommended that when you want to display the Graph Legend in the Graph area that you configure the Chart to also display at least one Swimlane or Text Column to provide space to the left of the Panel’s Y-Axis components for that Graph Legend. With no Swimlanes or Text Columns, OnePager places the Graph Legend at the upper left corner of the Panel.

Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n Form – Graph Legend Title Control Group

The Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n form’s Graph Legend Title control group has three controls as shown below. The default setting for the Show title checkbox is checked OFF so that the first appearance of the Graph Legend in the Panel’s Graph Area does not display a Graph Legend Title. Accordingly, the other two controls in the control group are disabled. Checking the Show title checkbox to ON will enable the Title Text and Title Font controls in the control group.

A default Graph Legend Properties – Panel #1 form is shown below:

Checking the Show title checkbox ON in the Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n form enables the Title Text and the Title Font controls as shown previously in illustrations of the form above. Once enabled, you can type your Graph Legend Title into the Title Text window and use the standard OnePager Font properties form to edit that text as shown below:

Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n Form – Graph Legend Items Control Group

The bottom control group in the Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n form is the Graph Legend Items control group which has one control for managing and editing the Legend Items in the Graph Legend itself as shown here:

When the above edits are applied to the Chart and the Panel’s Graph Area the Chart area looks like this:

Graph Legend Manipulation with the Mouse Cursor

Selecting the Panel’s Graph Legend

Each Panel can have a Graph Legend and the Graph Legend may have a Graph Item for each of the Series enabled in the Panel. With the Panel’s Graph Legend displayed it is possible to select the Graph Legend by simply left-clicking the mouse cursor button when it is positioned within the Panel’s Graph Legend as shown below:

Repositioning the Panel’s Graph Legend

Once the Panel’s Graph Legend is selected, holding down the mouse left-click button allows you to move the selected Graph Legend to any new position in the Graph area or Chart area as illustrated below:

When you release the mouse left-click button, OnePager repositions the Panel’s Graph Legend to the new location as shown below:

Resizing the Panel’s Graph Legend

Regardless of the position of the Panel’s Graph Legend, once the Graph Legend is selected, OnePager provides eight (8) grab points that can be used to resize the Graph Legend in any of the eight positions available. With the eight grab points available for use, place the mouse cursor over the grab point and when the cursor shape changes to a double-arrow click the left-click button which changes the mouse cursor to a plus-sign and now you can move the mouse cursor in the directions provided by the grab point being used. This is illustrated below where the bottom center grab point is used to increase the vertical size of the Panel’s Graph Legend:

Moving the mouse cursor away from the resized Panel’s Graph Legend and clicking anywhere in empty space de-selects the Graph Legend and the results of the resizing action look like this:

Repositioning Graph Legends When There Are Multiple Panels

Graph Legends are not specifically identified by OnePager after they are defined in the Panel. Therefore, moving multiple Graph Panels around the Chart should be done with care to maintain the association between the Panel Graph area and its Graph Legend. Our suggestion is to match the color of the Graph with the color of the Graph Items in the Panel’s Graph Legend. The illustration below is an example:

Graph Legends for Vertically Pivoted Graphs

Graph Legends are supported for Vertically Pivoted graphs where the Graph Items are each of the Pivot values and the color associated with each. This is demonstrated below for a Vertically Pivoted Area Graph Pivoted on the basis of the imported Resource Names field:

The green Graph Legend Items were retained from the previous example.

Similar Graph Legends are available for Column, Smooth Line, and Smooth Area Graphs.

Graph Legends for Horizontally Pivoted Column Graphs

Only Column Graphs can be Horizontally Pivoted. The Graph Legend for a sample Horizontally Pivoted Column graph using the imported Resource Names field is shown below:

The green Graph Legend Items were retained from the previous example.

Graph Legends for Charts Without Swimlane Labels and/or Text Column Headers

In the illustrations above, the Graph Legend is positioned in the Graph area accompanied with Swimlane Labels and Text Column Headers. When Swimlane Labels and Text Column Headers are not present in the Chart, the Graph Legend is positioned in the upper left corner the Panel as shown below:

Note in the above illustration that the Graph Legend is present in the Graph area but the Y-Axis is not shown since the Y-Axis occupies the space in the Chart reserved for Swimlane Labels and/or Text Column Headers. This condition can be overcome by adding a Left Text Column or a Swimlane that is configured without a Text Column Header or a Swimlane Label using the Chart Properties form’s Rows/Swimlanes as shown below:

When the two “[No select]” options are applied to the Chart, the Chart and the Graph area is updated to look like this:

After adding the Swimlane Label and Text Column Header to the Chart, you have the capability to select the Graph Legend and relocate it to the Graph area to the left of the Y-Axis as shown here:

You can always add specific Swimlanes and Text Columns to the Chart and the Graph Legend remains in the position it was previously moved as shown below:

Recommendation: Graph areas with Panels and Series that require the display of Y-Axis Tic-units and Graph Legends should be accompanied with a minimum of one Text Column or one Swimlane.

Graph Legends Properties Edited with Conditional Formatting Rules

Graph Legend properties such as Color and Legend Item Text, for example, can be edited when you have access to the Graph “Vertical” or “Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #n, Series x form. When you have such access, you can edit these Conditional Formatting Rule Grid cells and the edits are applied to the Graph and the Graph Legend in your Chart.

For more information on Conditional Formatting Rules for Vertically or Horizontally Pivoted Graphs, please see the article provided in the table below:

Conditional Formatting Rules for Horizontal & Vertical Pivoted Graphs

Summary

The Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n form is associated with each of the three Graph Panels available in the Graphs & Data Cells tab of the Template Properties and Chart Properties form. It is accessed at the Graph/Data Cells tab’s Graph Elements control group. When accessed, the Graph Legend Properties – Panel #n form provides controls for defining and editing all components of a Panel’s Graph Legend. Graph Legends are provided for all Graphs. These settings are snapshot independent.

Creating & Editing Graphs & Data Cells in OnePager Charts	Creating & Editing Graphs In OnePager Charts
Creating & Editing Data Cells In OnePager Charts	Creating & Editing Pivoted Graphs in OnePager Charts
Combining Horizontally Pivoted Column Graphs in Panels and Series in OnePager Charts	Combining Vertically Pivoted Graphs in Panels and Series in OnePager Charts
Managing Panels and Series for Graphs & Data Cells in OnePager Charts	Using Template Properties Forms to Create Graphs & Data Cells in OnePager Charts
Selecting Fields for Graphs & Data Cells in OnePager	Using the Skip Zeros Checkbox in Graphs & Data Cells
Using the Cumulative Checkbox in Graphs & Data Cells in OnePager	Selecting Interpolation Options for Graphs & Data Cells
Selecting Include Options for Graphs & Data Cells in OnePager	Selecting Graph Type Options for Graphs in OnePager
Selecting Series Style Options for Graphs in OnePager	Using Pivot Properties Controls for Graphs
Using Combine Series Controls for Graphs in OnePager	Managing Graph Elements for Graphs
Managing the Graph Y-Axis in OnePager	Managing the Graph X-Axis in OnePager
Managing Graph Border Properties in OnePager	Managing Formatting for Data Cells
Managing Data Cell Label and Data Cell Formatting in OnePager	Managing Number Formats for Data Cells in OnePager
Snapshot-Dependent Graphs & Data Cells

Conditional Formatting Rules for Horizontal & Vertical Pivoted Graphs	Using Hover Boxes in the Chart & Graphs
Graphs & Data Cells Tab	Using Presentation Mode with OnePager
Gallery of Graphs and Pivot Options