Using Combine Series Controls for Graphs in OnePager for Version 8.0

Introduction

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 other 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 Project for the Web (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 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 the capability to show time-series data (e.g., cost data) imported from your source plan in tabular forms.

The purpose of this article is to introduce the Combine Series control provided in the Template Properties and Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab’s Data Source(s) control group. The Combine Series controls are enabled when two or more Series in a Graph mode Panel are themselves enabled as Column Graphs whereby you have the option to Stack the Column Graphs Vertically or to Splay the Column Graphs Horizontally. The article identifies the Supported and the Un-supported combinations of Series for Column Graphs. Examples are provided.

Overview

The Combine Series control is enabled in the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab when a selected Panel is in the Graph mode and two or more Series in a Panel are configured as Column Graphs. When this configuration is present in the Graphs/Data Cells tab for a Panel, OnePager enables the Combine Series sub-control group and you have the option to configure the Column Graphs together as Stacked Vertically or Splayed Horizontally as discussed in the sub-sections that follow.

Following the remaining Overview sub-sections which immediately follows, the rest of this article treats how multiple Column Graphs can be created in Panels Pivoted by a source plan field of your selection.

Combined Series Sub-Control Group Disabled

Below is an illustration of a Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab configured with Panel #1 enabled and Series A configured with an Area Graph and Series B configured with a Column Graph. The illustration below shows that the Combine Series sub-control group is disabled.

Chart Properties Form’s Graphs/Data Cells Tab – Combined Series Disabled

When the Chart Properties form is applied to the Chart, the Charts and Graph area that are created from each Series looks like this:

Chart and Graph Area with Series A – Area Graph and Series B – Column Graph

In the illustration above both the Panel # - Series A and B Graphs are visible. Some care should be taken to assure that when multiple Series are constructed in a Panel that the multiple Series result in proper visibility in the resulting Chart’s Graph area.

Where a Panel contains, say, all three available Series, A, B, and C, OnePager renders Series A in front, Series B in the middle, and Series C in the back of the Panel as viewed on your screen or in a subsequent document. Given this convention, as mentioned above, it is important for you to make sure that all Series are visible in the Panel.

Combined Series Sub-Control Group Enabled – Stacked Vertically

Below is another illustration of a Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab configured with Panel #1 enabled and Series A configured with an Column Graph and Series B configured with a Column Graph. The illustration below shows that the Combine Series sub-control group is enabled and the Stacked Vertically radio button set ON.

Chart Properties Form’s Graphs/Data Cells Tab – Combined Series Enabled – Stacked Vertically

When the Chart Properties form is applied to the Chart, the Charts and Graph area that are created from each Series looks like this

Chart and Graph Area with Series A – Column Graph and Series B – Column Graph - Stacked Vertically

In the illustration above both the Panel # - Series A and B Graphs are visible. Some care should be taken to assure that when multiple Series are constructed in a Panel that the multiple Series result in proper visibility in the resulting Chart’s Graph area. If the lack of visibility becomes an issue which is possible in the above illustration, the Combined Series option should be changed from Stacked Vertically to Splayed Horizontally which is covered in the following sub-section.

Combined Series Sub-Control Group Enabled – Splayed Horizontally

Continuing with another illustration of a Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab configured with Panel #1 enabled and Series A configured with an Column Graph and Series B configured with a Column Graph. The illustration below shows that the Combine Series sub-control group is enabled and the Splayed Horizontally radio button set ON.

Chart Properties Form’s Graphs/Data Cells Tab – Combined Series Enabled – Splayed Horizontally

When the Chart Properties form is applied to the Chart, the Charts and Graph area that are created from each Series looks like this

Chart and Graph Area with Series A – Column Graph and Series B – Column Graph - Stacked Horizontally

The illustrations above are provided as examples of how the Combine Series controls are available for use when two or more Series in a Panel have Column Graph types configured in the Panel. Given that the examples provided above illustrate Column Graphs in two Series that are NOT Pivoted, the remainder of this article provides of supported and none supported configurations of Column Graphs that are Pivoted.

Supported Multiple Pivoted Column Graph Combinations

OnePager supports Vertically and Horizontally Pivoted Graphs for the Graph Types shown in the table below:

The focus in this article is on Column Graphs.

Basic Rule for Multiple Pivoted Column Graphs in a Panel

As the first row in the table shown above states, Column Graphs can be Pivoted Vertically and Horizontally. However, in Panels with Multiple Column Graphs, that is where there are two or more Series with Column Graph types selected, all Series must be Pivoted the same way – EITHER Vertically OR Horizontally.

OnePager does, however, provide a warning message if the Basic Rule of Pivoting Multiple Column Graphs is NOT met. This is demonstrated in a subsequent sub-section that follows.

Setting Up Two Vertically Pivoted Column Graphs

Before addressing how to configure multiple Column Graphs using the Combine Series sub-control group, it might be best to first go through the steps to set up the two Column Graph Series as Vertically Pivoted first. The steps to follow are to first configure the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab which is done in the illustration below:

Series A and Series B have Colum Graph types selected which enables the Combine Series sub-control group and sets the Stack Vertically option as the default.

The next step is to access the Graph Vertical Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A form by clicking the Pivot Series A button which accesses the form shown in the illustration below:

Once the form shown above is accessed, click on the Pivot vertically with field checkbox to check it ON. This action enables you to access the associated dropdown where you can select the Vertically Pivoting source plan field, which for this illustration, is the Resource Names field. Once this selection is made, OnePager updates the Graph Vertical Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A form by adding the necessary Conditional Formatting Rules into the grid to support the Series A Vertical Pivoting operation. The updated form is shown here:

The same procedure is repeated for Panel #1, Series B for the Actual Cost field to set up the Vertically Pivoting by Resource Names for the Actual Cost field.

Multiply Pivoted Column Graphs – Vertically Pivoted

When both Series A and B are set up with their Vertical Pivoting Conditional Formatting Rules, you are ready to apply this setup to the Chart and create the Graph area by clicking the OK or Apply buttons on the Chart Properties form. When this is done, the Chart and its Graph area look like this:

The Chart’s Graph area is a bit enhanced after its creation with the addition of label items for the Panel #1 Legend and Y-Axis. The Panel #1 Legend contains both Legend Items for both Series A and B.

In the illustration above both the Panel # - Series A and B Graphs are visible. Some care should be taken to assure that when multiple Series are constructed in a Panel that the multiple Series result in proper visibility in the resulting Chart’s Graph area. In the case above, it is recommended that the Color Palettes selected be significantly different between Series A and B in the Panel.

For more detailed information on the use and management of Color Palettes, please see the link in the table below:

Creating and Saving Color Palettes

As an alternative, if the lack of visibility in the illustration above cannot be adequately remedied by changing Color Palettes perhaps the Combined Series option should be changed from Stacked Vertically to Splayed Horizontally which is covered in the following sub-section.

Setting Up Two Horizontally Pivoted Column Graphs

The setup for Horizontally Pivoting two Series in a Panel of Column Graphs starts the same way as in the previous setup above for the Chart Properties form. The difference is that when the Pivot Series A or Pivot Series B buttons are clicked and the Graph Vertical Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A or B form is opened, the Horizontal tab is clicked. This action does two things: (1) It changes the name of the form to the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A or B form and (2) the checkbox is renames to Pivot horizontally with field as shown here:

To proceed, check the Pivot horizontally with field checkbox ON which enables the dropdown window and select the Horizontal Pivot field from the dropdown list. Using the dropdown list select Resource Names from the list. When this is done, OnePager automatically updates the form’s grid with the Conditional Formatting Rules that are used to create the Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph in the Graph Area. The updated form is shown here:

The same procedure is repeated for Panel #1, Series B for the Actual Cost field to set up the Horizontal Pivoting by Resource Names for the Actual Cost field.

Multiply Pivoted Column Graphs – Horizontally Pivoted

One more control setting is required for multiple Column Graphs that are Pivoted Horizontally: the Combined Series, which is enabled, must be set to Splay Horizontally in order to adhere to the Basic Rule discussed above. When the Combined Series sub-control group is set to Splay Horizontally and the OK or Apply button is clicked on the Chart Properties form, the Chart and its Graph area appear as shown below:

The illustration above is highlighted to show the two sets of Horizontally Pivoted Cost and Actual Costs representations for Panel #1, Series A and Series B. For the left-most Quarter, Series A is highlighted in Red and Series B is highlighted in Blue. Since the importation of Cost and Actual Cost data was controlled by the Include control in the Graphs/Data Cells tab which was set to All tasks, each Resource Names value is included in the X-Axis configuration in the above illustration.

A Note is appropriate on the Graph Legend for Panel #1. In the example given in this sub-section, both Series A and Series B are Horizontally Pivoted by the same source plan field (i.e., Resource Names). OnePager recognizes this and prepares a Graph Legend for the Panel that conserves space and attempts to remove redundancies. If, however, an update is made to the Chart and the Graph area such that Series A is Horizontally Pivoted by Resource Names and Series B is Pivoted by Phases (i.e., Level 1 summary name), the updated Chart and Graph Area with an updated Graph Legend looks like this:

As a further Note, the Chart and Graph area shown in the illustration above was enhanced using the Y-Axis, X-Axis, and Graph Legend controls found in the Graph Elements control group of the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab.

For more information on the use of the controls in the Graph Elements control group, please see the articles listed in the table below:

Managing Graph Elements for Graphs
Managing the Graph Y-Axis in OnePager
Managing the Graph X-Axis in OnePager
Managing the Graph Legend in OnePager Charts
Managing Graph Border Properties in OnePager

Unsupported Multiple Pivoted Column Graph Combinations

The previous sub-section covering Horizontal Pivoting of Multiple Column Graphs made specific mention that specifically Multiple Column Graph configurations must be Splayed Horizontally in the Graph area. Therefore, Stacking Vertically is not supported by OnePager because of the obvious conflict in direction given to OnePager. However, OnePager does provide a warning message should a Multiple Column Graph configuration that is Horizontally Pivoted by either the same or different Horizontal Pivoting source plan fields be attempted to be Stacked Vertically.

To illustrate the un-supported combination, suppose an attempt is made to prepare a Multiple Column Graph – Horizontally Pivoted by two different source plan fields where the specifications are shown in the illustrations which follow:

Setup for First Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph in Panel #1, Series A

Setup for Panel #1, Series A

Above, the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A form is set up to Horizontally Pivot Series A by Resource Names.

Setup for Second Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph in Panel #1, Series B

Setup for Panel #1, Series B

Above, the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #1, Series B form is set up to Horizontally Pivot Series B by Phases (Level 1 summary names).

Selecting the Supported Combine Series Option

When the OK button on the above Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #1, Series B form is clicked, the form is closed and the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab looks like this:

After the above setup steps, you can click the OK or Apply button on the above Chart Properties form and OnePager creates the supported Multiple Column Graph Pivoted by the two source plan fields selected for Panel #1, Series A and Series B and the presentation in the Graph area is shown as Splayed Horizontally as directed by the supported option selected in the Combine Series sub-control group.

However, should the Stack Vertically radio button in the Combine Series sub-control group be clicked, OnePager recognizes this as an un-supported option and displays the warning message shown in the illustration below:

The illustration below is a closer view of the Warning Message shown in the above illustration:

The Warning Message suggests two alternative methods to proceed forward with the creation of the Multiple Pivoted Column Graph:

1) Change the Combine Series setting to Splay Horizontally by clicking the Splay Horizontally radio button.

2) Go back to the two Pivot Series A and B related forms and change the configuration of the Pivot from Horizontal to Vertical.

Either of the two options suggested above results in a proper Multiple Column Graph configuration.

Ignoring the Warning Message and proceeding forward by clicking the Chart Properties form’s OK or Apply button, however, may produce undesired results in the Graph area for the Panel such as result in the Graph area shown in the illustration below where the Warning Message was ignored:

Given that OnePager is being asked to construct a Panel #1 Graph Area where the Series enabled are set up for Horizontal Pivoting but the Combine Series option is set for Stacked Vertically, OnePager does its best to render a Graph area.

Summary

This article covers the Combine Series controls in the Template Properties and Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab in Graph mode. The Combine Series controls are enabled when two or more Series in a Graph mode Panel are themselves enabled as Column Graphs whereby you have the option to Stack the Column Graphs Vertically or to Splay the Column Graphs Horizontally. The article identifies the Supported and the Un-supported combinations of Series for Column Graphs. Examples are provided.

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
Managing Graph Elements for Graphs	Managing the Graph Y-Axis in OnePager
Managing the Graph X-Axis in OnePager	Managing the Graph Legend in OnePager Charts
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
Creating and Saving Color Palettes	Gallery of Graphs and Pivot Options