A gauge chart is a circular chart that indicates the
current position of a single data value within a given spectrum.
A gauge chart is shown in the following image.
You can change the appearance of a gauge chart by using the gauge
chart options found on the Format Gauge dialog box.
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Whether you access gauge options from the ribbon, or
the right-click menu, you are presented with the Format Gauge dialog
box of options for formatting a gauge chart. Such options include
setting and styling a title for the gauge chart, setting tick marks, enabling
and styling color bands, as well as setting advanced options, such
as the gauge start and stop angle.
The Format Gauge dialog box contains the following tabs:
- General Options
- Axis Scale &
Labels
- Tick Marks
- Bands
- Advanced
Use the General Options tab to set general gauge options. The
General Options tab is shown in the following image.
The General Options tab contains the following options:
-
Gauges per row. Enter
or select how many gauges appear on each row. The default setting
displays two gauge charts. A maximum of 32 gauge charts can appear
on each row.
Note: The number of charts displayed per row
can differ, based on the output format selected. For example, HTML
format will display two charts per row, and HTML5 will display four.
-
Background Style. Select
from a drop-down menu a style for the background. The options are:
- Green Bevel (default)
- Grey Bevel
- Gold Bevel
- Grey Bevel 2
- Gold Bevel 2
- Thin Black
- Thin Black 2
- Grey Bevel 3
- Grey
- Blue Bevel
- Grey Flat
- Turquoise Bevel
Gauge Needle
-
Style. Select
a style from a drop-down menu of options to be applied to the gauge
needle. The options are:
- Thin
- Thick
- Normal (default)
- Screwdriver
- Pencil
-
Color. Click
this icon to open the Color dialog box, where you can select a color
for the gauge needle.
Note: If you are working with a gauge
chart with more than one series, then you use the Format Series
dialog box to format the color of the gauge needle and its border.
-
Border Color. Click
this icon to open the Color dialog box, where you can select a color
for the gauge needle border.
Note: If you are working with
a gauge chart with more than one series, then you use the Format
Series dialog box to format the color of the gauge needle and its
border.
Gauge Title
-
Show title. (Default)
Displays a gauge title appear for each gauge. Clear this option
to suppress the title.
-
Position. Select
a position for the gauge title. The options are:
- Above (default)
- Center
- Below
-
Style. Click
this icon to open the Style dialog box, where you can style text.
Gauge value
-
Show value. (Default)
Clear this option to suppress the gauge value.
-
Style. Click
this icon to open the Style dialog box, where you can style text.
Use the Axis Scale & Labels tab to set the axis scale and
label properties for the gauge needle. The Axis Scale & Labels
tab is shown in the following image.
The Axis Scale & Labels tab contains the following options:
Scale
-
Automatic Minimum. (Default)
Sets the engine to automatically supply the minimum value on the
scale. Clear this option to manually set the minimum value by entering
a number into the Value text box.
-
Value. Enter
the minimum value in this text box if you have not selected Automatic
Minimum.
-
Automatic Maximum. (Default)
Sets the engine to automatically supply the maximum value on the
scale. Clear this option to manually set the maximum value by entering
a number into the Value text box.
-
Value. Enter
the maximum value in this text box if you have not selected Automatic
Maximum.
Labels
-
Show Labels. (Default)
Displays labels next to the axis. Clear this option to suppress
labels.
-
Style Labels. Click
this icon to opens the Style dialog box, where you can style text.
-
Format Labels. Select
from a drop-down menu of present formats that can be applied to
the labels. When a custom format is selected, the format must be defined
using a custom format pattern. For a list and description of the
characters that you can use in a custom format, see the table in Formatting Data Labels.
-
Custom Format. Text
field to enter the custom format that you want to use.
The Tick Marks tab contains options to format tick marks on a
gauge chart. The Tick Marks tab is shown in the following image.
The Tick Marks tab contains the following options:
-
Automatic Grid Step. (Default)
Automatically calculates the number of major grid steps in a gauge
chart. Clear this option to manually set the value by entering a
number in the Value text box.
-
Value. Enter
the value in this text box if you have not selected Automatic Grid
Step.
-
Tick Color. Click
this icon to open the Color dialog box, where you can select a color
for the tick marks.
-
Tick Mark Length. Enter
a value for the relative length of major tick marks in a gauge chart.
The valid range is from 0.0 to 0.5. If you set the smallest value, major
tick marks do not appear.
The Bands tab contains options to format the color of the scale
background on a gauge chart. The Bands tab is shown in the following
image.
The Bands tab contains the following
options:
-
Band 1. Opens
a drop-down menu of available bands.
-
Add. Adds
the band selected from the drop-down menu of bands to the gauge
chart. You can create up to five bands for a gauge chart.
-
Remove. Removes
the band selected from the drop-down menu of bands to the gauge
chart.
-
Minimum Value. Enter
a minimum value to a quality band in the gauge chart.
-
Maximum Value. Enter
a maximum value to a quality band in the gauge chart.
-
Border Color. Opens
the Color dialog box, where you can edit the color of the gauge
band border.
Fill
-
No fill. Removes
fill from the quality band.
-
Solid fill. (Default)
Applies a solid color to the quality band.
-
Color. Click
this option to open the Color dialog box, where you can select the
color for the quality band.
-
Transparency. Move
the slider to make the band opaque (0%) or transparent (100%). The
default is 0%.
The Advanced tab contains options to set additional properties
for the gauge needle. It is shown in the following image.
The Advanced tab contains the following options:
-
Descending Axis. Select
this option to draw the gauge scale in descending order. When this
option is cleared (default), the gauge scale is drawn in ascending
order.
-
Show Zero Label. (Default)
Displays the zero label appear on the axis scale. Clear this option
to start the gauge at a another value.
-
Gauge Center by Quality. Select
this option to have the center of the gauge needle appear in the
same the color as the band it is pointing to.
-
Gauge Start Angle. Enter
a value to rotate the gauge start angle to a specified number of
degrees. Values can range from 0 to 359 degrees. The default is 220
degrees.
-
Gauge Stop Angle. Enter
a value to rotate the gauge stop angle to a specified number of
degrees. Values can range from 0 to 359 degrees. The default is 320
degrees. Setting a start angle to 0, and a stop angle to 180, creates
a semi-circle.
-
Relative Inner Radius. Enter
a value to define the inner radius of the gauge bands and labels
relative to the outer background of the gauge. Smaller values, such
as 0.0, place the inner radius closer to the center of the gauge.
A maximum value of 1.0, places the inner radius close to the gauge
outline.
-
Relative Thickness. Enter
a value to define the relative thickness of the gauge bands. Values
can range from 0.0 to 1.0.
-
Same Size Gauges. This
option applies to multi-category gauge charts. If you are working
with three or more gauges per row, you can select this option to
have the gauges display in the same size.
xGauge Elements Right-Click Menu
When you right-click a gauge chart, a menu containing
the More Gauge Options becomes available. Select this option to
open the Format Gauge dialog box.
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The following sections contain procedures for gauge
properties. The Gauges option can be found on the Format tab, in
the Features group.
Note: This option is only available when you are working
with a gauge chart.
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Procedure: How to Set the Number of Gauges Per Row
If you
have multiple gauges on a chart, you might want to specify how many
gauges appear on each row. In the following example, a maximum of
two gauges per row has been set.
-
Create a
gauge chart that has multiple values.
-
Open the
Format Gauge dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Ribbon: On
the Format tab, in the Features group, click Gauges.
-
Right-Click Menu: Right-click
the gauge chart and select More Gauge Options.
The Format Gauge dialog box opens.
-
On the General
options tab, in the Gauges per row field, enter or select the number
of gauges that you want to appear on one row.
-
Click OK.
The gauges now appear on one row.
After changing
the setting from the default of 2 gauges per row to 3 gauges per row,
all the charts now appear on one row.
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Procedure: How to Set the Minimum and Maximum Axis Scale Values
The
following image shows a gauge chart with the scale values automatically
supplied by the chart engine.
-
Create a
gauge chart.
The following image shows a gauge chart with default settings.
-
Open the
Format Gauge dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Ribbon: On
the Format tab, in the Features group, click Gauges.
-
Right-Click Menu: Right-click
the gauge chart, and select More Gauge Options.
The Format Gauge dialog box opens.
-
On the Axis
Scale & Labels tab, in the Scale area, either accept the minimum
and maximum values for the scale automatically supplied by the chart
engine, or enter your own in the Value fields.
-
Click Apply.
The gauge scale reflects the selections that you have made.
The
following image shows the changes that were applied to the axis
scale of the gauge chart in the preceding image. The automatic minimum
value was cleared and a value of 20000 was set. The automatic maximum
value was cleared and a value of 60000 was set.
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Procedure: How to Style Axis Labels
-
Create a
gauge chart.
-
Open the
Style dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Ribbon: On
the Format tab, in the Features group, click Gauges to
open the Format Gauge dialog box. In the Format Gauge dialog box,
open the Axis Scale & Labels tab. In the Labels area, click
the Style Labels icon.
-
Right-Click Menu: Right-click
an axis label, and click Style.
The Style dialog box opens.
-
Select your
styling options.
-
Click OK.
The scale labels reflect the style selections that you
have made.
The following image shows a gauge chart with the
axis labels in bold red Courier font.
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Procedure: How to Format Axis Labels
-
Create a
gauge chart.
-
Access the
menu of available format options for axis labels in one of the following
ways:
-
Ribbon: On
the Format tab, in the Features group, click Gauges to
open the Format Gauge dialog box. In the Format Gauge dialog box,
open the Axis Scale & Labels tab. In the Labels area, open the Format
Labels drop-down menu.
-
Right-Click Menu: Right-click
an axis label, and point to Format.
The menu of available format options opens.
-
Select your
format option.
Note: If you select a custom format (for example,
User Pattern, or Use Pattern /100), from the Format Labels menu
on the Format Gauge dialog box, the Custom Format menu becomes available.
When you select a custom format, it must be defined using a custom
format pattern. For a list and description of the characters that you
can use in a custom format, see the table in Formatting Data Labels.
-
Click OK.
The scale labels reflect the format selection that you
have made.
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Procedure: How to Rotate Axis Labels
-
Create a
gauge chart.
-
Right-click
an axis label.
-
On the right-click
menu, point to Rotate, then select the degree to which you want
the labels rotated.
The following image shows a gauge chart with the axis labels
rotated 45 degrees.
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Procedure: How to Set Gauge Tick Marks
This
procedure describes how to set the grid step, tick color, and tick
length for the major and minor tick marks.
The following image
shows a gauge chart with default tick marks.
-
Create a
gauge chart.
-
Open the
Format Gauge dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Ribbon: On
the Format tab, in the Features group, click Gauges.
-
Right-Click Menu: Right-click
the gauge chart and select More Gauge Options.
The Format Gauge dialog box opens.
-
On the Tick
Marks tab, for the Automatic Grid Step, either
accept the value automatically supplied by the chart engine, or enter
your own, in the Value fields.
-
Click the Tick
Color icon, to open the Color dialog box, where you
can select a color for the tick mark.
-
For the Tick
Mark Length, either accept the value automatically supplied
by the chart engine, or enter your own, in the Value fields.
The following image shows the same gauge chart. The major
tick marks have been changed to red from black. They are now .30
in length, double their original size of .15. The minor tick marks
are now blue instead of black. Their size has also been increased.
They are now .10 in length, instead of .05.
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Procedure: How to Set Gauge Color Bands
The
following image shows the gauge chart without color bands.
-
Create a
gauge chart.
-
Open the
Format Gauge dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Ribbon: On
the Format tab, in the Features group, click Gauges.
-
Right-Click Menu: Right-click
the gauge chart, and select More Gauge Options.
The Format Gauge dialog box opens.
-
Set the
minimum and maximum value for each band that you want to appear
on the gauge chart.
-
Set the
color of the fill and border for each color band.
Note: The gradient fill option is not available
for color bands.
-
Click OK to
close the Format Gauge dialog box.
The bands are formatted accordingly.
The following
images shows a gauge chart with color bands.
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Procedure: How to Match Needle Center Color to Band Color (Gauge Center by Quality)
This
option matches the needle center color to the color of the band
that the needle is pointing to.
-
Create a
gauge chart.
-
Open the
Format Gauge dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Ribbon: On
the Format tab, in the Features group, click Gauges.
-
Right-Click Menu: Right-click
the gauge chart and select More Gauge Options.
The Format Gauge dialog box opens.
-
On the Bands
tab, set the minimum and maximum value for each band that you want
to appear on the gauge chart
-
Set the
color of the fill and border for each color band.
Note: The gradient fill and transparency options
are not available for gauge needles.
-
On the Advanced
tab, select Gauge Center by Quality.
-
Click OK to
close the Format Gauge dialog box.
The color of the center of the gauge needle now matches
the color of the band.
The following image shows a gauge chart
with the center of the gauge needle in the same color as the band
it is pointing to.
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Procedure: How to Style a Gauge Needle
This
procedure explains how to change the gauge needle from the Normal
style to the Pencil style.
-
Create a
gauge chart.
-
Open the
Format Gauge dialog box in one of the following ways:
-
Ribbon: On
the Format tab, in the Features group, click Gauges.
-
Right-Click Menu: Right-click
the gauge chart, and select More Gauge Options.
-
The Format Gauges dialog box opens.
-
In the General
Options tab, in the Gauge Needle section, from the Style drop-down
menu, select Pencil.
-
Click OK.
The gauge needle changes to a pencil.
The following
image shows a gauge chart styled with a pencil.
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Procedure: How to Set Gauge Needle Colors in a Multi Series Gauge Chart
You
cannot change the fill color and border color of the needles in
a multi-series gauge chart through the General Options tab of the
Format Gauge dialog box. You can do so through the Format Series
dialog box. However, you can still use the General Options tab to
change the style of the needle.
The following image shows
gauge charts with two series of data.
-
Create a
gauge chart with more than one measure.
-
On the Series
tab, from the Series drop-down menu, select the series that you
want to style.
-
In the Properties
group, click Style.
The Format Series dialog box opens.
-
On the Fill
tab, select the fill and color options for the gauge needle for the
selected series.
-
On the Border
tab, select the Show Border Color option,
if you want the gauge needle to have a border. You can select the
color for the border, as well.
-
Click Apply.
-
Repeat steps
2 through 5 for each series gauge needle that you want to style.
-
When you
are finished, click OK to close the Format
Series dialog box.
The color of the gauge needles and their borders changes
accordingly.
The following image shows the same gauge chart
with the needles with new colors, The Show Border Color option
has been enabled with the default color of black for the border
color.