Defining a scale
A scale is a collection of tick marks and labels over a divided numeric range to which the gauge indicator points to visually represent the gauge value.
To define a scale:
- On the Style tab, in the Scale group, click the dialog box launcher.
-
From the
Type list, select the
scale type. Choose from:
Option Description Linear Select this option for a basic decimal scale. Data and scale values are plain real numbers. Percent Select this option for a decimal scale where the data and scale values are formatted as percentages. The data value is multiplied by 100. Scale labels append the percentage sign. -
Select the
Custom bounds check box to
define a the scale parameters. When this check box is selected the following
options are enabled. An automatic scale is used if you do not specify a custom
one.
Option Description Lower Specify the minimum value in the scale range. Upper Specify the maximum value in the scale range. Steps Specify the number of major divisions between the minimum and maximum values. This must be a positive integer between 1 and 100 (inclusive). - Select the Factor value to scale check box to factor down the gauge value and scale values to fit into the specified scale range (0 - 100 for automatic scales, the user-defined range for custom scales) whenever the gauge value exceeds the maximum scale value; a "multiplier" annotation in the form "X 10..." is added inside the gauge. If cleared, the gauge value and scale are not factored and the scale values contain all their significant digits. This option does not affect what should be entered as the Lower/Upper values in a custom scale. The Lower/Upper values are absolute, without prior knowledge of how the scale may be factored.
- Click Invert to invert the scale direction in linear gauges. Horizontal gauge scales which normally increase left-to-right would then increase right-to-left. Vertical gauge scales increase top-down instead of the default bottom-up.
- Specify the width of the scale bar. A value of 1 is the thinnest. A value of 25 is the thickest. The scale bar is the graphic representation of the scale and appears under the tick marks.
-
Specify the radial options. The options in this group apply only
to radial gauges.
Option Description Start angle This option sets the polar angle where the beginning (minimum) of the scale is positioned. The range is 0 to 359 degrees, where 0 is pointing directly right (3 o'clock) and counter-clockwise is positive. Sweep angle This option sets the polar angle where the end (maximum) of the scale is positioned, relative to the Start angle. The range is -360 to 360 degrees, where counter-clockwise is positive. Radius % This option sets how far from the center to position the scale bar. The value is a percentage. The range is 20 to 100, where 100 is on the border. The default is 60. -
Select the label position. This list contains the various options
to set the position of the labels in relation to the scale bar.
Option Description Hide Select this option to turn off labels. Above Select this option to have the labels appear above the bar, between the bar and the border. Center Select this option to have the labels appear on the bar. Below Select this option to have the labels appear below the bar, between the bar and the cap. -
Select the label layout. This list contains the various options to
set the orientation of the scale labels.
Option Description Horizontal Select this option to have labels always appear left to right. Labels are never rotated. Parallel Select this option to have the labels oriented parallel to the scale. In radial gauges, this means each label is rotated to some extent depending on its position around the arc of the scale. - Click .
- Click .