Layout

How the chart fits and sizes all elements that make up a chart is not only based on their individual contents, but the relation to each other as well. This is a complicated process given all the variables which affect the contents of every element: the size of the main chart window, text string sizes, font sizes, number of series, number of datapoints, etc. End-users are given some amount of control over the layout process by defining fonts, truncating text, turning the legend and title display on or off, and so forth. After all these parameters are defined, the chart then has the job of figuring out how to put it all together.

The order of layout precedence is the legend, then the title, followed by the plot. The chart attempts to display all legend entries first. When the legend is positioned on the left or right side, multiple columns of entries are created automatically if all entries do not fit in one vertical column. Columns are as wide as the longest entry (string) in the legend, and the legend is as wide as necessary.

Depending on the orientation of the legend, if it becomes too large, it is automatically hidden. If the legend is placed on the top or bottom, a height greater than 40% of the total Chart area will cause the legend to be hidden. Likewise, for placements of left or right, a width greater than 40% will have the same effect. This behavior can be overridden by using the right-click menu to re-enable the legend.

To control the size of the legend, its display can be turned off, its font size can be decreased, and its text can be truncated.

The title is next laid out across the top (or bottom) of the chart window without extending into the legend area when the legend is positioned on the left or right side of the plot. Titles line-wrap automatically, up to a point - if more than 5 lines are needed to fit the entire text, line wrapping is disabled and the title renders on one line which is cropped on both sides. To control the size of the title, its display can be turned off, its font size can be decreased, and its text can be customized.

The plot then is laid out in the remaining space. First, the axes, with their labels and titles, are given enough room to fit, then the plot area (containing the datapoints) renders in the remaining space. This means the properties of the text on the axes, as in the title and legend, will affect the size of the plot; therefore decreasing the font size and using axis label fit options will increase the area for the plot. The width and height of the data points automatically adjust for the amount of space they are supplied with.

Once the size of the plot is determined, automatic scales (on the Y axis) then calculate their parameters: the lower bound, the upper bound, and the step size. A scale with less room means fewer steps can fit, meaning the step size is smaller, resulting in a less precise scale. If the size of the other elements cannot be made smaller, the scale can be controlled by decreasing its font size, choosing a scale factor, or choosing an alternate scale layout option.

Of course, the overall size of the chart window is the initial determining factor in chart element layout. A larger window means there is more area for every element to render and will always result in a more readable chart.