Set X-axis to a Min and Max values

[Gus]

Is there a way to set the X-axis to be fixed like the Set Y-Axis option in "format chart" in FM11?

For example:

Charting Age and Height on a background of a growth chart.

If X axis spans 10 cm representing 10 years, if x= 9 years, it should fall at the 9 cm location on the graph.

A formula can transfrom age in years to cm on the graph but not force location on the axis.

Currently, x=9 can fall at the beginning of the x axis if is the only record and moves along the axis depending on the number of records. basically, treated as a category.

Thank you all for the feedback and help

[comment]

Perhaps you could use a calculation for the X values so that you always have 10 of them - with some being dummy zero placeholders. What type of chart are we talking about?

[Gus]

Perhaps you could use a calculation for the X values so that you always have 10 of them - with some being dummy zero placeholders. What type of chart are we talking about?

Line chart with an X axis of continuous numbers.

X=1 Y = 120

X=2 Y = 125

X=3 Y = 135

draw a line graph, then if we add X=4 Y=140. Would like the 4 to fall on the X axis at a fixed location, X=5 Y=148, the 5 would fall next to the 4 without axis auto adjusting its size.

In a sense, it is having an X axis with the same properties like the existing Y axis: continuous variables with no autosizing and a min and max numbers for the axis.

[comment]

There is no such setting - and I'm afraid my earlier suggestion will not work with a line chart.

[Gus]

There is no such setting - and I'm afraid my earlier suggestion will not work with a line chart.

Thank you for the confirmation. Are there any other solutions (plug in, custom function or calculation) that could help?

[comment]

There are many alternatives to Filemaker's native charting, mostly displaying in a web viewer. However, your requirement seems rather unique and I don't know which chart engine would support it. Have you tried Google Charts?

[Gus]

There are many alternatives to Filemaker's native charting, mostly displaying in a web viewer. However, your requirement seems rather unique and I don't know which chart engine would support it. Have you tried Google Charts?

My initial problem was to record a growth chart as part of an EMR. I am attaching a solution to the above. It has 2 tables:

1. Vitals where ID of person, age in months and weight in Kg are entered

2. GraphTable: This table has a fixed number of records where each one corresponds to a tick mark on a fixed growth chart curve (added as jpeg to a layout). When a global ID is set, it pulls out the weight of that person and places it in the record that corresponds to that person's age (using lookupnext).

3 Layouts

1. Vitals to enter data

2. GraphTable: nothing is entered all info is calculated

3. GrowthChart: Has a background of a CDC chart with a FM Graph superimposed. The Graph is derived from GraphTable with Y axis fixed with an upper and lower value, X axis pulls out the age info from Graph table.

Problem now is we have only the option of Bar chart, so bars are shown. Ideally, would need only points charted on X,Y axis.

I guess we need to wait until FM adds:

1. Option of a graph made of points only to be charted (scattergram)

2. X axis of continuous numerical variable like the Y axis

GrowthChart example.zip

[comment]

I am not sure I understand what your file does, but I think I understand the problem better now. Since you have (or at least can have) reference data for the full range of the months, you could use the reference data as one of the Y series. This would make sure that the entire range is plotted AND that the actual data is plotted at the correct placement - even if some data points are missing.

You could even use a line chart for this, although single data points would not show. However, I am convinced this could be done better by a third-party charting engine.

[Gus]

This would be to plot a child's growth and see if it is within norms.

Modified calculations to make the chart do what is needed and used line chart; but as you said, it is not visible with the background.

and I do agree, third party charting is probably the way to go.... so, will let go for now!

Thanks a lot for your feedback.

GrowthChart example 2.zip

[comment]

as you said, it is not visible with the background.

That's not what I meant. I think you should draw your own background, using the DATA that the reference chart represents. See the attached for a simple example.

SamplesVsReference.zip

However, as you can see in the second record of the example, a line will not be not be drawn at all unless there are at least two adjacent samples. Perhaps the missing samples could be interpolated - but as you said earlier, it really should be a different type of chart.