FM 11 charts

[Cable]

Anybody play with the new charts much?

I've been working with them a bit and I'm stumped on one thing I'm trying to do.

For simplicity, let's say I have a company with three factories. I have a table where three records are added each week, one for each factory. In each factory's record are that week's production goals, and at the end of the week they record how many widgets they produced.

I created a line chart to show the goals for each month using a summary field. To keep it easy, I performed a find for just one factory and sorted the records by week. I got a nice line graph just like I wanted.

However, I am unable to add the other factories to the report without it going wonky. I want a separate line for each factory, but it seems to just want to display one at a time.

Any thoughts?

[iMarcW]

I was wondering the same thing, in my case, what would be the best way to show sales for the same item over three separate years, using line graphs.

Since the chart objects are transparent, you might be able to get what you want by layering three charts on top of each other, though it would require some finessing of the labeling and a little scripting to assemble the data.

Since one of the options for pulling chart data is a return-delimited list, there is a lot of flexibility for how you put these together.

[JerrySalem]

I think this would be easier using google charts.

Overall they are more powerful.

[Cable]

Layering charts might work but I can't believe it would require trickery just to add another line to a line graph.

I haven't used Google charts, but I suppose that might be an option. I'd rather use the new toy, though, if it can be made to do what I want!

[ddreese]

See if this helps. Simple database with these fields: Factory, Date (which would be week or whatever), Units produced, Goal, and a calculated field to calculate the difference between produced and the goal (and a summary for that field).

Added a trailing group on the factory, then sort the data by that field.

Then, depending on your found set (one particular week or a period of time) it will summarize the overall production over that period of time. It won't show a graph of produced vs. goal for each factory, but if gives you the net gain/loss of the relationship of those numbers, which is probably the important part anyway.

Charts.zip

Edited March 11, 2010 by Guest

[BrentHedden]

In general from what I'm seen, the charting functionality is somewhat limited with this version. I'm sure that it will improve with V12 and with user feedback.

You can have multiple lines along the Y series axis only. For this situation, but might be better to have a script build the series in a global parameter?**

**I'm still mastering the charting feature, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

[Coriolan_66]

Here goes a bar and a pie chart. I need to costumize the Y values to range 0 - 10. My pie chart doesnt work...

test.zip

[joaocarlo]

[color:blue][color:red]BrentHedden: In general from what I'm seen, the charting functionality is somewhat limited with this version. I'm sure that it will improve with V12 and with user feedback.

[color:gray]First sorry my english!

Excuse my pessimism,…but you maybe wrong, I think it will improve with V18 at 2018 : LOL

It's necessary the user feedback to make good improvements?: think not! Just browsing the internet,… meet competitive software (4D, Servoy,…) and develop a software adapted to the XXI Century!!! Competitive Software,… where is the difficulty? The Internet is accessible to all,… Tryouts too…

It was better to update it in 3 in 3 years to gain time to develop something in terms, than from year to year and show results that do not appeal to many Advanced FM Users…

In Google, if you search the following term: "FileMaker Sucks", you'll find 24,200 results ... this is very bad for FileMaker, ... Many FM Developers seek other Softwares to develop Databases more professional, quickly, and so on…

On the other hand, I love FileMaker®, I know him from the beginning, but the latest versions haven't brought significant changes that can help FM Developers to develop Professional Database to sponsor the FileMaker brand in a positive,… half a dozen or less innovations from year to year,… i think is bad ideia and does not justify any upgrade,… I know people still with version 5 and 6 and do not intend to change by half a dozen innovations…

I already gave up doing many Databases only because the FM did not provide de necessary tools to do something with speed and professionalism,… [color:red]Develop databases with LOTS of Tables, Layouts, ValueLists, Relationships, Scripts, and so on, is necessary much time to do that,… Compare with others!!! For me FM only to small databases… and yet!!! I am SAD to be so!

Sometimes I think Bento® will exceed FileMaker® in Innovations, needs only the windows version and one or two upgrades!… LOL

I think, Spec Bowers must be very sad,…

FileMaker, Inc Please carry out a radical change in the application that suits the novice and advanced users,… if you need help, many advanced users at this Forum can help… LOL

One more time, my expectations were not as expected!!! I expected much better from the version 11,… I believed that radical changes would occur, but unfortunately not! I wait for version 12 one more year (as expected!!!)…

Happy FileMaker Graphics or something!!! :

FileMaker Forever! (with good innovations, off course!!!)

[K1200]

Well stated, sir.

… half a dozen or less innovations from year to year,…

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment. I started with FileMaker in 8.0. Looking back over the (now) four versions I've upgraded to, six or so useful innovations is about right. But then I have to deduct for ones like moving the Status Toolbar to the top only.

FileMaker is obviously catering to some market group other than developers. For the life of me, I can't figure out what group it is.

If they would deny that this is the case, then I say to them "WAKE UP. Listen to developer requests. We're the ones who know what it takes for applications to soar."

We envision a gourmet buffet of new features. We get bread crumbs.

[bruceR]

It might help your case if you demonstrated meaningful product knowledge. Follow the several pages of links here, each with about 5 items per page.

http://www.filemaker.com/products/filemaker-pro/whats-new.html?homepage=fm11_launch_learn

[xoomaster]

If you feed large amount of data to the chart function, it looks like Web viewer at work ! I think the Chart function is just Javascript used just as it can be done with the Web viewer.

I hope filemaker staff have been busy working on another project like an App for Ipad or iphone, since they really don't have much to show with this version (

This is crazy though, to wait a whole year and get a slap on the face like this .

[kiwiora]

..snipFileMaker is obviously catering to some market group other than developers. For the life of me, I can't figure out what group it is.

snip...

At our FM meeting, FM confessed the driver behind a lot of their changes was from google searches where someone would say type in "dynamic excel" or some such thing and be navigated to a filemaker screen which touts ~"why do a spreadsheet when you can do a database"

Catering to the excel sellup is easily demonstrated in the new table feature where the click of a button adds a field/record - a near exact replica of excel layout.

So, in answer to your question, it appears they're not targeting developers. They are targeting off the shelf noobs.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Guest

[bruceR]

Product knowledge and training might help.

[Eric Foust]

I have a table with contacts all serialized I really for the life of me can't figure out how to show in a graph how many contacts there are in each state. I would think this would be easy but I just cant figure out the calculation. I'm new to FM and suck at math.... bad combo.

[Julian K]

Firstly, thanks to everyone here on the forums. I learned Filemaker from the ground up through these forums.

After brief excitement about the possibilities with graphs (live updating, for 1), I was quickly disillusioned with the limitations. The biggest things that would help would be some way to create new lines via either script or calculation, and allowing more than 14 lines per graph (!).

Anyway, I created a hacky work-around for this (attached). It allows you to use a list to create different lines (which could be generated from a portal, if you like). The tedious part is creating each calculated line. Even though there are fewer than 14 lines, I stacked 2 graphs on top of each other to demonstrate how you could work around the limitation. I'm not sure I will go this route, but at least I know it's possible.

-Julian

Testing.fp7.zip