DevTools for .NET

Not answered Plot Bands not visible

Mel

Posted on Jan 20, 2012 (permalink)

Hi Everyone,

I checked the Plot Bands demo chart and found that I could not distinguish the plot band at all. The chart is a Column chart and the Plot band is supposed to be 0.3 Opacity from 0 - 12000 on the chart. I've been waiting for awhile to get this feature but it looks like it does not work even in the demo. There was no control panel with the chart to add it in and take it out so one could see the difference. Of course if you have to do that then the plot band is not very affective.

Is there something I'm missing or is the website not working properly displaying this demo.
Thanks,

Mel

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Mel

Posted on Jan 25, 2012 (permalink)

Hristo,

Your demo chart does not show any signs of discernable differences between the charts. The code looks like it should show a 0.3 Opacity but all the columns look the same to me above or below the 12000 mark per the code??? There is no opacity difference above or below the plot band and there should be according to the code as I see it. Check the demo charts plotband.
Thanks,

Mel

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Mel

Posted on Jan 30, 2012 (permalink)

Hristo,

You're kidding right! The code specifically says that above 12,000 on the y axis the opacity should drop from opaque to 0.3 or 30% opaque. So every column on your demo for plotband charts should be simi-transparent above the 12,000 mark or 20+/-% on the y axis. Another scenario would be to show the plotband chart without the plotband to show the difference with and without the plotband for a comparison. The demo is inconclusive as it is.

One more way to describe my expectation of a plotband is to use a different color above 12,000 on the y axis so that the difference is totally clear.
Thanks,

Mel

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Mel

Posted on Jan 30, 2012 (permalink)

Hristo,

I tried another skin instead of Vista and found out why we are having this problem. The contrast between the band and no band is indistinguishable when one does not know what one is looking for. In the Black skins it is so much more obvious than before.

That brings me to another question: why make the plot background different and not the actual columns themselves: this appears to be all of our executive's opinions. With a line chart for example the line should change color or style above and below the plot band, that would make it much more evident that the value is in error if it shows up as red instead of green which would alert an operator of the change: as you have it, he would continually have to scan all lines to see if they go above or below the plot band.

Thanks,

Mel

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Mel

Posted on Feb 2, 2012 (permalink)

Hristo,

Many industrial applications have this sort of requirement. If a tool is wearing out over time and the toerances of the parts it is machining are getting bigger, then the chart would generally be a plotband of +.005 to -.005 running horizontally with the line graph running between these limits indicating the actual tolerance of the parts. If the line graph goes outside these limits the operator needs to be notified immediately with both an audible warning and a change of color to the line outside the band. For example inside the band it would be green but outside the band it would be red, hence a visual indication. The band is usually indicated by a line across the chart at the +.005 and -.005 position: no color to the bands usually.

Another application could be a stock chart with sell and buy limits set for certain values. The colors would be green for below the buy limit and red for above the sell limit

I hope that clarifies it. These charts are generally Control charts that have an upper control limit and a lower control limit. They are used for continuous improvement measurements.

Thanks,

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