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Format Category (X) Axis Dialog Box
You can use the Format Category (X) Axis dialog box to format the category axis (the X axis) of a chart. This topic describes the options in the dialog box.
Designer displays the Format Category (X) Axis dialog box when you right-click any chart element and navigate to Format Axes > Format Category (X) Axis on the shortcut menu, or double-click the category axis of a chart.
The dialog box contains the following tabs (Designer displays some tabs only to specific chart types only, and the Behaviors tab only when the chart is in a library component):
Designer displays these buttons in all the tabs:
OK
Select to apply your settings and close the dialog box.
Cancel
Select to close the dialog box without saving any changes.
Apply
Select to apply all changes and leave the dialog box open.
Help
Select to view information about the dialog box.
Axis Tab
Use this tab to specify the general properties of the category axis.
Option
You can specify the axis options in this box.
- Show Gridlines
Select to display gridlines perpendicular to the axis.
Designer displays the following four options only when the chart is a scatter chart, or a bubble chart that shows different fields on the category axis and the bubble X axis.
- Minimum Value
Specify the minimum value to display on the axis. - Maximum Value
Specify the maximum value to display on the axis. - Increment
Specify the distance between two adjacent values on the axis. Available only t - Number of Tick Marks
Specify how many tick marks you want to display on the axis.
You can specify line properties of the axis in this box.
- Color
Specify the color of the axis line. To edit the color, select the color indicator and select a color from the color palette, or type the hexadecimal value of a color (for example, 0xff0000) in the text box. - Style
Select the line style of the axis. - Transparency
Specify the transparency of the axis line. - Thickness
Specify the width of the axis line, in pixels.
Label
You can specify options for the tick mark labels on the axis in this box.
- Label Axis Gap
Specify the distance between the labels and the axis, in pixels. - Best Effect
Select to adjust the labels automatically to place them at the best position on the axis. When you select this option, Designer hides some labels if they overlap. - Auto
Select to display the values of the field that you add to the axis as the major tick mark labels. Clear it if you want to customize the label text.- Label Text
Specify the text of the major tick mark labels on the axis. Select a field from the drop-down list to use its values as the label text or select
to type the label text manually.
- Label Text
Tick Mark Tab
Designer displays the following subtabs in the Tick Mark tab:
Major Tick Mark Subtab
Use this subtab to specify properties of the major tick marks on the category axis.
Type
You can specify the type of the major tick marks on the axis in this box.
- None
Select if you do not want to display major tick marks on the axis. It is meaningless to specify all the other major tick mark properties if you select this type. - Inside
Select to display the major tick marks inside the axis. - Outside
Select to display the major tick marks outside the axis. - Cross
Select to display the major tick marks across the axis.
Line
You can specify line properties of the major tick marks on the axis in this box.
- Correlate with Axis
Select to apply the line properties that you define for the axis in the Axis tab to the major tick marks. When you clear this option, you can specify line properties of the major tick marks separately using the following options:- Color
Specify the color of the major tick marks. To edit the color, select the color indicator and select a color from the color palette, or type the hexadecimal value of a color (for example, 0xff0000) in the text box. - Style
Select the line style of the major tick marks. - Transparency
Specify the transparency of the major tick marks. - Thickness
Specify the thickness of the major tick marks, in pixels.
- Color
- Tick Mark Length
Specify the length of the major tick marks, in pixels.
Option
You can specify options of the major tick mark labels on the axis in this box.
- Show Major Tick Mark Labels
Select to display major tick mark labels on the axis. Designer enables the other options in the Options box when you select this option. - Label Every N Major Tick Marks
Specify the frequency at which to label the major tick marks. - Show Axis Label Tips
Select to display the complete label text when you point to a major tick mark label on the axis. - Number of Major Labels
Specify how many major tick mark labels you want to display on the axis.- Auto
Select to display all the major tick mark labels. - Fixed
Select and specify the number of the major tick mark labels you want to display.
- Auto
Minor Tick Mark Subtab
Use this subtab to specify properties of the minor tick marks on the category axis.
Type
You can specify the type of the minor tick marks on the axis in this box.
- None
Select if you do not want to display minor tick marks on the axis. It is meaningless to specify all the other minor tick mark properties if you select this type. - Inside
Select to display the minor tick marks inside the axis. - Outside
Select to display the minor tick marks outside the axis. - Cross
Select to display the minor tick marks across the axis.
Line
You can specify line properties of the minor tick marks on the axis in this box.
- Correlate with Axis
Select to apply the line properties that you define for the axis in the Axis tab to the minor tick marks. When you clear this option, you can specify line properties of the minor tick marks separately using the following options:- Color
Specify the color of the minor tick marks. To edit the color, select the color indicator and select a color from the color palette, or type the hexadecimal value of a color (for example, 0xff0000) in the text box. - Style
Select the line style of the minor tick marks. - Transparency
Specify the transparency of the minor tick marks. - Thickness
Specify the thickness of the minor tick marks, in pixels.
- Color
- Tick Mark Length
Specify the length of the minor tick marks, in pixels.
Option
You can specify options of the minor tick mark labels on the axis in this box.
- Show Minor Tick Mark Labels
Select to display minor tick mark labels on the axis. Designer enables the other options in the Options box when you select this option. - Label Every N Minor Tick Marks
Specify the frequency at which to label the minor tick marks. - Number of Minor Labels
Specify how many minor tick mark labels you want to display on the axis.- Auto
Select to display all the minor tick mark labels. - Fixed
Select and specify the number of the minor tick mark labels you want to display.
- Auto
Scale Subtab
Use this tab to label the major and minor tick marks on the category axis with constant interval. Designer enables the Scale subtab only when the field on the category axis is one of the following types: Number, Date, Time, and DateTime (for a bubble chart, only when the category field is one of the types and the Bubble X Axis uses the category field). Designer does not display the Scale subtab for scatter charts.
Use Constant Interval
Select to use a constant interval to label the tick marks. If you select this option, Designer increases the values of the tick marks continually on the axis based on the following properties instead of just using the data values, and ignores the customized major tick mark labels in the Axis tab.
Minimum
Specify the minimum value to label the tick marks.
- Auto
Select to let Designer calculate the minimum value automatically. - Fixed
Select and specify the minimum value by inputting it in the text box directly, selecting
to select a field, or selecting 
to specify a date and time value from the calendar widget if the field on the category axis is Date, Time, or DateTime data type.
Maximum
Specify the maximum value to label the tick marks.
- Auto
Select to let Designer calculate the maximum value automatically. - Fixed
Select and specify the maximum value by inputting it in the text box directly, selecting to select a field, or selecting to specify a date and time value from the calendar widget if the field on the category axis is Date, Time, or DateTime data type.
Major Unit
Specify the unit between two adjacent major tick marks.
- Auto
Select to let Designer define the unit automatically. - Fixed
Select and type the unit in the text box. When the field on the category axis is Date, Time, or DateTime data type, you can also choose a unit from the drop-down list.
Minor Unit
Specify the unit between two adjacent minor tick marks.
- Auto
Select to let Designer define the unit automatically. - Fixed
Select and type the unit in the text box. When the field on the category axis is Date, Time, or DateTime data type, you can also choose a unit from the drop-down list.
Font Tab
Designer displays the following subtabs in the Font tab:
Major Label Subtab
Use this subtab to specify the font style of the major tick mark labels on the category axis.
Font
You can specify the font style of the text in the major tick mark labels in this box.
- Font list
This drop-down list contains all the font faces you can select to apply to the text. - Font Size
Specify the font size of the text. - Font Color
Specify the font color of the text. To edit the color, select the color indicator and select a color from the color palette, or type the hexadecimal value of a color (for example, 0xff0000) in the text box. - Transparency
Specify the transparency of the text. - Rotation
Specify the rotation angle of the text around its center, in degrees. The default value is 0. - Shearing
Specify the gradient of the text.
Effects
You can specify the special effects of the text in the major tick mark labels in this box.
- Style
Select the font style of the text. It can be one of the following: plain, bold, italic, and bold italic. - Strikethrough
Select the style of the horizontal line using which to strikethrough the text. It can be one of the following: none, thin line, bold line, and double lines. - Underline
Select the style of the horizontal line under the text. It can be one of the following: none, single, single lower, bold line, bold lower, double lines, bold double, patterned line, and bold patterned. When you select "patterned line" or "bold patterned", Designer draws a line or bold line in the pattern of the text. - Superscript
Select to raise the text above the baseline and change the text to a smaller font size, if a smaller size is available. - Subscript
Select to lower the text below the baseline and change the text to a smaller font size, if a smaller size is available. - Embossed
Select to make the text appear to be raised off the page in relief. - Engraved
Select to make the text appear to be imprinted or pressed into the page. - Outlined
Select to display the exterior border around each character of the text. - Shadowed
Select to add a shadow beneath and to the right of the text.
Web Report Studio and JDashboard do not support underlining chart text, therefore, this property is ignored when the chart runs in Web Report Studio or is used in a dashboard.
Sample
This box displays a preview sample based on your selections.
Minor Label Subtab
Use this subtab to specify the font style of the minor tick mark labels on the category axis.
Correlate with Major Label
Select to apply the font properties that you define for the major tick mark labels in the Major Label subtab to the minor tick mark labels.
Font
You can specify the font style of the text in the minor tick mark labels in this box.
- Font list
This drop-down list contains all the font faces you can select to apply to the text. - Font Size
Specify the font size of the text. - Font Color
Specify the font color of the text. To edit the color, select the color indicator and select a color from the color palette, or type the hexadecimal value of a color (for example, 0xff0000) in the text box. - Transparency
Specify the transparency of the text. - Rotation
Specify the rotation angle of the text around its center, in degrees. The default value is 0. - Shearing
Specify the gradient of the text.
Effects
You can specify the special effects of the text in the minor tick mark labels in this box.
- Style
Select the font style of the text. It can be one of the following: plain, bold, italic, and bold italic. - Strikethrough
Select the style of the horizontal line using which to strikethrough the text. It can be one of the following: none, thin line, bold line, and double lines. - Underline
Select the style of the horizontal line under the text. It can be one of the following: none, single, single lower, bold line, bold lower, double lines, bold double, patterned line, and bold patterned. When you select "patterned line" or "bold patterned", Designer draws a line or bold line in the pattern of the text. - Superscript
Select to raise the text above the baseline and change the text to a smaller font size, if a smaller size is available. - Subscript
Select to lower the text below the baseline and change the text to a smaller font size, if a smaller size is available. - Embossed
Select to make the text appear to be raised off the page in relief. - Engraved
Select to make the text appear to be imprinted or pressed into the page. - Outlined
Select to display the exterior border around each character of the text. - Shadowed
Select to add a shadow beneath and to the right of the text.
Web Report Studio and JDashboard do not support underlining chart text, therefore, this property is ignored when the chart runs in Web Report Studio or is used in a dashboard.
Sample
This box displays a preview sample based on your selections.
Orientation Tab
Designer displays the following subtabs in the Orientation tab:
Major Label Subtab
Use this subtab to specify the rotation angle of the major tick mark labels on the category axis.
Automatic
Select to adjust the rotation angle of the major tick mark labels on the axis automatically according to the length of the label text, in degrees.
Angle
Select and specify the rotation angle of the major tick mark labels on the axis in the text box. When you change the rotation angle in the text box, the red line in the spin box changes correspondingly, and vice versa.
Minor Label Subtab
Use this subtab to specify the rotation angle of the minor tick mark labels on the axis.
Correlate with Major Label
Select to apply the rotation angle that you define for the major tick mark label text in the Major Label subtab to the minor tick mark label text.
Automatic
Select to adjust the rotation angle of the minor tick mark label text on the axis automatically according to the length of the label text, in degrees.
Angle
Select and specify the rotation angle of the minor tick mark label text on the axis in the text box. When you change the rotation angle in the text box, the red line in the spin box changes correspondingly, and vice versa.
Format Tab
Designer displays the following subtabs in the Format tab:
Major Label Subtab
Use this subtab to specify the data format of the major tick mark labels on the category axis.
Category & Format
These two boxes list the category types and the formats of each category that Designer provides by default. Select a category and a format for this category, then select Add to add it as the format of the category. You can add only one format for each category.
Properties
This text box shows the properties of the format that you select in the Format box. If the default formats Designer provides for a category cannot meet your requirement, you can define your own format in the text box and select Add to add it as the format of the category.
Auto Scale in Number
Specify whether to automatically scale the Number values that fall into the two ranges:
- When 1000 <= value < 10^15, Designer applies the following quantity unit symbols of the International System of Units to scale the values: K (10^3), M (10^6), G (10^9), and T (10^12).
- When 0 < value < 0.001 or value >= 10^15, Designer uses scientific notation to scale the values.
By default, Designer selects "auto" for the option, meaning, Designer applies the setting that you specify for the same property on the chart in the Report Inspector for the values. If you select "true", Designer applies the specified format to the integer part of the values after scaling them; however, if the specified format conflicts with the logic of Auto Scale in Number, for example, the values display in percentage, Designer ignores the Auto Scale in Number setting. Select "false" if you do not want to scale the values.
Sample
This box displays a sample for the selected format.
Stack
This box lists all the formats that you select from different categories.
Add
Select to add a format to the Stack box.
Remove
Select to remove the specified format from the Stack box.
Apply
Select to apply the specified format to the major tick mark labels.
Truncate
Select to truncate the major tick mark labels when the label text contains 
more characters than the number you specify to the Maximum Length property of the Chart Paper object in the Report Inspector.
Minor Label Subtab
Use this subtab to specify the data format of the minor tick mark labels on the category axis.
Correlate with Major Label
Select to apply the data format that you specify for the major tick mark labels in the Major Label subtab to the minor tick mark labels.
Category & Format
These two boxes list the category types and the formats of each category that Designer provides by default. Select a category and a format for this category, then select Add to add it as the format of the category. You can add only one format for each category.
Properties
This text box shows the properties of the format that you select in the Format box. If the default formats Designer provides for a category cannot meet your requirement, you can define your own format in the text box and select Add to add it as the format of the category.
Auto Scale in Number
Specify whether to automatically scale the Number values that fall into the two ranges:
- When 1000 <= value < 10^15, Designer applies the following quantity unit symbols of the International System of Units to scale the values: K (10^3), M (10^6), G (10^9), and T (10^12).
- When 0 < value < 0.001 or value >= 10^15, Designer uses scientific notation to scale the values.
By default, Designer selects "auto" for the option, meaning, Designer applies the setting that you specify for the same property on the chart in the Report Inspector for the values. If you select "true", Designer applies the specified format to the integer part of the values after scaling them; however, if the specified format conflicts with the logic of Auto Scale in Number, for example, the values display in percentage, Designer ignores the Auto Scale in Number setting. Select "false" if you do not want to scale the values.
Sample
This box displays a sample for the selected format.
Stack
This box lists all the formats that you select from different categories.
Add
Select to add a format to the Stack box.
Remove
Select to remove the specified format from the Stack box.
Apply
Select to apply the specified format to the minor tick mark labels.
Range Tab
Designer displays the Range tab only when the chart applies the Bar, Bench, Line, or Area type and its value fields do not contain detail information. You can use it to divide the category values into different range groups and edit data labels for them.
Designer displays the following subtabs in the Range tab:
Properties Subtab
Use this subtab to specify properties of the range groups on the category axis.
Enable Range
Select to enable the range function.
- Special Group
Select to open the User Defined Group dialog box to define how you want to group the category values.
Gridline
You can specify the style of the line separating the ranges in this box.
- Line Color
Specify the color of the line. To edit the color, select the color indicator and select a color from the color palette, or type the hexadecimal value of a color (for example, 0xff0000) in the text box. - Line Style
Select the style of the line. - Transparency
Specify the transparency of the line. - Thickness
Specify the thickness of the line, in pixels.
Fill
You can specify the fill pattern of each range group in this box.
- Group Name
This column shows the names of the ranges that you have added using the User Defined Group dialog box. - Color
This column shows the color you specify for each range group. - Transparency
This column shows the transparency you specify for each range group.
Data Label Subtab
Use this subtab to specify properties of the data labels in the range groups on the category axis.
Show Data Labels
Designer enables this option when you select Enable Range and have defined the range groups in the Properties subtab. You can select it to show data labels for the range groups.
- Edit Data Labels
Select to open the Data Label Editor dialog box to edit data labels for the range groups.
Data Label Type
Select in which way to display values in the data labels of the range groups.
- value
Select to show the value for each group range. - percent
Select to show the percentage of each group range to the total. - value and percent
Select to show the value and the percentage for each group range.
Percent within Group
Designer enables this option when you select "percent" or "value and percent" from the Data Label Type drop-down list. You can select it to calculate the percent value within each range group. If you do not select this option, the calculation is based on all range groups.
Alignment
Select the alignment of the data labels in the range groups: left, center, or right.
Size
You can specify the size of the data labels on the range groups in this box.
- Height
Specify the height of the data label. It cannot exceed the maximum height. - Width
Specify the width of the data label. - Maximum Height
Specify the maximum height of the data label. It cannot exceed the height of the chart paper.
Fill
You can specify the fill pattern of the data labels in this box.
- Color
Specify the color of the data label. To edit the color, select the color indicator and select a color from the color palette, or type the hexadecimal value of a color (for example, 0xff0000) in the text box. - Transparency
Specify the transparency of the data label.
Border
You can specify properties for the border of the data labels in this box.
- Color
Specify the color of the border. To edit the color, select the color indicator and select a color from the color palette, or type the hexadecimal value of a color (for example, 0xff0000) in the text box. - Line Style
Select the line style of the border. - Transparency
Specify the transparency of the border. - Thickness
Specify the width of the border, in pixels. - End Caps
Select the ending style of the border.- butt
Select to end unclosed subpaths and dash segments with no added decoration. - round
Select to end unclosed subpaths and dash segments with a round decoration that has a radius equal to half of the line width. - square
Select to end unclosed subpaths and dash segments with a square projection that extends beyond the end of the segment to a distance equal to half of the line width.
- butt
- Line Joint
Select the joint style of the border.- miter
Select to join path segments by extending their outside edges until they meet. - round
Select to join path segments by rounding off the corner at a radius of half the line width. - bevel
Select to join path segments by connecting the outer corners of their wide outlines with a straight segment.
- miter
Margin
You can specify the distance between the edge and the border of the data labels in this box.
- Top
Specify the distance between the top edge and the top border. - Bottom
Specify the distance between the bottom edge and the bottom border. - Left
Specify the distance between the left edge and the left border. - Right
Specify the distance between the right edge and the right border.
Padding
You can specify the distance between the value in a data label and the border of the data label.
- Top
Specify the distance between the value and the top border. - Bottom
Specify the distance between the value and the bottom border. - Left
Specify the distance between the value and the left border. - Right
Specify the distance between the value and the right border.
Behaviors Tab
Designer displays the Behaviors tab only when the chart is in a library component. You can use it to specify web behaviors on the category axis of the chart.
Add button
Select to add a new web behavior line.
Remove button
Select to delete the specified web behavior.
Move Up button
Select to move the specified web behavior higher in the list. At runtime, when an event bound with more than one action happens, JDashboard triggers the upper action first.
Move Down button
Select to move the specified web behavior lower in the list.
Events
This column shows the events that you select to trigger the web actions.
Actions
This column shows the web actions that you specify for the events to trigger. Select the ellipsis 
in each cell to bind the web action using the Web Action List dialog box.