XAxis Date Formats

[richard]

I'm using SQL to drive a chart with a date for the x axis using intelligent labelling but I need to have some control over the format using CustomFormat. If I set this eg to dd-MMM;MMM and produce rows with dates of 1st of each month the labels are incorrect when the chart is resized. At small widths the labels are correct but at larger widths the first label is duplicated and the last is missing. This can be improved by passing dates of eg 15th of each month but the labels are often incorrect.  How can this be solved?

[Frank]

At larger sizes is the step over one month? If so, you need to provide a format for that, your CustomFormat only gives a guidance for days and months. You need to complete it with the quarter and year. For example:

 chart.AxisX.LabelsFormat.CustomFormat = "MM/dd/yyy;MMM;`yy;Q{q};yyyy"

Check the following KB article for more details:

Q7001073. Setting custom formats for Date axes

URL: http://support.softwarefx.com/ShowArticleSep.aspx?Type=KB&Product=CfxNet70&Source=http://support.softwarefx.com/kb/700/1/073.htm?_r=1

[richard]

It depends what you mean by step size. Each point is marked  as eg the first day on consecutive months. For example 1 Jul 2006, 1 Aug 2006 etc. The problem occurs even with 3 consecutive months. I added the other formats as suggested but it made no difference. I thought the custom format had defaults - in any case it surely shouldn't duplicate or skip labels. Perhaps you are counting the days between points rather than the month from the calendar?

[Frank]

No that's not what we do.

Please attach a binary file for this chart so that we can test it and determine what the problem is. A binary file of the chart can be obtained by calling the Export method.

Alternatively you can attach a sample program that is self contained (no external data) and attach it to your post.

[richard]

Enclosed is small file with 6 consecutive months and MMM custom format.

It produces labels of Apr,Apr,May,Jun,Jul,Blank alough the data editor show correct labels

[Frank]

Sorry but for some reason (probably our server's fault) I can't get the attachment. Please re-post.

[richard]

Here you are

[richard]

Have you received this file - any progress on the analysis?

[Frank]

I still can not get the file? Can you?

Try putting it in a ZIP file.

[richard]

Try this

[Frank]

I got it this time.

The problem is the following:

You are setting the custom format to:

MMM;MMM;Q;yy

That's telling Chart FX to use MMM (first part) as the "by-day" labeling format. When the space becomes big, Chart FX chooses a step lower than one month but because your labels are formatted like MMM then you get repetitions.

If you want your X-Axis step to be fixed to one month, then set AxisX.Step = 30 this way Chart FX will not try to go any lower.