dbChart Single record choice at runtime

[kai]

Hi,
When I edit a dbChart (7.04) at design time, there are many choices in the "Data Source" tab for the series, as in:
Manual
Random
Function
Single Record
Summary
DataSet
CrossTab
Text File
XML File

Yet, at runtime, when you open the chart editor, you only see three choices:
Manual
Random
Function

I need to be able to let the user select "Single Record" using the runtime chart editor on a dbchart.

How can I do this? Was this feature enabled in one of the more recent versions of TeeChart VCL? Do I need to add something to my 'uses' clause?

After I have that resolved, I need to be able to let the user add their own series to a pie chart so that a "Single Record" displays data from different fields in one record as slices of the pie. This has to occur using the Chart Editor at runtime:
For Example:
Record Value 1 Value 2 Value 3
one 33 44 53
two 24 32 35
three 27 42 42

The user should be able to build a pie chart with three slices coming from a "Single Record" (one). One slice is Value 1, the other slice is Value 2, and the third slice is Value 3, all for one record at a time.
Does TeeChart 7.04 do this and I just don't know how to make it work, or has this feature been included in a more recent version of TeeChart for the dbchart and TeeChart Editor?

Thanks
pl

[Narcís]

Hi kai,

You can do all you request in the example at All Features\Welcome!\Database Charts\Single Record in TeeChart's features demo. You'll find the demo at TeeChart program group.

Regarding the example, you can execute the run-time editor by double-clicking on the grey memo at the top of the form.

[kai]

Hi Narcis,
Thank you for your reply!
I can get the "Single Record", the "Summary" and "Dataset" to show up in the runtime dbchart editor by adding this line to the uses clause:
Uses EditChar, DBEditCh; { to show Database DBChart editor dialogs }
However, I cannot figure out how to get the other options of "Cross Tab", "Text File" or "XML" options to show. Do you know what I should add to the uses clause or somewhere to get those to appear?

My last question is a little harder. How do I get those features to appear in Report Builder's dbchart?

Thank you for your help.

[Pep]

Hi kai,

you know what I should add to the uses clause or somewhere to get those to appear?

You should add the following units to the Uses section :
Uses EditChar,DBEditCh,TeeEditPRO,TeeSeriesTextEd,TeeDbCrossTab ;

My last question is a little harder. How do I get those features to appear in Report Builder's dbchart?

tppChart is a wrapper of TDBChart, which is maintained by Digital Metaphors. At this moment I don't have installed any RB version to test it, but you can contact with they and ask about this.

[kai]

Thank you for the information. I appreciate it.
Yes, I am in contact with Digital Metaphors because, at this time with Delphi 7 Pro and Reportbuilder 9.02, the user cannot pick the "Single Record" at end-user runtime, so they cannot create pie charts in a Report Builder end-user report which contains series consisting of fields on the same record.

Thnks.

[kai]

Hi,
Has the ability to pick "single record" for a db pie chart been implemented yet? And, can you now plot slices of the pie based on many fields in a single record?

My clients are pestering me for this feature when they design reports in Report Builder Enterprise..
Thanks.
kai

[Narcís]

Hi kai,

This works fine here using the example we told you before and changing the existing series to a pie series. You may want to check with Digital Metaphors if they implemented this feature in their TeeChart wrapper.

[kai]

Hi,
I have contacted Digital Metaphors. What they tell me is that I have to code a passthrough function to expose the teechart's series. However, doing so still does not give you the option of a single DBPipeline to use on the TeeChart, and the TeeChart does not have the proper boxes to allow you to select multiple values from one record, which one would typically do with pie charts, bar charts, line charts etc..

As well, this problem does not only apply to PieChart series, it applies to LineSeries, HorizBarCharts and more. There is a big chunk of basic functionality that is missing with your TeeChart and the Report Builder end-user Report Designer.

I do not feel it is my job to get Digital Metaphors to implement the basic abilities of your teeChart. What is happening is that you are losing out because that functionality is not exposed properly by Digital Metaphors. It makes me want to find other tools that can give me the basics. And, I'm sure I'm not alone. Don't you have a license agreement with Digital Metaphors that they have to implement the basic functionality of your product?

Here is a Flash video that demonstrates this issue
Note: This video has sound..


http://www.thebetterbyte.com/demos/dbchart/DBChart.html

kai
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[Narcís]

Hi kai,

I've just written Digital Metaphors. I'll get back to you when I have further news.

[Narcís]

Hi Kai,

As a follow up to my previous message, this is the reply I got from Digital Metaphors Support:

You can let your customers know that this is a limitation of ReportBuilder, not TeeChart, and recommend that they request the new feature directly to us because we use customer feedback as influence for all enhancements. A work-around to this would be to generate the chart outside ReportBuilder, then using the TppImage component in ReportBuilder, display the chart as an image. We currently have many customers using this method to generate charts that cannot be created in RB.