Chart Skins

You can save your favorite display options as a chart skin that you can quickly apply to charts. GainSeeker also includes ready-to-apply chart skins. See Fig. 1 below for an example of a chart skin.

While a chart skin can make analyzing data more visually engaging, it also has practical applications. All settings in the Charts Overrides node of the charts Settings dialog in the GainSeeker Charts module can be saved as a DMS or SPC skin, including which limits to display and how data is scaled.

Chart skins can be applied to several items in GainSeeker:

Tip: GainSeeker System administrators might want to use chart skins to standardize how chart data displays for all users. This can help ensure that all the analysts in your organization see data displayed the same way, which can be important when decisions are made based on data. See Setting a default chart skin.

 

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Example of a chart skin

This is an example of some of the types of settings you can change to create a chart skin. The Data Head chart skin shown here is a chart skin included with GainSeeker that can be quickly applied to any chart.

Fig. 1

Settings that are included in a chart skin

All settings in the Chart overrides node on the Settings tab of the SPC Charts dialog or the DMS Charts dialog are saved with a chart skin you create. You can change as few or as many Chart overrides settings as you want. Here are a few of the multiple settings you can change:

For descriptions of all of the Chart overrides settings, see SPC Chart overrides settings, DMS Chart overrides settings

Accessing the Chart overrides settings

You can change the Chart overrides settings:

A note about SPC and DMS chart skins

Since chart skins are created from settings for either a DMS or a SPC chart you have open, the two retrieval types do not share the same chart skins. You can make note of the settings for one type and create a similar chart skin for the other type if you want and save it with the same skin name.

Getting stated with Chart Skins

See Getting started with Chart Skins for information about:

Duplicating charts with skins

When you apply a chart skin to a chart (a Control chart, for example) and duplicate that chart into other chart types (Data table or Histogram, for example) with the same data, that skin is applied to all the chart types. Each chart type displays somewhat differently within the same chart skin theme.

To create a new chart using the same data as that on the open chart:

For more information, see Creating new charts using the same data

Saving charts with skins as a desktop

When you save a chart that has a chart skin applied to it on a desktop, the Chart overrides settings associated with the skin at that time are saved with the desktop. The actual skin is not saved with the desktop. If changes to the chart skin are later made, the GainSeeker desktop does not know about the changes and thus, does not apply them to a chart on the desktop.

For more information about desktops, see Saving desktops

Ready-to-apply chart skins in GainSeeker

Ready-to-apply chart skins included with GainSeeker include StarTeck shown below and Data Head shown above.

For more information, see Chart skins included with GainSeeker

Setting a default chart skin

Setting a default chart skin helps ensure that the data analysts in your organization are seeing data displayed the same way. This can have a positive effect in ensuring accurate decision making based on data.

For example, if one analyst is looking at unscaled data on a chart and another is looking at the same data on a scaled chart, variation that would be visible to the latter analyst might going unnoticed by the former.

A default chart skin can also lend a professional look to the charts you are required to provide to your customers. You could add a chart skin that reflects your company colors and logo, for example.

Exporting and Importing chart skins between configurations

A chart skin that is created in a configuration can easily be exported and then imported to another configuration.

Alternate row colors

This is an example of using the Alternate Rows setting on a Data table. You can also set colors for alternate rows on grids and lists.

For more information about this setting, see Alternate row colors

Save a chart background image as a chart skin

You can set a background image for a chart and save it as a chart skin along with all other Chart overrides settings on the Settings tab. See What is included in a Chart Skin above. This can be used to display an image of your company logo on a chart that accompanies shipped product or you can use it to display interesting backgrounds when you analyze charts.