To customize the way TurboLaw® Time and Billing displays a chart, click the Chart Wizard button.
You can navigate through the chart wizard by either using the Next and Previous buttons at the bottom of the window, or by using the links in the navigation bar on the left.
The first four pages of the wizard apply to the construction of the chart - the remaining pages deal with the presentation of the data.
The first screen will let you choose the type of chart, such as bar, pie, line, etc.
Note that some types of graphs cannot be displayed as some types of charts. For example, graphs with more than one data series (e.g., billed and unbilled time) cannot be displayed as a pie chart.
This screen will allow you to choose a color scheme for the graph. You can choose a color palette from the Palette drop-down box, and then a specific style from that palette using the Style drop-down box. A preview of your graph will be displayed.
This screen will allow you to customize the data series that is used in the graph. You can choose whether the data are sorted (and how they are sorted), as well as whether they are numerical or qualitative data.
This screen allows you to directly modify the data used in the graph. You can change the labels of the items if desired, or even use this screen to enter your own custom data - effectively turning TurboLaw® Time and Billing's graphs into your own custom graphing tool.
This screen allows you to customize the diagram portion of the graph. The "diagram" is the graphical part of the graph - the "chart" portion, in other words.
You can:
This screen allows you to customize the X and Y axes (if applicable) of the graph.
This screen allows you to customize the way the series (the colored bars in the picture below) are viewed. The options that appear here will vary depending on what type of graph you have selected.
This screen allows you to customize the "point labels" that appear above each item in the graph. These items usually show the value of that portion of the chart (bar, pie slice, etc.). You can turn these labels off or customize their appearance by modifying their position, their font size, color, and antialiasing properties, as well as apply a drop-shadow.
In the picture below, the point labels are outlined in red and are just above each bar in the chart.
This screen allows you to customize the titles displayed in the graph. By default, most graphs have only one title, usually at the top. However, you can add additional titles and position them on any of the four sides of the graph. You can add more than one title to each side - for example, you could add a second title to the top of the graph shown below, and adjust the text to be somewhat smaller, so that it appears as a "sub-title." Or, if you prefer, you can remove all of the titles from the graph and just display the chart itself.
This screen allows you to customize the legend for the graph. You can adjust its placement on the report as well as the spacing, font, size, and drop-shadow.
Below is a sample of a customized graph, using the exact same data shown in the pictures above. It has been rotated, additional chart titles have been added, the point labels have been moved to the "inside" position, the series views have been set to "color each bar," the background of the chart has been customized, and the X axis has been set to stagger the labels so they are easier to read.
You can make whatever changes you like to a graph - TurboLaw® Time and Billing will revert back to the default settings the next time you open the graph window, so you don't have to be afraid of making changes.
See also: