Introduction to Formatting VistaPHw Charts Brought to you by: The Vista Partnership February 2007

e-Learning Overview In this e-Learning, well cover in detail how to format VistaPHw charts –Fonts –Colors –Titles –Saving and sharing formats –Creating a new chart template (default) –Other chart options

Using the run from the last e-Learning, choose all cause and cancer mortality for Puget Sound region (King, Pierce, Thurston, and Snohomish counties) for the last 5 years ( ), and both sexes and all races. Click LAUNCH.

Choose Chart Output and click Run Now.

Changing Titles and Fonts

Set up a column chart by choosing column as the chart type, then selecting the chart variables race by sex. Select the genders and races in the boxes on the left- hand side, then click Get Chart, and the chart appears. Click the Formatting Chart button. A text box will appear.

There are 9 tabs on the formatting chart box. Titles allow for users to change the chart title, and the labels on the axes. Using the carrot (^) symbol (shift-6) will create another line in the title and axis boxes. For this example, Type Age- Adjusted Mortality in Washington State ^ by Race/Ethnicity by Sex for 2000 into the chart title box. Change Value (Y) axis to read Age-Adjusted Rate then click OK.

The new axes labels and title appear. To remove the legend, or move it to different areas of the chart screen, click Formatting Chart, then the legend tab. Click the Bottom button. Click Ok. Now the legend is now below the chart. Click Formatting Charts, then Undo. This returns the legend back to its original spot.

Changing Colors of the Series

Click Formatting Chart again, then click the Series Color tab. Here is where users can change colors for the series and for the confidence intervals. Click on the box that says Total, under Series Name. A color panel appears. Users can click on a basic color, or pick a color in the color rainbow. Click OK to apply. The Total box turns green to indicate the color picked. Follow the same steps for male and female, choosing a blue color for male and a yellow color for female. Click Ok.

The chart now displays the colors that were chosen for the bars.

Adding Other Options: Data tables Grid Lines, and Labeling

Click Formatting Chart. Click on the Data Table. This allows for the data table to be included in the chart output. Check both Show Data Table and Show Legend Keys, then click OK.

Now, the data table is displayed with the chart. The legend key gives the color of the bar by the table row. Users may keep this table associated, or remove it by clicking Formatting Chart, then Undo.

To display data labels, click Formatting Chart. Choose the Data Labels tab. Users can display series name (in this example, it would be the race/ethnicity), category name, and/or the data value. If displaying more than one label, users can separate the labels with a comma, semicolon, or a space. Click the value box to show the data value in the chart. Click OK.

To remove the labels from the axes, click Formatting Chart, then the Axis tab. This will unlabel the x and/or y axis. By default, the boxes are checked. Unchecking both boxes gives this chart, with no labels.

Users can change the fonts and colors of all almost all text in the chart, including the chart title, the axis, and the legend. Currently, the footnote text can not be changed. Click Formatting Chart, then the font tab. Click on the chart title box, and a new window will open. Select Times New Roman, Regular, 26, and the color black. Click OK, then OK on the Formatting Chart box. The new format will be displayed.

The confidence intervals can be turned on and off for bar and column charts. As a default, confidence intervals are turned on. Click Formatting Chart, the Options tab, then uncheck the Show Confidence Interval box. Click Ok. The confidence intervals are no longer displayed.

Users may want to display a grid in the background of the chart. To do this, click Formatting Chart, then the Axis Grid tab. Click the box for the major gridlines for the Y axis, OK. The background now has lines for the major series.

Saving and Applying Saved Formats

Now, well save this format to a file. Click Formatting Chart, then Save Format.

A new text box opens. VistaPHw chart format files are saved as.cfd files. They are typically saved in the c:\VistaPHw\CDP folder, but can be saved in other places for storage. Enter the file name ColGendRace.cfd to save this format, then Save. ClickNo, not to save it as a default format, unless you want all the charts to have the same format just created. The.cfd files can be shared with others to standardize chart templates.

Close the VistaPHw charting screen by clicking the X in the right hand corner, or by clicking the Close button. Run the same elements as before by clicking Launch and Run Now. When the Chart Output Form opens, create a Column chart, race by sex. Now, well apply the saved format. Click Formatting Chart, then choose the file ColGendRace.cfd. Click Open, then OK. The formats from before will be applied.

The formats are already applied. The title font is black, Times New Roman 26, there are no confidence intervals displayed, grid lines are shown, and the colors of the bars match the previous example.

Additional Format Options

Click the down arrow next to the drop-down menu for Send Chart, and choose 1 Excel sheet. The graph will be sent to Excel. Users can alt-Tab to Excel to see the chart output.

Once the charts have been output to Excel, users can modify based on Excel options. Right click on the chart to bring up the list of standard Excel chart choices.

Thanks for your time! Public Health Seattle and King County Spokane Regional Health District Washington State Department of Health