ChartToy

December 2012

ChartToy is a CSV data graphing utility specifically designed to compliment the AlphaWebFX CSV output (which is the standard output format for all XML Control log data too.)

Whilst you can readily use Excel and other third party tools to present CSV data graphically, ChartToy can automate this and can adapt each day when a new CSV file is created.

ChartToy Form Display

Getting Started

ChartToy has a right-click menu interface only...

Right-Click Context Menu

Menu Options Summary

• • Open CSV File - opens a CSV from disc and displays the first 4 series of data (for snap shot viewing purposes only.)

  • Chart Setup - opens the main configuration dialogue (for the actual run time CSV file settings.)

  • Start Charting - commences the chart update routine on a timed interval of minutes you choose

  • Save Configuration - saves the current settings to the configuration XML file in the app start up folder

  • Font - select the chart font for titles, legends and axis labels

  • Fore Color - select the chart form and text fore color

  • Back Color - select the chart form back color

  • Online Help - opens the default browser to this web page

  • About - about box info

  • Exit - closes the chart form (without any prompting or saving of configuration.)

All the above are pretty self explanatory, however the Chart Setup dialogue needs to be talked through.

From the context menu choose Chart Setup...

CSV File TAB

You MUST configure a default folder which your CSV data files will be found in. Use the [...] browse button to choose that folder.

From here you can choose either a STATIC, that is a file with a name that does not change (for third party support), or DYNAMIC, a file that changes, typically on a daily basis (as AlphaWebFX files do.)

Finally, if you check the [ ] Auto Start box then charting will commence when the program start and a CSV file is successfully loaded.

Press the Series TAB next...

Series TAB Options

Once you have targeted a valid CSV file press [ Load Series ].

(Note: This is only required whenever you want to select or change the series you want displayed on the chart.)

The chart MUST display 4 series, therefore your CSV data file must contain at least 4 series. (And not more than 24 either!)

If the series are correctly loaded you can use the pull down selectors to choose the series you want displayed on the chart.

(Note: Once the dialogue is closed, only the selected series will subsequently be available in the pull down selectors - unless [ Load Series ] is executed once more.)

You cannot duplicate series - all four selections must be unique.

For each series you can choose a pen color to suit, and to blend with your selected chart fore and back colors.

You can choose the width of the pens (in pixels), and finally, choose a display type - which ranges from Fast Dot to Spline types (experiment with these to get the desired effect.)

Press the Display TAB next...

Display TAB Options

The title and legend options are self-explanatory. The following notes are important though...

Refresh Interval

Whilst every effort has been made to avoid file access collisions, for example when AlphaWebFX opens the CSV file to write, and ChartToy opens the same file to read, try to establish the biggest interval between these activities. For example, if you start AlphaWebFX on a 1 minute interval, then wait 30 seconds before starting ChartToy - assuming it's also on a 1 minute interval.

Data Display

Depending upon your needs you can choose to display the entire contents of the target CSV file, or instead the last number of entries, as required. (This is trailing data.)

(Note: The maximum file size that ChartToy can open is 1 Megabyte.)

When you press [ Ok ] on the setup form the settings are first validated, then saved to disc.

The default configuration file is Config.XML and is located in the application start up folder where ChartToy.EXE runs from.

Multiple Charts

To run multiple charts, first create a new desktop shortcut to ChartToy.EXE, then add a command line option to the additional Config2.XML file you have created, for example...

Properties of Additional Desktop Shortcut

(Note: What you call the additional configuration file is up to you. However, it must be in the format of myConfigFile.xml and terminate with the .xml extension.)

Start Charting

When selected either from the context menu or from the Auto Start function, ChartToy will load the CSV data file configured in the Chart Setup dialogue - any file opened with the Open CSV File method will (unless it's actually the same file) be discarded as the chart commences its operation. Once the chart is started the context menu will be replaced with a menu that simply offers Stop Charting as it's only option.

Whenever a chart is being displayed you can click and hover around any DataPoint for a detail tool-tip...

Data Tool Tip

Known Issues

If you alter the displayed series when in Display ALL Data mode, and the Y Axis does not re-scale to suit, then select Trailing Data display and update the chart, after the scale is corrected, you can return to Display ALL Data mode.