Using the Telemetry Console Extension

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Working with Charts and Graphs

The Telemetry Console Extension supports charts containing one or more graphs that display real-time telemetry information. The following sections describe how to work with charts and graphs.

 


The Parts of a Chart

A chart consists of the following:

These parts are shown in Figure 4-7.

Figure 4-7 Parts of a Chart

Parts of a Chart

Several graph styles are available for presenting data: area, area radar, bar, plot, scatter plot, stacking area, and stacking bar. For instructions on how to set those styles, see Setting a Chart Graphing Style.

 


Adding Charts to Views

You create and add charts to views by dragging items from the Metrics tab, as described in the following steps.

  1. Select the Views tab and select the view to which you want to add a chart (or create a new view). Figure 4-8 shows an empty view.
  2. Figure 4-8 Empty View


    Empty View

  3. Select the Metrics tab.
  4. Drag a item from the tree to the view.
  5. The cursor changes shape, and the background darkens when you drag it into an area where you can insert a chart, as shown in Figure 4-9. For information about what items can be dragged from the Metrics tab, see Working with Metrics Charts and Graphs.

    Figure 4-9 Dragging a Metric to Create a New Chart in an Empty View


    Dragging a Metric to Create a New Chart in an Empty View

    When you release the mouse button, a chart is created that contains a graph based on the item you dragged from the tree in the left panel, as shown in Figure 4-10.

    Figure 4-10 A Chart in a View


    A Chart in a View

    An alternative to dragging an item into a chart is as follows:

    1. Right-click the item in left panel (the Metrics tab).
    2. The Add to Chart menu is displayed.

    3. Select Create New Chart to create a new chart containing a graph based on the selected item, or select the name of an existing chart, to add a graph to that chart.
  6. To add another chart to the view, drag another item from the tree to a position above, below, or to the side of an existing chart. Figure 4-11 shows an item dragged to the right of a chart.
  7. Figure 4-11 Dragging a Metric Into an Existing View to Create a Second Chart


    Dragging a Metric Into an Existing View to Create a Second Chart

    The new chart appears where it was dropped, as shown in Figure 4-12. All charts in the view are resized to fit together.

    Figure 4-12 Two Charts in a View


    Two Charts in a View

For alternative ways to arrange charts and graphs, see Arranging Charts and Graphs in Views.

 


Adding Graphs to Existing Charts

To graph more than one metric on the same chart (that is to add a graph to an existing chart), drag the appropriate item from the Metrics tab to the existing chart in the View panel, as described in the following steps:

  1. Select the Views tab to display the list of views.
  2. Click the view containing the chart to which you want to add another graph (data source). Figure 4-13 shows a chart with one graph.
  3. Figure 4-13 Chart with One Graph


    Chart with One Graph

  4. Select the Metrics tab.
  5. Drag a item from the tree to the view, as shown in Figure 4-14. For information about what items can be dragged from the Metrics tab, see Working with Metrics Charts and Graphs.
  6. Figure 4-14 Dragging a New Telemetry Data Source to an Existing Chart


    Dragging a New Telemetry Data Source to an Existing Chart

    The new graph is added to the chart, as shown in Figure 4-15.

    Figure 4-15 Resulting Graph with Two Charts


    Resulting Graph with Two Charts

For alternative ways to arrange charts and graphs, see Arranging Charts and Graphs in Views.

 


Repositioning a Chart

To reposition a chart in a view:

  1. Select the Views tab and select the view containing the chart you want to reposition.
  2. Drag the chart to the new position in the view. That is, select the chart and hold the mouse button down while you drag. You can position the chart above, below, to the left, or to the right of an existing chart. When the chart is in an acceptable position, a band of the background is darkened. This behavior is the same as when creating a new chart, as illustrated in Figure 4-11.
  3. Release the mouse button.

For alternative ways to arrange charts and graphs, see Arranging Charts and Graphs in Views.

 


Merging Charts

When you merge charts, all the graphs and associated legend entries of the source chart are added to the graphs and the legend of the target chart. Properties of the target chart—such as the title, colors, and the Y-axis label—are maintained, and any conflicting properties from the source chart are lost. Once successfully merged, the source chart is deleted.

You can merge one or more charts in the same view or in different views.

To merge one chart with another in the same view:

  1. Select the Views tab and select the view containing the charts you want to merge. All charts to be merged must be in the same view.
  2. Drag the source chart onto the target chart. That is, select the chart and hold the mouse button down while you drag. When the source chart is positioned correctly over the target chart, the background of the target chart is darkened.
  3. Release the mouse button.
  4. All the graphs and associated legend entries of the source chart are added to the graphs and the legend of the target chart. Properties of the target chart—such as the title, colors, and the Y-axis label—are maintained, and any conflicting properties from the source chart are lost. Once successfully merged, the source chart is deleted.

For alternative ways to arrange charts and graphs, see Arranging Charts and Graphs in Views.

 


Moving a Graph to a Different Chart or to a New Chart

You can move a graph to a different chart only if the target chart does not already contain a graph based on the same data source.

To move a graph from one chart to another:

  1. Select the Views tab and select the view containing the graph you want to move. The source chart and the target chart must be in the same view.
  2. Shift-click the graph (or its legend entry) to select it.
  3. Release the Shift key and the mouse button, and do not click or select anything else until you perform the instructions in the following step.
  4. Drag the graph from the source chart to the target chart or to an empty area in the view. That is, click the already selected graph and hold the mouse button down while you drag. When the graph is positioned correctly over the target chart (or over the empty area), the background of the target chart (or the empty area) is darkened.
  5. Release the mouse button. The graph and its legend are added to the target chart and removed from the source chart. If you dragged to an empty area, a new chart containing the graph is created.

For alternative ways to arrange charts and graphs, see Arranging Charts and Graphs in Views.

 


Arranging Charts and Graphs in Views

Table 4-1 shows how to copy, move, and duplicate charts and graphs by dragging and dropping with the mouse, by using context menus with the mouse, and by using the keyboard. For brevity, some common information is not repeated for each item in the table. That information is as follows:

 


Starting and Stopping Data Collection for Charts in a View

To start data collection for the charts in a view:

  1. Select the Views tab.
  2. Click the name of the view you want to start. Alternatively, right-click the name of the view and select Start.
  3. The view is displayed in the View panel, and data collection begins.

To stop data collection for the charts in a view:

  1. Select the Views tab.
  2. Right-click the name of the view you want to stop and select Stop.

To stop all data collection for all views, click the Resulting Graph with Two Charts (Stop All Active Views) button in the toolbar. (It is not necessary to first select the Views tab.)

 


Scrolling and Zooming the Data Displayed in a Chart

You can display or hide the scrollbar for a chart, as explained in Turning a Chart Scrollbar On and Off.

The scrollbar includes controls for scrolling through data in the chart and is displayed below the chart, as shown in Figure 4-16.

Figure 4-16 Scrollbar for a Chart

Scrollbar for a Chart

The controls are shown in Table 4-2.

Table 4-2 Controls in the Scrollbar
Control
Name
Use

Scrollbar for a Chart

Thumb
Drag to scroll through data.

Scrollbar for a Chart

Left scroll arrow
Click to scroll backwards through data.

Scrollbar for a Chart

Right scroll arrow
Click to scroll forwards through data.

To display or hide the scrollbar for a chart:

  1. Right-click anywhere in the chart.
  2. From the context menu, select Show Scrollbar to display the scrollbar or Hide Scrollbar to hide it.

Scrolling Through Data in a Chart

You can scroll back and forth through a chart's data. The data is retrieved from a data cache. For more information about chart data, see How Metrics Data is Collected and Presented.

To scroll through data:

  1. Select the chart containing the data you want to monitor.
  2. Drag the scrollbar's thumb control Scrollbar for a Chart to the interval you want to monitor. As you drag the thumb control, a message is displayed that shows the beginning and end times of the intervals you are scrolling through.
  3. Alternatively, click Scrollbar for a Chart (left scroll arrow) to scroll backwards or click Scrollbar for a Chart (right scroll arrow) to scroll forward. Clicking these buttons scrolls the viewport (the span displayed in the chart) by 10% of the viewport width. Clicking directly on the scrollbar (not on the thumb control) scrolls the viewport by 50% of the viewport width.

While you scroll, a message is displayed showing the time intervals you are scrolling through. When you stop scrolling, the data is retrieved for the selected interval. To display the dates and times for the visible interval, position the mouse pointer anywhere on the scrollbar.

Only the data available in the cache of actively polled metrics can be displayed. If you scroll to a point earlier than the data available in the cache, no data is displayed for that graph.

To display current data after scrolling:

  1. Select the chart.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Move the thumb control all the way to the right on the scroll bar, or
    • Right-click the chart, then select View Current Data from the context menu.

Zooming In and Out of Data in a Chart

You can zoom into the data shown in a chart to expand the view of data points for a shorter time span, and you can zoom out to show details about a longer time span.

Zoom in and out as follows:

 


Deleting a Graph from a Chart

To delete a graph from a chart:

  1. Select the Views tab and select the view containing the chart containing the graph you want to delete.
  2. Select the graph in either of the following ways:
    • Shift-click anywhere on the graph.
    • Shift-click on the legend entry for the graph.
  3. Click the Scrollbar for a Chart (Delete) button in the toolbar, or press the Delete key.
  4. The graph is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

 


Deleting a Chart

To delete a chart:

  1. Select the Views tab and select the view containing the chart you want to delete.
  2. Select the chart.
  3. A border appears around the chart to show it has been selected.

  4. Click the Scrollbar for a Chart (Delete) button in the toolbar, or press the Delete key.
  5. Note: If you discard changes to the view containing the deleted graph, you can recover it. However, you cannot selectively discard changes, so you will lose any other changes you made, too. Once you save changes to the view, the deleted graph is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

 


Setting Chart Properties

When you create a chart, it is created with default visual and control properties. To change those properties:

  1. Select the Views tab and select the view containing the chart whose properties you want to change.
  2. In the View panel, click anywhere in the chart to select it.
  3. Select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab to display controls for changing properties.
  4. Make changes by setting the properties in the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as described in the following sections:
  5. Click the Apply Changes button to apply your changes to the selected chart.
  6. Alternatively, click Discard Changes to restore the settings that were in effect when you started changing them, or click Restore Defaults to restore the Telemetry Console Extension default settings for charts.

    Note: Applying a change to a property does not save it for future use. See step 6.
  7. If this is a chart in a custom view, you can save the changes so they will be restored the next time you open the Telemetry Console Extension. (You cannot save changes to a chart in a built-in view.) To save a custom chart, you must save the view, as follows: on the toolbar, click the Scrollbar for a Chart (Save All Modified Views) button to save all custom views.
  8. Note: You cannot save changes to the properties of a chart in a built-in view.

 


Changing a Chart Name

You can change the name of charts in built-in and custom views. But you can save the name only for charts in custom views. To change the name of a chart:

  1. Select the chart and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in steps 1-3 of Setting Chart Properties.
  2. Select the General subtab.
  3. Enter a new name in the Name field.
  4. Apply, revert, or save the changes, as explained in steps 5 and 6 of Setting Chart Properties.

 


Creating a Y-Axis Label for a Chart

No Y-Axis label is assigned by default for a chart, but you can create one, as follows:

  1. Select the chart and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in steps 1-3 in Setting Chart Properties.
  2. Select the General subtab.
  3. In the Y-Axis field, enter text to be used as the Y-Axis label.
  4. Apply, revert, or save the changes, as explained in steps 5 and 6 of Setting Chart Properties.

 


Setting a Chart Graphing Style

By default, graphs are created using the "plot" style (dots connected by lines). However, you can change the style, as follows:

  1. Select the chart and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in steps 1-3 in Setting Chart Properties.
  2. Select the General subtab.
  3. Select a style from the Style drop down list to change the visual style of each graph on the selected chart. Styles include:
  4. Style
    Example
    Description
    Area

    Scrollbar for a Chart

    Solid area under a line
    Area radar

    Scrollbar for a Chart

    Circular area, with new data sweeping clockwise, as with a radar
    Bar

    Scrollbar for a Chart

    Bars alternating for each graph
    Plot

    Scrollbar for a Chart

    Sequential dots connected by lines
    Scatter plot

    Scrollbar for a Chart

    Dots only
    Stacking area

    Scrollbar for a Chart

    Areas for each graph, stacked on top of each other
    Stacking bar

    Scrollbar for a Chart

    Bars for each graph, one stacked on top of the other

  5. Apply, revert, or save the changes, as explained in steps 5 and 6 of Setting Chart Properties.

 


Changing the Sample Interval

The sample interval is the frequency (in seconds) at which chart data samples are gathered. The default value is 10 seconds. You can modify the sample interval as follows:

  1. Select the chart and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in steps 1-3 in Setting Chart Properties.
  2. Select the General subtab.
  3. Move the Sample Interval slider to a position corresponding to the desired number of seconds or type in the desired number of seconds in the text field.
  4. Click Apply Changes.

 


Turning a Chart Legend On and Off

A chart legend identifies each graph on the chart. Each line in the legend shows the color and graphic used to plot the data points and identifies the data source for the graph.

  1. Select the chart and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in steps 1-3 in Setting Chart Properties.
  2. Select the General subtab.
  3. Select the Legend check box to display the legend, or deselect it to hide the legend.
  4. Apply, revert, or save the changes, as explained in steps 5 and 6 of Setting Chart Properties.

Alternatively:

  1. Display the view containing the chart.
  2. Right-click anywhere in the chart.
  3. Choose Show Legend from the context menu to display the legend, or choose Hide Legend to hide the legend.
  4. Save the changes, as explained in step 6 of Setting Chart Properties.

 


Turning a Chart Scrollbar On and Off

You can use the scrollbar to scroll back through data and the attached zoom controls to zoom in and out of data, as explained in Scrolling and Zooming the Data Displayed in a Chart. The scrollbar is hidden by default, however, you can display it and hide it again, as follows:

  1. Select the chart and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in step 1-3 in Setting Chart Properties.
  2. Select the General subtab.
  3. Select the Scrollbar check box to display the scrollbar, or deselect it to hide the scrollbar.
  4. Apply, revert, or save the changes, as explained in steps 5 and 6 of Setting Chart Properties.

Alternatively:

  1. Display the view containing the chart.
  2. Right-click anywhere in the chart.
  3. From the context menu, select Hide Scrollbar to turn the scrollbar off, or select Show Scrollbar to turn the scrollbar back on. (You can also press Alt-S to toggle the scrollbar on and off.)

 


Changing Chart Foreground and Background Colors

The foreground color for a chart includes the color of the text used for the legend and the color of the X- and Y-axis lines and values. The background color is the color used for the background of the entire chart.

  1. Select the chart and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in steps 1-3 in Setting Chart Properties.
  2. Select the Colors > Foreground subtab to change the foreground colors, or select the Colors > Background subtab to change the background colors.
  3. Select your preferred color chooser, by selecting one of the subtabs: Swatches, HSB, or RGB.
  4. Apply, revert, or save the changes, as explained in steps 5 and 6 of Setting Chart Properties.

 


Setting Individual Graph Properties

When you create a graph in a chart, it is created with default visual and control properties. To change those properties:

  1. Select the Views tab and select the view containing the chart with the graph whose properties you want to change.
  2. In the View panel, select the graph in either of the following ways:
    • Shift-click anywhere on the graph.
    • Shift-click on the legend entry for the graph.
  3. Select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab to display controls for changing graph properties.
  4. Make changes by setting the properties in the Properties > Selected Item tab, as described in the following sections:
  5. Click Apply Changes.
  6. Alternatively, click Discard Changes to restore the settings that were in effect when you started changing them, or click Restore Defaults to restore the Telemetry Console Extension default settings for charts.

    Note: Applying a change to a property doesn't save it for future use. See step 6.
  7. If this graph is in a chart in a custom view, you can save the changes so they will be restored the next time you open the Telemetry Console Extension. (You cannot save changes to a chart in a built-in view.) To save a custom chart, you must save the view, as follows: on the toolbar, click the Scrollbar for a Chart (Save All Modified Views) button to save all custom views.
  8. Note: You cannot save changes to the properties of a chart in a built-in view.

 


Changing a Graph Name

When you drag an item onto a chart to create a graph of the item's data points, a name is assigned by default. This name appears in the legend for the chart containing the graph. You can change the name, as follows:

  1. Select the graph and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in steps 1-3 in Setting Individual Graph Properties.
  2. Select the General subtab.
  3. Enter a new name in the Name field.
  4. Apply, revert, or save the changes, as explained in steps 5 and 6 of Setting Individual Graph Properties.

 


Changing a Graph Scaling Factor

Adjusting the scaling factor for a graph adjusts the units used for the Y-Axis. For example, if a Y-Axis unit of 60,000 is scaled to 1, and you change the scaling factor to 10, the units are changed to 600,000. Changing the scaling factor of a graph is useful when a chart contains more than one graph, and you want to adjust the different graphs to see them more clearly in relation to each other.

  1. Select the graph and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in steps 1-3 in Setting Individual Graph Properties.
  2. Select the General subtab.
  3. Select a scaling factor from the Scale drop-down list.
  4. Apply, revert, or save the changes, as explained in steps 5 and 6 of Setting Individual Graph Properties.

 


Changing a Graph's Colors

The foreground color for a graph includes the color of the line and symbols used to plot data in the graph, where appropriate. The background color is the fill color for the graph, where appropriate for the selected graph style. These colors are assigned by default, but you can change them, as follows:

  1. Select the graph and select the Properties > Selected Item Properties tab, as explained in steps 1-3 in Setting Individual Graph Properties.
  2. Select the Colors > Foreground subtab to change the foreground colors, or select the Colors > Background subtab to change the background colors.
  3. Select your preferred color chooser, by clicking one of the subtabs: Swatches, HSB, or RGB.
  4. Apply, revert, or save the changes, as explained in steps 5 and 6 of Setting Individual Graph Properties.

 


Setting Global Properties

Global properties apply to all active views. To set global properties, click the Properties tab, then click the Global Properties subtab. You can set the following properties:


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