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ChartMaker: Installing the download, and creating your first chart

In this lesson you will learn how to quickly create a chart using the ChartMaker wizard.

Install the ChartMaker Library and ChartMaker Utility

Install the ChartMaker Library and ChartMaker Utility

Place ChartMaker.rev (the library) and ChartMaker Utility.rev (the wizard) in your plugins folder as shown above. This will make them available from Revolution's plugins menu for easy access.

Optional: Place the Playground stacks in the plugins folder as well. To 'hide' them from the plugins menu, put them in a folder then move them out again when you want them. Alternatively, keep the Playground stacks somewhere you can find them later and use File:Open to access them.

Select ChartMaker Utility from the plugins menu

Select ChartMaker Utility from the plugins menu

If Revolution is running you may have to re-start it to update the Development:Plugins menu shown above.

Creating your first chart

Creating your first chart

Choose a sample from the Charts dropdown menu. The sample data and setting are automatically loaded for you.

Build the chart

Build the chart

Just click Build chart. ChartMaker Utility will take the data and apply the settings to draw the chart in the first available toplevel window. Note that ChartMaker Utility uses the ChartMaker library in the background to create your charts so anything it can do, you can do as well and more besides.

You will be prompted for your registration details. If you have them, enter them to avoid the reminder in future. Otherwise you have 30 days to continue and trial the product.

This is the chart you get if you selected the Single Series sample at the beginning. To change the chart's appearance (pie, bar, column, background color, font, layout etc), simply choose different settings in the wizard and click Build chart again. Each time you build the chart, the old chart will be replaced with the new one until the chart's title is changed.

Try this: Choose different settings and click Build chart to see the range of options available to you.

Try this: Choose a different sample, or try applying your own data, to build a different chart.

The 3 Wizard Options

The 3 Wizard Options

Use the In new Window check-box to always draw the chart is a brand new window.

Use the Interactive check-box to enable right-clicking in the chart and dragging elements around to fine-tune their position if you wish.

Use the Show syntax button to generate the required script for the chosen chart.

Interactive example

Interactive example

Try this: Right-click to show a contextual menu.

Try this: Click and drag any element to re-position it.

Syntax example

Syntax example

This you can select, copy and paste into your own work. There are two script options you can choose: A single line or a multi-line version. The choice is one of preference only. The multi-line option is the easiest to learn how the syntax works by inspection. Use the Lookup button at any time to open the built-in documentation and see how you can create charts without the utility wizard.

Next steps

Open any of the unlocked Playground stacks that accompany the download. Each is at a different level of scripting difficulty from basic to advanced.

To unlock the real power of the library, open the built-in documentation for a complete syntax dictionary with examples, as well as tips and questions answered.

2 Comments

Mike Felker

This livecode utility is amazing! I have a question: I am creating my graphs through syntax method and I will need to make changes all the time to the four graphs for a dashboard. The question is, every time I create another graph, it makes a new group and puts it in the center of the screen. How do I delete the old group first (or simply update it) and move the new graph to the correct location through programming and not physically moving it? I would rather it just update and not create a whole new graph. I have two bar graphs, a pie chart and a donut chart. Thanks for any help. Mike

Heather Laine

Hi Mike. Chartmaker is now legacy software I'm afraid, the vendor no longer supports it. It is still available if you go here:http://www.flexiblelearning.com/ but the vendor makes it clear it is just for legacy purposes.

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