In the previous post for our Micro Charts product (currently available for WPF, Silverlight, and WinRT XAML), we showed appearance features off for the MicroBulletGraph control that is coming to Micro Charts' 2012.2 version (already available for WinRT XAML). In today's post, we'll showcase several other special features of the control.

UPDATE:  Version 2012.2 is live and available for download now.

Minimum and Maximum Values

The minimum and maximum values displayed on a MicroBulletGraph are automatically calculated if they are not given a value. The maximum value is then set to the largest part value, and the minimum is set to zero, or the smallest part less than zero, if one exists. 

If the minimum is given a value greater that zero then the featured and projected values will display as ellipses centered on their value. An example of a graph with its minimum greater than zero is displayed above.

Negative Values

The MicroBulletGraph also supports negative values. If the featured or projected bar are given a negative value they will start at zero and extend in the opposite direction (left for horizontal orientation and down for vertical orientation). The comparative bar and ranges will function the same for negative and positive values.

Tool Tips

Tool tips can also be used on MicroBulletGraph controls. They can be custom formatted and can display all the part values and the minimum and maximum properties. An example of this is in the screenshot above.

Summary

The MicroBulletGraph control is an excellent and versatile tool for displaying data. It has numerous customization options for function and appearance that allow it to make a comprehensive and engaging graph that maximizes the end-user's understanding of the data in a small area.

It will be included in the 2012.2 versions of our Micro Charts product.

In the previous post for our Micro Charts product (currently available for WPF, Silverlight, and WinRT XAML), we revealed the MicroBulletGraph control that is coming to Micro Charts' 2012.2 version (already available for WinRT XAML). In today's post, we'll talk about how you can customize the appearance of the MicroBulletGraph to create visually stimulating graphs.

UPDATE:  Version 2012.2 is live and available for download now.

Customization Options

There are many ways to customize the look of a MicroBulletGraph, including customizable color schemes, changing part sizes, and graph orientation. The color of the graph can be set with a single base color that applies to all the parts to quickly create a unified color scheme, or the brush on each part can be set to create custom color schemes. A combination of the methods can also be used to efficiently create a graph that has a base color with highlighted parts.

Various examples of MicroBulletGraph appearance customizations, from the upcoming WPF demo

In addition to a different color, the featured bar, comparative bar, and projected bar can also be set to a different size. The height of bars can be set to a specific number of pixels, or to a percentage of the graph to fill. The width of the comparative bar can also be set to a different number of pixels to alter how large of a range it covers.

The same bullet graph demo as above, displayed in our Windows 8 WinRT XAML controls demo - available now!

Summary

The many customization options provided by the MicroBulletGraph control allow for virtually unlimited opportunities to create a unique and engaging graph. Using the appearance customization abilities graphs can be color-coded and highlight key data points while being visually appealing and easy to understand.

In our final post of this series, we'll look at some other features of the control.