Home > Designing and creating databases > Creating charts from data > Creating quick charts

Creating quick charts

You can create and print a quick chart in Browse mode. When you start in Browse mode, FileMaker Pro sets up the chart based on the:

•	field type and contents of the active field

•	field type and contents of the selected fields

•	sort order you have specified

Note  The active field is the field you right-click when you create a quick chart.

If you have the correct privileges, you can save the chart on a layout in your database.

Quick charts work best for column, bar, pie, line, and area charts, which have a single data series on one axis and one or more data series on the other axis.

To create a quick chart:

1.	Open the database containing the data that you want to chart.

2.	In Browse mode, click View As in the layout bar to switch to Table View.

Tip  You can create quick charts in Form View and List View, but it’s easier to work in Table View.

3.

Use Table View to sort data. (Right-click or Control-click a column and choose a sorting option from the shortcut menu.) Quick charting uses the first sort field to group and summarize the data in the chart. Consider adding groups or summaries if those are the data points you intend to chart. See Working with data in Table View and Creating dynamic reports in Table View.

FileMaker Pro chooses an appropriate summary type based on the active field.

4.	Right-click the column of the values you are most interested in charting.

5.	Choose one of the following:

 

Choose	To
Chart by <field name>	Plot individual data points in the current column
Chart <field name> by <sort field>	Plot data from the current column in groups based on the sort order

The Chart Setup dialog box appears. When you chart data in Table View, FileMaker Pro uses the current state of the file and the context of your selection to estimate chart settings. Depending on the complexity of your data set and the chart type you choose, you might need to use the Chart Setup dialog box to make adjustments to a quick chart.

You can change settings in the Chart inspector on the right to modify the chart. The preview helps you work efficiently in the Chart Setup dialog box. See Using the chart preview.

Note  FileMaker Pro charts records in the Found Set by default. To change the source of the data that you are charting, click Data Source in the Chart inspector and for Chart Data choose Current Record (delimited data) or Related Records. See Specifying the data source for a chart

 

To	Do this
Add a title to the chart	For Title, type or change the chart title, or click to specify a title.
Choose a chart type and specify the data series	See Column, bar, line, and area charts (including stacked column and bar and positive/negative charts), Pie charts, or Scatter and bubble charts. Note  You can begin a scatter or bubble chart as a quick chart, but you will need to modify chart settings in the Chart Setup dialog box.
Change data labels, show or hide tick marks and set tick mark scale (if applicable), and format data	See Formatting and scaling chart axes.
Change the color scheme, legend, or fonts in the chart	Click Styles in the Chart inspector, then see Changing the look of a chart.
Specify the type of data the chart uses (records in the found set, delimited records, or related records)	Click Data Source in the Chart inspector, then see Specifying the data source for a chart.

6.	If your chart contains summary data, you can click the Summary menu in the Chart inspector and select a different summary type. See Summary types for charts.

7.	When you are satisfied with the chart’s appearance, do the following:

 

To	Click or select
Print the chart	Print Chart
Copy the chart to the Clipboard so you can paste it to another layout or in another file	Right-click the chart, choose Copy, then switch to a different layout in the same file or another file. In Layout mode, right-click the layout and choose Paste.
Save the chart on a new layout	Save as Layout You must have the correct privileges to save a quick chart on a layout. See About accounts, privilege sets, and extended privileges.
Access the chart later via the Layout pop-up menu	Include in layout menus If you leave Include in layout menus selected, you can use Layouts menu > Go To Layout or the Manage Layouts dialog box to display the chart in layout mode. See Managing layouts.

Note  If FileMaker Pro needs to create a summary field for the chart, the summary field is added to the current table when you save the chart on a layout. If you print the chart and do not save it on a layout, FileMaker Pro does not create the summary field in the database.

8.	If you choose not to save the chart after printing, click Cancel to close the Chart Setup dialog box.

Related topics 

Viewing records as a form, list, or table

Using shortcut menus

Creating and managing privilege sets