Legends Manager

To access this screen:

• The Legends Manager is accessed from various parts of the system, including 3D properties screens.

• You can also open the Legends Manager from the Format ribbon > Colour > Legends.

Note: A Datamine eLearning course is available that covers functions described in this topic. Contact your local Datamine office for more details.

The Legends Manager screen provides various tools for creating, editing and managing legends.

The screen is split into two halves:

• The left side shows the Available Legends in one of three categories (System, User and project). Expand a category and pick a legend to update the list below.

• The Selected legend list displays the intervals of the legend selected above. Selecting a legend displays (or updates) the Legend Properties panel on the right. Below this list, you'll find the following functions:

  • New Legend... opens the Create New Legend wizard which provides a simple method to create a new legend, and set its data type and file location. For numeric range and unique value legends, select Include unmatched values to add an Unmatched item for values that do not match any defined legend item.

  • Load Legend... opens a file browser allowing you to select a Datamine legend file (.elg). When loaded, it will be available for editing in the Available Legends list.

  • Show Details and Hide Details allows the properties panel on the right to be expanded or collapsed.

  • Apply applies the current settings and selections to the selected legend or legend item, and redraws any displayed sheets. The screen remains open for further editing.

  • Close applies the current settings and selections to the selected legend or legend item, and closes the screen.

Once a legend has been selected, the Legend Properties panel displays the following functions:

• Legend Properties—enter a Name, Interval Type (Value, Range or Filter Expression) and a Data Type (Numeric or Alphanumeric).

• Legend Item Description—choose to Automatically generate description (or enter your own interval description) and define the Value of the interval.

• Legend Item Format—define the visual appearance of object data assigned to the legend interval.

• Preview Legend—show a popup window displaying all intervals of the current legend and their respective visual formatting.

Note: these options are explained in more detail in your Legends Manager context help. Display the Legends Manager and press F1 to see it.

Identify Unmatched Values

An Unmatched item makes values outside the legend definition easy to identify. It can be included in numeric range and unique value legends, and appears before the missing-values item when both are present.

Select the Unmatched item in the Selected legend list, then use Legend Item Format to define its colour, texture and other display properties. The item is selected by default and initially uses white.

When legend items are added, removed or changed, displayed data is re-evaluated. Any value that no longer matches a legend item automatically uses the Unmatched item format.

If you apply a legend to an object containing values that do not match the selected legend, a warning is displayed. Click Edit Legend to open the Edit Legend screen and review the legend items, or click Cancel to close the warning and apply the legend using its Unmatched item.

There are several ways of generating legends in Studio products:

• You can define any type of legend using the Legends Manager.
• You can create date-based legends using the Create Date Legend dialog.
• You can quickly create a visualization legend using the Quick Legend tool.
• You can generate a filter legend based on one or more attributes values, using the Multiple Attribute Legend tool.
• Several commands and functions within Studio will automatically create (and possibly assign) legends.