Creating a custom chart template
When creating an HTML Export custom chart template, you must consider the following:
▪The graph structure.
▪How many dimensions there are for each graph.
▪Whether any coordinate system transformations are required.
▪Which graphic elements and statistics are appropriate.
▪Any aesthetics (such as color) that split graphic elements. When using aesthetics, a legend that provides a key to the aesthetics is typically required.
The samples in the template located at C:\Program Files\Common\ Files\IBM\SPSS\DataCollection\7\TOM\Templates\Visualization can be used when creating a new template.
1 Copy the existing template section, and then change the template name:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<visualization id="visualization1" style="visualizationStyle" version="2.8">
<extension>
<defines the following template, copies the following section to the new template, and modifies the template name -->
<template aggregates="true" inst="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" location="http://xml.spss.com/visualization
http://xml.spss.com/visualization/vizml-2.8.xsd" url="http://xml.spss.com/visualization" version="1">
<!-- define the template name -->
<name xml:lang="en">Template Name</name>
<description xml:lang="en"/>
<!-- define the variables that are used in the template -->
<!-- Typically, X, Y, Color, Label...-->
<variable type="categorical">
<name xml:lang="en">X</name>
</variable>
<variable type="categorical">
<name xml:lang="en">Color</name>
<description xml:lang="en"/>
</variable>
<variable type="continuous">
<name xml:lang="en">Y</name>
</variable>
<variable type="categorical">
<name xml:lang="en">Label</name>
<description xml:lang="en"/>
</variable>
</template>
</extension>
<!-- Structure -->
<!-- defines the details for the following chart (such as the chart location, coordinate, type, dimensions...) -->
<graph cellStyle="graphStyle" id="graph">
</graph>
</visualization>
2 Add the dimension elements for the coordinates in the graph element section. Depending on the desired chart, add the appropriate dimensions and dimension sub-elements.
When a third dimension is required, no sub-element or attribute can be defined for the dimension and the obliqueTransform element needs set as the sub-element of the coordinate element in order to create the pseudo-dimension.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<visualization id="visualization1" style="visualizationStyle" version="2.8">
<extension>
<template ...>
s......
</template>
</extension>
<!-- Structure -->
<!-- graph section that defines the details for the following chart (such as the chart location, coordinate, type,
dimensions...) -->
<graph id="graph">
<coordinates id="coordinates_245803">
<dimension id="dimension_245804">
<axis id="axis_245805">
<label id="label_245806" purpose="auto" style="labelStyle">
<descriptionGroup id="descriptionGroup_245807" target="X">
<description id="description_245808" name="label"/>
</descriptionGroup>
</label>
</axis>
</dimension>
......
<!-- If a third dimension is required, the following two lines that define -->
<!-- the third dimension (pseudo-dimension)are required -->
<obliqueTransform foreShortening="0.1" id="obliqueTransform_259639"/>
<dimension id="dimension_259640"/>
</graph>
</visualization>
3 Add the chart type-related elements (such as polygon element, interval element, point element and so on), and the associated sub-elements:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<visualization id="visualization1" style="visualizationStyle" version="2.8">
<extension>
<template ...>
......
</template>
</extension>
<!-- Structure -->
<!-- graph section that defines the details for the following chart (such as the chart location, coordinate, type,
dimensions...) -->
<graph id="graph">
<coordinates id="coordinates_245803">
<dimension id="dimension_245804">
......
</dimension>
......
</coordinates>
<!-- defines the chart types (such as polygon, interval, point..._ -->
<!-- also defines the relationship between the variables and the nViZn charting engine -->
<polygon id="polygon_245816" style="polygonStyle">
<binStatistic gridType="square" id="binStatistic_245817" method="aggregate"/>
<colorComponent id="colorAesthetic" type="saturation" variable="Y">
<summaryStatistic id="summaryStatistic_245819" method="mean"/>
</colorComponent>
<labeling id="labeling_245820" textFrameStyle="labelingStyle" variable="Label">
<summaryStatistic id="summaryStatistic_245821" method="mode"/>
</labeling>
<!-- defines the relationship between template variables and the charting engine for x, y element… -->
<x variable="X"/>
<y variable="Color"/>
</polygon>
</graph>
</visualization>
4 Add other required elements or attributes. Typically, the dimension and chart type settings are not enough; container, location, labframe and other elements are also required.
5 Save the custom template and specify a file extension of .viztemplate. For example, a custom template named test would appear as test.viztemplate.
Checking the custom template
1 Open UNICOM Intelligence Reporter, add some variables to a table, and then populate the table.
2 Export the table results (File > Export > Tables). Click More >> in the Export Tables dialog, select Table and Chart from the Include list, select IBM SPSS Visualization from the Chart engine list, and then click Browse.
3 Select the custom chart template file and set the other export properties.
4 Click OK.
5 Verify the resulting charts display as expected.
See also