Chart Types

More than 35 chart types ranging from simple Column charts to complex Financial charts are offered on the ASP.NET Essential Chart. All of these can be configured to suit users needs. All Charts except Radar and Polar charts can be rendered in 3D mode.

Simple Area Chart

The Simple Area Chart shades the area under the curve formed by the data points on a series. Multiple series result in overlapped areas. This chart type is used to display the trends of values over time or categories.

Range Area Chart

Range Area Chart is a variation of the Simple Area Chart that lets you plot bands of data on a chart such as bollinger bands and weather patterns. Each point on the chart is specified by two individual Y-values.

Spline Area Chart

Spline Area Chart is an Area chart with a smoothed spline curve connecting the Chart points.

Stacked Area Chart

Stacked Area charts are Area charts with Y-values stacked over one another in series order. Chart data can be viewed as a sum of series parts in this chart type.

Percent Stacked Area Chart

The Percent Stacked Area chart type displays stacked areas under the different series curves as a percentage of the total stacked element. Hence, the Y-axis will always be displayed with the range "0 - 100". This chart type is best suited for depicting relative contribution of data points.

Step Area chart

Step Area Charts are similar to regular Area charts where,instead of a straight line tracing the shortest path between points the values are connected by continuous vertical and horizontal lines forming a step like progression.

Simple Bar Chart

Bar Chart is the simplest and most versatile of all statistical diagrams. It compares values across categories and is ideal to highlight variations in an item value over time using horizontal bars. Points from adjacent series are drawn as bars next to each other.

Stacked Bar Chart

Stacked Bar Charts are Bar charts with Y-values stacked over one another in the series order. Chart data can be viewed as sum of series parts when using the Stacked Bar Chart.

Percent Stacked Bar Chart

The Percent Stacked Bar chart type displays stacked bars for different series as a percentage of the total stacked element. Hence, the X-axis will always be displayed with the range "0 - 100". This chart type is best suited for depicting relative contribution of data points.

Gantt Chart

Frequently used in project management, a Gantt Chart provides a graphical illustration of a schedule to help plan, coordinate, and track specific tasks of a project.

Key Features:

• Provides a graphical representation of the duration of the task against the progression of time.
• Each task takes up one row.
• The expected time requirement for each task is represented by a horizontal bar whose left and right ends mark the beginning and completion date of the task.
• Another bar usually rendered behind the above mentioned bar is used to represent the progression of the task.
• Tasks may run in a sequential, parallel or overlapped fashion.

Histogram Chart

Histogram is a Bar (column) chart of a frequency distribution in which the width of the bar is proportional to the variable class and the height of the bar is proportional to the class frequency. The categories are generally non-overlapping intervals of the variable. The categories (bars) must be continuous. In addition, the chart has the capability to display a normal distribution curve.

Tornado Chart

The Tornado Chart is a Bar chart which shows the variability of an output with respect to different inputs. Variability is displayed using relative lengths of bars across a range. Tornado Chart is mainly used in sensitivity analysis and shows how different random factors can influence the prognostic outcome of a variable.

Column Chart

Column charts are the most commonly used charts, where the data points are displayed by vertical bars. It is similar to a bar chart, except that the bars are vertical and not horizontal.

Key Features:

• Used for comparing the frequency, count, total or average of data in different categories.
• Ideal for showing the variations in the value of an item over time.
• Points from adjacent series are drawn as bars next to each other.
• Can be drawn in three modes: DefaultWidthMode, FixedWidthMode and RelativeWidthMode.

Error Bars are supported to indicate a degree of uncertainity in the plotted data through a bar indicating an "error range". There are plenty of symbol options available to be rendered on the error bars.

Stacking Column Chart

Data Points from different series are rendered one over the other in the stacked column chart. Very useful to indicate the cumulative effect of multiple series values.

StackingColumn100 Chart

In the 100 % Stacked Column Chart, the cumulative proportion of each stacked element always totals 100%. This type of chart is great to visualize the relative contribution of each series values to the whole.

Column Range Chart

In a ColumnRange chart, 2 Y values in each data point, indicating the High and Low of the data range are rendered as columns.

Line chart refers to charts where the data points on a plot are joined using straight or curved 2D/3D lines. Line Chatrs are ideal to represent time series data showing trends in data at equal intervals.

Error Bars, used to indicate a level of uncertainity in the points that are plotted are also be included.

Spline Chart

Spline Chart is a Line Chart with a smoothed line connecting the data points.

Step Line Chart

Step Line Chart uses horiztonal and vertical lines to connect data points resulting in a step like progression.

Rotated Spline Chart

A Rotated Spline Chart is a Spline Chart rotated through a 90 degree angle.

The following charts are commonly used to view financial data such as data involving stock prices.

Candle Chart

The high and low values are represented by the wick of a candle in a candle chart. The candle represents opening and closing values. The body of the candle is often colored conditionally based on whether the opening value relative to the closing value.

Box-Whisker Chart

Box-whisker Chart represents data ranges as boxes and/or marks.

Key Features:

• A solid 'box' is drawn with top and bottom edges corresponding to the quartiles and the mark inside it is the median.
• The two 'whiskers' attached to the sides of the box represent overall range of the data.
• Comparing several box-whisker chart series helps in spotting distribution differences.

HiLo Chart

As the name suggests, HiLo Charts are used to view the high and low values of a stock during a day.

HiLo Open Close Chart

This chart type indicates the high, low, open and close values of a stock during a day. This helps view the range in which a stock traded during the day along with the opening and closing values.

Kagi Chart

Kagi Chart consists of a series of vertical Line connected by short horizontal lines where, the thickness and direction of the vertical lines depends on the stock price. This chart is effective in showing a clear path of price movement. Hence, it is one of the various charts that investors use to make decisions about stocks.

Key Features:

• The thick lines indicate that demand exceeds supply. the thin lines indicate supply exceeds demand.
• As long as prices continue to move in the same direction, the vertical line keeps growing.
• If there is a reversal in the price values, by a "reversal amount", a new kagi line is drawn in a brand new column.
• When the line color is blue, it indicates "demand exceeds supply", and the market is in the up trend.
• When line is orange, it indicates "supply exceeds demand", and the market is in the down trend.
• The higher the bars go, the stronger the trend.

Point and Figure Chart

Point and Figure charts are used to identify support levels, resistance levels and chart patterns.

Key Features:

• This chart ignores the time factor and concentrates solely on movement in price.
• A column of X's or O's may take one day or several weeks to complete.
• By convention, the first X in a column is plotted one box above the last O in the previous column.
• The first O in a column is plotted one box below the highest X.
• The X's represent an upward trend and the O's represent a downward trend.

Renko Chart

Renko charts are excellent in projecting support and resistance levels.

Key Features:

• Renko (Bricks) are drawn equal in size for a known value.
• A brick is drawn in the direction of the prior move, only if prices move by a minimum amount.
• If prices change by the determined amount or more, a new brick is drawn.
• If prices change by less than the determined amount, the new price is ignored.

Three Line Break Chart

The Three Line Break chart is similar to the Point and Figure chart with the following additional features:

• Displays a series of vertical boxes ("lines") that are based on changes in prices.
• Ignores the time factor
• Depicts rising and falling lines of varying heights
• Each new line occupies a new column
• Using closing prices (or highs and lows), leads to drawing a new rising line if the previous high is exceeded.

Stock And Volume Chart

Stock and Volume Charts can be created using a Line Chart for the stock price (or a HiLo-OpenClose as shown below) and a Column Chart for volume data. The "Multiple axes" support aids in the creation of such charts.

In the above chart, the moving average for the stock chart is calculated over a period of three days.

Pie Chart

A Pie Chart is ideal for displaying percentage of fractional format proportionate values.

Key Features:

• Plots Y-values in one series as fractional parts of a circle.
• The data point value determines the portion of the pie that is taken up by the point.
• Displays only one data series at a time.
• Can be used to display only nominal (categorical, qualitative) data.
• Each data item in a chart has a unique color or pattern and is represented in the chart legend.
• Supports bevel, round, inside, outside and custom chart types.

Doughnut Chart

A Doughnut Chart is a Pie Chart with a hole. The value of the data on the Doughnut Chart corresponds to the doughnut coefficient. The Doughnut Chart is best suited for presenting data in proportions.

Bubble Chart

Bubble Chart is an extension of the XY-chart, with each data point represented by a circular bubble and the area of the bubble rendered in proportion to the value of a third variable. The Bubble Chart is commonly used to represent financial data.

Scatter Chart

A simple plot of X and Y values along the two axes can be created using Scatter charts.

Key features:

• The points are not joined together.
• The points can be highlighted using built-in shapes or custom images.
• Numerical data, both discrete and continuous, can be displayed.
• Generally used to plot scientific data.

Connected Scatter Chart

Connected Scatter Charts are a plot of X and Y values along the two axes where the points are connected using lines or splines. The points can be customized using shapes or images to make them easily identifiable.

Accumulation Charts are typically single series charts representing the data in percentages and do not utilize axes.

Funnel Chart

Funnel Chart is a type of Accumulation chart where the height of the funnel segment corresponds to the Y-value of a point in a series.

Funnel charts are often used to represent stages in a sales process and display the potential revenue for each stage.

Alterntively, the Y-value can also be made to correspond to the width of the segment.

Pyramid Chart

Pyramid Chart is another type of Accumulation chart which is triangular in shape. Similar to a Funnel chart, the height of a segment is proportional to the Y-value of the corresponding point.

Note that the base of the pyramid can be square or circular.

Polar Chart

A Polar Chart is a circular graph in which data is displayed in terms of values and angles.

Key Features:

• Provides the option to perform a visual comparison between several quantitative or qualitative aspects of a situation.
• When charts are drawn for several situations using the same axes (poles), a visual comparison between the situations may be made.
• X-value of the data point is used to set the angle.
• Y-value defines the distance from the center of the graph.
  

Radar Chart

Radar chart is a clock-face form of a line chart.

Key Features:

• Compares the aggregate values of the data series.
• Represents each data series as a line around a central point.
• Provides a graphical display of the difference between actual and ideal performance.
• Useful for defining performance, and identifying strengths and weaknesses.

A Combination chart uses two or more chart types to emphasize that the chart contains different kinds of information. Note that:

• Only Chart types that are compatible with each other may be combined in the same Chart Area.
• Combining different chart types on the same chart lets the user display complicated data.