New Components

Sparkline chart components. The new Sparkline chart is based on the Sparkline chart created by Edward Tufte and
provides a method for displaying a one-dimensional range of numeric data in a way that is dense, takes up a small
space, and can be quickly interpreted. It is useful for creating small, data-intense graphs to show trends and
variations associated with a specific measurement, such as stock market activity.

Designers can set key data points (start value, end value, low value, and high value) that will be displayed as markers
on the Sparkline chart. They can also define a normal range that will be displayed as a colored background behind
the chart.

Bullet chart components. Two new charts Horizontal Bullet Chart and Vertical Bullet Chart components are
available, similar to those designed by Stephen Few.

The Bullet Chart components have a single primary measure (for example, current year-to-date revenue) that is
displayed as a vertical or horizontal bar.A marker indicates a target or performance goal and changing color hues
behind the bar indicate qualitative ranges of performance (for example: poor, satisfactory, and good).
Designers can configure the Bullet Chart to display multiple series and can configure the scale, axis, and ticks
separately for each series. For example, the chart can be configured to show revenue in thousands of dollars, profit in
dollars, and order size as a count.

Scorecard Selector component. A new selector component is available that allows you to display visual alerts in a
grid. At runtime, users can click column headings to sort the grid on the column’s data.

The new Scorecard selector component is similar to the List View selector component, but includes options to enable
and configure alerts in columns and to add headers that allow users to sort the columns at runtime. Alert levels can
be displayed with cell background colors, font colors, or alert icons with or without values.

Canvas container component. A new container component is available for creating an invisible container. The new
Canvas container component is similar to the Panel container component, but it does not have any art (for example,
background, borders, heading bar, and so on.)

In design mode, the container is visible to allow the designer to work with the component, but when the model runs,
the container is invisible so components in the container appear to be free floating. If the components in the Canvas
container extend beyond the container borders, scrollbars are added.

Push Button component. A new selector component allows users to restore Single Value components to their
default values without resetting the values for the entire model.
The new Push Button component can be configured to set the values of one or multiple cells to specific values when
the button is pushed. The values change only when the user pushes the button, so users have more control over when
the data is copied to the destination cells.

SWF Loader component. A new web connectivity component is available for loading SWF files at run-time. The
SWF Loader component is similar to the Slide Show component, but it is simpler and has better memory
management. The new SWF Loader enables you to load both Xcelsius and non-Xcelsius SWF files at run-time.
Unlike the Slide Show component, it does not provide transition effects when moving from one file to another and it
does not allow you to block user interaction.

It does have some advanced options that I believe offer the opportunity to load more sophisticated SWF files and
have them interact with the model.

New Features
Chart data labels. A new option is available to overlay data labels on or around chart markers. The Properties panel
for chart components now includes a Data Labels option on the Appearance > Text tab. When selected, data labels
are visible for the chart markers. If designers don’t want labels to display for some series, they can expand the Data
Labels list and deselect the series.
Designers can specify the values used for the labels, the label position, and, if applicable, add leader lines. The
options available for configuring the labels depends on the type of chart.

Chart range slider. For many chart components, you can now add a range slider to allow users to focus on a
particular data set rather than viewing the entire chart at once. When the Enable Range Slider option is selected on
the chart properties panel, on the Behavior > Common tab, designers can specify the beginning and end range for the
slider and set the range labels.
At runtime, the range slider appears below or to the left (for bar charts) of the chart and allows users to select the
data range that is shown in the chart. Users can change the size of the range by adjusting control handles on either
side of the range slider.

The Enable Range Slider option is available for the following charts:

• Line
• Stacked bar
• Column
• Stacked column
• Candlestick
• Combination
• OHLC
• Area
• Stacked Area

Chart sorting. A new Enable Sorting option on the chart properties panels (Behavior > Common) allows designers
to sort the chart data by data values or category labels and for a single series or multiple series. (see graphic in
previous section)

When designers select the Enable Sorting option on the chart “Properties” panel, they can choose to sort the chart by
data or by category labels. If the chart contains multiple series of data and sort by data is selected, the designer can
also specify which series the data will sort on.

The Enable Sorting option is available for the following charts:

Show/hide series at runtime. A new chart property, Enable Hide/Show Chart Series at Run-Time, is available when
legends are enabled. When the property is selected, users can select which series are shown in the chart.

On the Appearance > Layout tab, when Enable Legend is selected, designers can select the Enable Hide/Show Chart
Series at Run-Time option. If selected, at run-time, users can deselect checkboxes or click the series name in the
legend to remove the series from the chart display.

Runtime:
The Enable Hide/Show Chart Series at Run-Time option is available for the following charts:

• Line
• Column
• Stacked column
• Bar
• Stacked bar
• Combination
• Area
• Stacked area
• Radar
• Filled radar
• Bubble
• XY
• Tree Map

Dynamically set color. You can now bind color values to cells in the spreadsheet to dynamically control colors of
component elements. For all component elements, the “Color” selector dialog box includes a new Bind to a Color
option. This option allows you to select a cell in the spreadsheet as the color value. The color for that element will
reflect the value in the selected cell. The cell could then be linked to another component or external data source to
dynamically set the color value at run-time. When a color is bound to the spreadsheet, the Color Selector icon on the
Color tab is replaced by a new Bind icon.

The following color formats are supported:

• Hexadecimal (For example, FFFFFF, #FFFFFF, 0xFFFFFF (not case sensitive))

If the specified cell is blank or contains an invalid value, the element color is set to black.

Load default scenario. The Local Scenario button component now allows users to create and
load a default scenario. The new default scenario option allows users to set the model to a specific
state when the SWF loads. When designers include the Local Scenario button component in
models, at runtime, users can click the button to define and save a scenario. They can then click
the Set Default option to load that scenario by default. The next time the model is opened, it
automatically loads the specified scenario.

Note: Default scenarios are valid only for the local scenarios on the computer where they are
defined (that is, the local computer).

Gauges support multiple indicators. Designers can now configure gauges to display multiple indicators, as well as
set the indicator type to be a needle, outside marker, or inside marker.

When designers bind a gauge to multiple spreadsheet cells, the gauge displays an indicator for each cell. The
designer can then configure the indicator type, label, and label position for each indicator. Note: When a gauge has
multiple indicators, it is an output component only. The Enable Interaction option is not available on Behavior >
Common tab, and users cannot manipulate the gauge values at runtime.

Forecasting. The Trend Analyzer component can now be configured to forecast data for a specific time period based
on the trend found in existing data. Designers can bind the Trend Analyser component to a range that includes the
historical data plus empty cells for the forecast data. At runtime, the Trend Analyzer inserts the trend data and
forecast data into the specified cells.
Designers can also specify the number of forecast periods the Trend Analyzer will forecast. To set the number of
forecast periods dynamically, designers can bind the Number of Forecast Periods box to a spreadsheet cell and, then
bind a dial to the same cell. At runtime, users can manipulate the dial to set the number of forecast periods.

Selectors allow multiple insertions. Many selectors can now be configured to insert multiple chunks of data from
different sources into multiple destinations at once.

On the selector “Properties” panel, in the General view, a new Data Insertion list box is available. By default, the list
box contains one insertion behavior. Designers can click the Plus icon to add more insertion behaviors. The designer
then selects each insertion behavior and specifies its Name, Insertion Type, Source Data, and Destination. At
runtime, when users use the selector, the source data values for all the defined insertion behaviors are written to their
specified destinations.,

The following selectors do not support multiple insertions: Play Selector, Toggle Button, Push Button, Icon, or
Accordion Menu components.

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