Customizing Map Legend
When the data appearing in a Map chart contains multiple variables, the chart may include one or more legends.
The legend contains a list of the variables displayed in the map and an example of their appearance. This information allows the data from each variable to be identified in the map series.
A legend always contains one or more legend items where each legend item consists of a colored box that represents the series, and a text string that describes the series.
When using a
ShapeMapSeries, the legend items depend on itsColorsCountproperty.
Setting the Order
Legend items are ordered according to the order in which they are processed by the processing engine. To change their order, change the Sortings Expression or Direction of the MapGroup.
Modifying the Text and Text Style
To modify the text of the legend items, change the Map.MapSeries Legend Expression.
When you use the
ShapeMapSeries, theLegendItem.Valueexpression allows you to apply theRangeMinandRangeMaxspecific references, which determine the minimum and maximum values of the respective data range.
To change the text style of the legend items:
- Click the map legend you want to change. The selected legend properties are listed in the Property Browser.
- In the Style property, click the Edit Collection (…) button. As a result, the Edit style dialog opens. Modify the style properties as required.
- When you are done, click OK.
If you are using the Standalone Report Designer, you can use the ribbon format and map tools.
Changing the Color
The colored box displayed for each legend item is inherited from the fill color of its corresponding series. To change the color displayed in a legend item, you will have to change the color of the corresponding series. For more information, refer to the article about series.
Removing Extra Legend Items
The legend is always connected to a series. If a legend item appears in the legend but the corresponding series is not displayed in the chart, the most likely cause is that the series does not contain any values. To remove the legend item from the legend, you must remove this series. To remove a series from your chart, you have to set up a Filter for the corresponding SeriesGroup.
Positioning
You can move the legend to one of twelve different positions when the legend is placed outside the chart area. By default, the legend is shown outside the plot area.
To reposition the legend:
- Click the legend area. The legend properties are listed in the Property Browser;
- In the Misc section, select a value for the Position property.
To move the legend inside the plot area:
- Click the legend area. The legend properties are listed in the Property Browser;
- In the Misc section, set the IsInsideThePlotArea property to True.
Rendering
To display the legend horizontally, move the legend to the top or bottom of the chart. As a result, the legend expands horizontally.
Setting the Size
The legend can be absolutely or automatically sized. If the Height or Width fields are left empty, the engine will define their run-time values according to the data.
The automatic sizing partially depends on the positioning of the legend as follows:
Absolutely positioned—If both dimensions are set, the size is absolute and will not be altered at run-time. If one of the dimensions is not set, the legend will automatically grow in its direction. The ordering of the items is "down then across", forming columns.
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Relatively positioned—The supported options are
Center,LeftTop,LeftCenter,LeftBottom,RightTop,RightCenter,RightBottom.The width is absolute if set. Otherwise, the legend can grow horizontally. The legend can stretch up to the width of the plot area when
IsInsidePlotArea = Trueand no more than half of the map width whenIsInsidePlotArea = False.The height is taken into account only if all items can fit in the provided space. Otherwise, the legend grows vertically, stretching to the limits of the map at maximum. The ordering of the items is "down then across", forming columns.
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Relatively positioned—The supported values are
TopLeft,TopCenter,TopRight,BottomLeft,BottomCenter,BottomRight.The height is absolute if set. Otherwise, the legend can grow vertically. The legend can stretch up to the height of the plot area when
IsInsidePlotArea = Trueand no more than half of the map height whenIsInsidePlotArea = False.The width is taken into account only if all items can fit in the provided space. Otherwise, the legend grows horizontally, stretching to the limits of the map at maximum. The ordering of the items is "across then down", forming rows.