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Time Series Charts
- You can draw time series charts.
- The number allowed to draw the plots must not exceed 7.
- To start, click "Time series charts" button on the applet or select
"Time series charts" item from Tools in the menu bar.


If you use the sample data,
click here, and save it in
the directory (or folder) specified in
the user policy
file. (This data was refered to Japan Meteorological Agency.)
When you draw the plot of the sample data,
- Check the box in front of "Set" at the line "Data labels".
- Check the boxes in front of "Year" and "Month" at the line "Time".
- Click the "Set" button at the line "Number of data files (max 7)".
- Click "open" at the line "Data file1", and specify the data file
name saved according to the above instruction.
- When clicking the "Plot" button bellow, the chart is displayed in another window.
Data
- Data must be inputted by normal width.
- Data must be inputted in the data file corresponding to the
following combinations of time data and y.
- The data must be inputed in order of time and y which are
delimited by space or tab. Change the line, and input the data of the following row similarly until the input of the last data ends. The time data must be
inputted in order of year, month and day which are delimited by
/(slash).
2001/1/1  | y1 |
2002/1/1  | y2 |
2003/1/1  | y3 |
. | . |
. | . |
. | . |
200x/1/1  | yn |
- When the time consists of year and month, the time must be
inputted in order of year/month which are delimited by
/(slash).
- When the time consists of month and day, the time must be
inputted in order of month/day which are delimited by
/(slash).
- When the time is one of these(year, month and day), the /(slash) is unnecessary.
- In addition, you can use the table data form in the data file. You may
include the column data in the data file which are not necessary to make
the graph.
In that case, the specification of the columns in the data file used
to make the graph is needed at the line "Data columns for file1(2, 3, ...)(Option)" in the following "Input" instruction.
Data files
- The title for the graph can be specified at the line "Graph title (Option)". Click the "Set" button after describing it.
- The label for the abscissa in the graph can be specified
at the line "Label for abscissa (Option)". Click the "Set" button after describing it.
- The label for the ordinate in the graph can be specified
at the line "Label for ordinate (Option)". Click the "Set" button after describing it.
- When the labels for data are used, check the box in front of "Set" at the line "Data labels". Each label for data can be set in the first row in the data file. The label can not include spaces. Each label has to be delimited by space or tab.
- Check the box in front of "Year", "Month" or "Day" according to the time at the line "Time".
- Input the number of data files to be drawn at the line "Number
of data files (max 5)", and click the "Update" button. The number of
data files must not exceed 7.
- After that, click the "Set" button.
Inputs
- Click "open" at the line "Data file1" and specify the data file name.
- The columns in the data file to be used to draw a graph can be
specified at the line "Data columns for file1 (Option)". The columns must be specified in order of the column of time data
and the column of y data which are delimited by space. For instance,
when the time data are put in the third column and y data in the
fifth column in the data file, specify "3 5", and check the box in
front of "Set".
- The explanatory note (legend) for the graph can be specified at the
line "Legend1 (Option)". Click the "Set" button after describing it.
- The color of the graph can be selected at the
line "Data color for file1 (Option)". Click the "Set" button after
selecting it.
- The marker type can be selected at the
line "Data point shape for file1 (Option)". Click the "Set" button after
selecting it.
- Input similarly for the number of data files specified.
Outputs
- When the "Plot" button is clicked, the chart is displayed in
another window.
Graph window
- You can change the title for the graph at the line "Title". When a
suitable title is inputted, and the "Set title" button is clicked, the title is changed.
- You can change the labels of x and y axis at the line "Label". When a
suitable label is inputted respectively, and the "Set x label" button
and the "Set y label" button are clicked, the labels are changed.
- You can change the display ranges of x and y axis at the line
"Range". When a suitable range is inputted respectively (the
numerical values must be delimited by space), and the "Set x range" button
and the "Set y range" button are clicked, the graph that the display
range has been changed is displayed again.
- You can change the scales of x and y axis from the linear to the log scale at the
line "Scale". When changing it to the log scale, check each check-box. When releasing it, remove the check from the box.
- Explanatory notes (legends) can be displayed at the position
specified. At the line "Legends", specify the position at which the explanatory notes are displayed, and click the "Set" button.
- Ticks can be put in x and y axis at the line "Ticks". Tick can be put
by inputting a suitable tick value (1 to 10) and clicking the "x ticks" button or the "y ticks" button.
- To save a graph image, refer here.
Kazushi Neichi
Department of Business Administration, Tohoku Gakuin University