Crosshair¶
Known issues
Some chart features have known issues in the current release. See Known issues.
A crosshair draws dashed lines through the point nearest the pointer and shows that point's values, so users can read exact values from a chart without hover text.
Turning on the crosshair¶
The crosshair is turned on per plot, in "Edit Plot".
- In Editor mode, select the chart's edit button, then Plot -> Edit Plot. The "Edit Plot" window opens.
- Under "CROSSHAIR", select "Enable crosshair".
- Under "SERIES TO SNAP TO", check that the layers the crosshair should follow are selected.
- Select "OK".
- Leave Editor mode, move the pointer over the plot, and check that dashed lines follow it and a box shows the values of the nearest point.
A crosshair added over MCP starts with no layer selected under "SERIES TO SNAP TO", and draws nothing until one is selected here, unless it was added with zpositions, such as [0] for the chart's first layer. See Adding a layer.
Crosshair settings¶
The crosshair's settings are in "Edit Plot", and apply as they are changed:
| Setting | Default | What it sets |
|---|---|---|
| "Snap Behaviour" | "Snap to closest point" | What the crosshair snaps to: "Snap to closest X value", "Snap to closest Y value", or "Snap to closest point" |
| "Line Draw Direction" | "Draw both lines" | Which lines are drawn: "Draw vertical line", "Draw horizontal line", or "Draw both lines" |
| "Free floating (follow cursor)" | Off | Whether the lines follow the pointer itself instead of snapping |
| "Axis value chip" | "Off" | Which axes show a label at the crosshair's value: "Off", "X axis", "Y axis", or "Both axes" |
| "Show axis value as header" | Off | Whether the values box starts with the x value as a heading line |
| "SERIES TO SNAP TO" | Every layer, when turned on here | Which layers the crosshair follows, with one checkbox per layer |
The "TOOLTIP" section also has "Show all series closest points" and "Force default style". The look of the crosshair's lines and chips is set in the same window, under "STYLE" and "AXIS CHIP".
How the crosshair behaves¶
The crosshair snaps to the data point nearest the pointer and shows that point's values, such as "Dy: 3.000" and "Qty: 15.000". With "Show axis value as header", the box gains a first line with the x value, and with "Axis value chip" set to "X axis", a chip under the x axis shows the same value.
On a bar chart, the crosshair's box does not reliably show the bar under the pointer. Snapping stops after the second bar: the crosshair shows the first bar, moves its line to the boundary between the first and second bars to show the second, and then does not move again, on vertical and horizontal bar charts alike. With "Free floating (follow cursor)" on, the lines follow the pointer, but the box shows the bar to the right of the one under it, the last bar shows itself, and the first bar is never shown. Line charts are not affected. To read a bar's value, use the layer's hover text instead; see Writing hover text.
With "Axis value chip" set to "Both axes", a chip on each axis shows the crosshair's x and y values, such as 6.00 and 20.
Near the top of a plot the values box can be drawn outside the window, over whatever is above it.
What this does not support¶
- Layers other than charts: the crosshair follows 2D chart layers, the ones listed under "SERIES TO SNAP TO". It does not follow radial layers, legends, or annotations.