Set histogram display options

You can change settings in the Search And Filter pane to adjust how the histogram bars are labeled, ordered, and positioned to suit your data and your preferences.

Sort bars in the histogram and remove the total

Bars in a histogram are sorted numerically, by default, based on the number of instances of a specific value. However, you can sort the bars alphabetically based on their labels instead. You can change the sort order to show values as they increase in value or decrease in value, as needed. If the number of instances of each entity is small, but the total number of entities is large, it can be helpful to remove the bar representing the total count from the histogram. These changes apply to all histograms in the pane.

1. Click the Sort button at the top of the Histogram tab .
2. Check a different sort option to change how the bars of the histograms are arranged.
   • Alphabetically (ascending)—Bars in the histogram are sorted alphabetically from A to Z, by the name of the item represented by the bar.
   • Alphabetically (descending)—Bars in the histogram are sorted alphabetically from Z to A, by the name of the item represented by the bar.
   • Count (ascending)—Bars in the histogram are sorted numerically from 1 to 10, by the number of items represented by each bar.
   • Count (descending)—The default option. Bars in the histogram are sorted numerically from 10 to 1, by the number of items represented by each bar.
3. Click the Settings button at the top of the tab.
4. Uncheck the Show total bars option.

   Without the Total bar, a total count of the number of values portrayed in the graph is not available. However, you may be able to visualize the information presented by other bars in the histogram more clearly.

   

Reposition the histogram baseline

A histogram is essentially a bar graph on its side. All histograms in the Search And Filter pane are positioned so the bottoms of the graphs, which represent a zero or null value, are in line. You can reposition this baseline to specify where the graphs will start in the pane. This allows you to accommodate wider labels or highly variable values in the graphs as needed. In the example below, the labels are truncated because they are too long for the available space.

These changes apply to all histograms in the pane. When the baseline is moved to make long labels completely visible, in other histograms the bars may be so far from their short labels that it can be difficult to tell which label is associated with which bar. In this case, consider changing how the labels are placed to put the labels near the bars.

1. Click the Settings button at the top of the Histogram tab .
2. Check Adjust bar baseline.

   A movable vertical bar appears in the Search And Filter pane.

3. Drag the bar left or right to adjust where in the pane the histogram baseline is positioned.

   

4. When you are satisfied with the baseline's position, click the Settings button again, and uncheck Adjust bar baseline.

Change how bars are labeled

You can adjust how the bars in your histograms are labeled to optimize your space in the Search And Filter pane. Labels for the bars can be aligned with the headings in the pane or aligned with the baseline of the histogram to suit your preference. Also, the value indicating what each bar represents can be positioned at different places on or around the bars of the graph.

By default, the label for each bar in the histogram is aligned with the headings in the pane, and a histogram bar follows the label on any given line. The value represented by each bar is placed outside the bar at the bottom of the graph.

1. Click the Settings button and check Labels near bars.

   The labels for each bar are rearranged so they are aligned with the histogram's baseline.

   

2. Click the Settings button and uncheck Bars follow labels.

   Each line in the histogram is rearranged so the bar appears first, followed by its label.

   

3. Click the Settings button and check Histogram values inside bottom.

   The value represented by each bar is placed inside the bar at the bottom of the graph.

   

4. Click the Settings button and check Histogram values inside top.

   The value represented by each bar is placed inside the bar at the top of the graph.

   

5. Click the Settings button and check Histogram values outside top.

   The value represented by each bar is placed outside the bar at the top of the graph, except in the case where the bar for the graph extends all the way to the edge of the Search And Filter pane. For bars that extend to the edge of the pane, the value remains inside of the bar at the top of the graph.