Why is this DropZone called "Color"

[#1]

Day 1 with JMP and a user wants to generate a point plot with 2 different colors for male and female:

The easy solution: use the Color Dropzone

The surprise: The Overlay does the same.

The second surprise: "Color" can do more than just "color":
For every entry in the legend, the user gets the possibility to define the Marker Style as well - as well as Size and Transparency.

A lazy user doesn't configure the colors manually - again and again for every single plot and subplot.

One alternative (which I use just very rarely):  row states to specify Colors and Markers.

The disadvantage: 
the legend in Graph Builder doesn't fit.

Another alternative (which I prefer):

define suitable colors via Column Property: Value Columns
Pros:
- meaningful legends - automatically (!)

- separate settings for every column (not via rows)

- I can control (via the Overlay and Color dropzone) where I want to use the setting - and for wich plots I DON'T want to use the setting : )

- I can overwrite the setting for individual entries via the legend right click menu

The 3rd surprise: there is no Column Property: Value Markers *)

Day 2 - the JMP user detects the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between the  Color and Overlay Dropzones:
by adding a smoother:

Now, let's add Color to the plot
suprise 4: with Color via Color, there is just a single fit curve:

... this is when the user remembers surprise #1, tries Overlay, and falls in love with the Overlay dropzone:

So, for scatter plots there is no apparent difference between Color and Overlay - but for other plots it is !!!
And often Overlay is THE way to add color.
Another example:

vs.

Now let's generate another points plot - where there is a difference between Color and Overlay:
Color just adds color to the points, Overlay generates separate plots for every color, overlays them

- and by doing so: hides some girls. -> dangerous!

vs. 

Let's keep the plot as a stacked bubble plot, and with the findings from surprise #2, let's now define Markers for different values
... with the help of the Color Dropzone

[#2]

in Pictures from the Gallery#9, @scwise mentions this mismatch between Overlay encoding @ 21 min .

[#3]

I think of "color" as being strictly color, but "overlay" as being the equivalent of the old transparencies-on-a-projector apparatus where you could "overlay" different plots on top of each other.  Yes, it's a little weird that overlay also drives the color, but I'm glad it does.  Overlay is also one of my favorite features of Graph Builder because it lets me break line plots wherever I want using a specific variable.

[#4]

Color is much more than just "Color", see :
Why is this DropZone called "Color" 

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@hogi wrote:

Day 1 ...

The second surprise: "Color" can do more than just "color":
For every entry in the legend, the user gets the possibility to define the Marker Style as well - as well as Size and Transparency.

zoom out view:

For Color together with Overlay, you are right.
Overlay takes away most of of Color's superpowers - just Color and Transparency are left:

[#5]

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@hogi wrote:

Overlay takes away most of of Color's superpowers - just Color and Transparency are left:

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oh yes - and actually, there are some cases where the Color dropzone takes the full control for Transparency.
There is a Transparency setting for the individual Overlay entries, but without effect:
Transparency for Overlay Group? 

I hope in a future version of JMP the user will get more flexibility to adjust which settings are controlled by Color or Overlay .

[#6]

Graph Builder: support more than 2 'Color' columns (💚) 
-> now available in JMP19   : )

[#7]

How to synchronize color settings in JMP?
(same color for points and lines | same color for the left and right plot ...)

by far the best option:  Color Properties / Value Colors & Color Gradient: 
very easy to define -> all plots share the same settings | no "shifts" caused by subsets and local data filters

Within a plot window, one can specify a color setting which is applied to all plot types (lines, points) and subplots.
via red triangle/Color Settings:

It is important to note the following when the user wants to apply color settings manually:

1. If only one entry is visible in the legend ("M" is displayed as points and lines, but there is only one item in the legend),
   the setting is applied to every corresponding plot (points, lines and other regions of the plot) -> synchronized changes *)
2. If there are more entries visible in the legend (e.g. two 'M's), the changed setting will only apply to one plot type/subplot.
3. The transition from Mode 1 to Mode 2 is irreversible. Once a setting has been changed, it is not possible to switch back to mode 1. Not even Revert is enough to reset the setting (useful workaround: open the script, delete the settings and run the script)
   
   
4. revert:
   

*) this is not a bug, it is a feature

[#8]

related topic: assign a color to axis labels (to match the color used in the plot)

Until now, assigning a color to axis ticks and labels was complicated.
Users had to apply the color via the 'Properties' menu on the right.

This type of assignment is fragile: The setting is applied to the Nth axis Box.
Changing the plot layout ruins the assignment:

[after adding the second x axis, the labels on the right are black , labels on the second x axis are red]

With JMP19, there is now an easier and more robust way: just click 'Parallel Y Labels' in the red triangle menu.
This new functionality has been implemented Plotting several trends from sensor data that have different units (or scale) 
nice: the color will match the color in the plot