Graph Builder: Line - possibility to add breaks (💚)

[hogi]

☑ cool new feature
☑ could help many users!

☑ removes a „bug“

☐ nice to have

☐ nobody needs it

#myTop10_2024

What inspired this wish list request? 

For Line Graphs in Graph Builder, there is a cool feature row order.
If it's selected, the line doesn't connect data points from left to right in the graph - but along the order in which they appear in the data table.

hogi_0-1689353265557.png

Instead of this graph:

hogi_1-1689353577247.png

the user gets this graph:

hogi_2-1689353594784.png

Much better ...

But unfortunately, there are those nasty jumps "back" to the next curve.

Of course, for simple graphs, you can use a column (here "Station") as an overlay to produce 3 separate curves, without the zigzag.
But already with slightly more complicated graphs like this one here: Graph Builder. Combine Smoother and Line - how? the user reaches the limits of current Graph Builder (v17, v18).

What is the improvement you would like to see? 

1.  With sorted data in the data table, a step from right to left indicates a new curve.
   So, with row order enabled, there could be an additional option to draw lines  "only left -> right".
   If this option is enabled, line for steps from higher to lower values will disappear -> the jump back-lines are gone : )
   hogi_4-1689354483794.png
   
   
2. Fallback:  Rows with missing y value could be used to add a break in line graphs (even somewhere in the center of the graph - cool, right?)
   ... if there was an option: *)
   hogi_5-1689355375351.png
   

Why is this idea important? 

a tiny change of the program - a  tremendous improvement for the users:

dt =Open( "$SAMPLE_DATA/Functional Data/Weekly Weather Data.jmp" );
dt << New Column( "group",Character,"Nominal",Formula( Substr( :STATION, 8, 1 ) ));
Graph Builder(
	Size( 523, 407 ),
	Summary Statistic( "Median" ),
	Graph Spacing( 4 ),
	Variables( X( :DATE ), Y( :TAVG ), Overlay( :group ), Color( :group ) ),
	Elements( Line( X, Y, Legend( 31 ), Row order( 1 ) ) ),
	Local Data Filter(
		Add Filter(
			columns( :STATION ),
			Where( :STATION == {"USW00003195", "USW00003868", "USW00003949"} ),
			Display( :STATION, N Items( 15 ) )
		)
	)
)

more wishes by  hogi_2-1702196401638.png

[hogi]

Option (2) is already available in Jmp:

hogi_0-1689434871660.png

Nevertheless, option (1) is still the preferred solution - can solve the issues of the backward jumps without the need to add auxiliary rows to the data table:

hogi_1-1689434936358.png

[Craige_Hales]

Interesting idea - if the X (or Y) order decreases, start a new line

[hogi]

Thanks @Craige_Hales 

With some luck, a developer will find the wish and likes it ...

[hogi]

@mia_stephens , easy to implement - could help a lot.

Till the new feature is available...
I just uploaded a new version of QuickSelect Toolbar .
It has a new function:

The idea:
Add dummy rows between every block of data - to add a break in the line plot.
It adds the new lines at the end of the table and uses a numeric column for sorting. Unfortunately, sorting a table is forbidden if reports are open (!)
-> will benefit from Sort data table + add rows + concatenate -- make it possible 

But I hope that 

will come first ...

[BHarris]

In this case you can just create a new column (variable) for whatever's different between the lines, then drop that variable into Overlay, which breaks the lines correctly.

[hogi]

I never have free Overlay Dropzones ; )

This is a very common use case in our company.
Here is an example with Weather data - in this case, the Overlay is used for the Smoother:
 Graph Builder. Combine Smoother and Line - how? 

[hogi]

Hi @Sarah-Sylvestre , "removing the zig-zag" lines cold be combined with other options to facilitate the formatting of plots in Graph Builder:

[hogi]

#DACH2024

[XanGregg]

Another work-around, in case it's useful. Assigning the backwards line segments their own legend color item with width 0.

dt = Open( "$SAMPLE_DATA/Functional Data/Weekly Weather Data.jmp" );
dt << New Column( "group", Character, "Nominal", Formula( Substr( :STATION, 8, 1 ) ) );
dt << New Column( "cgroup", Character, "Nominal",
	Formula( If( Row() == 1 | Lag( :DATE ) > :DATE, "break", Substr( :STATION, 8, 1 ) ) )
);
Graph Builder(
	Size( 523, 448 ),
	Summary Statistic( "Median" ),
	Graph Spacing( 4 ),
	Variables( X( :DATE ), Y( :TAVG ), Overlay( :group, Overlay Encoding( "None" ) ), Color( :cgroup ) ),
	Elements( Line( X, Y, Legend( 31 ), Row order( 1 ) ) ),
	Local Data Filter(
		Add Filter( columns( :STATION ),
			Where(
				:STATION == {"USW00012924", "USW00013733", "USW00013877", "USW00014751", "USW00014922", "USW00024024"}
			),
			Display( :STATION, N Items( 15 ) )
		)
	),
	SendToReport(
		Dispatch( {}, "400", ScaleBox,
			{Legend Model( 31, Properties( 3, {Line Width( 0 )}, Item ID( "break", 1 ) ) )}
		),
		Dispatch( {}, "400", LegendBox, {Legend Position( {31, [0, 1, 2, -1, -4, -4, -4]} )} )
	)
);