Fundamentals for managing graphs

Your ArcGIS document may contain several graphs. To help you manage these graphs, you can use Graph Manager.

The Graph Manager is a dockable window, within which you can open, save, rename, and remove graphs. You can export and print them, as well as add them to a layout. You can also start Create Graph Wizard to create a new graph.

To access the Graph Manager, click the View menu, point to Graphs, then click Manage. Optionally, you can choose to dock the Graph Manager window. The dialog box will look like the following:

Graph Manager example

Available managing options

The following options are available on the context menu for each graph in the list of graphs in Graph Manager. You can access this context menu by right-clicking the graph in the list.

Graph Manager option

Description

Open

Displays the selected graph. This is useful when the graph has been closed or is not visible.

Print

Opens the Print Preview dialog box in preparation for printing the graph.

Duplicate

Creates a duplicate graph.

Copy as Graphic

Copies the graph to the Windows Clipboard as an enhanced metafile. It can then be transferred to a graphics application or bitmap editor to be incorporated into documents in other applications.

Add to Layout

Adds the graph to the current layout in preparation for printing a map.

Rename

Allows you to change the name of the graph. This action can also be accomplished by clicking the graph in the list, then again to choose the text of the name.

Delete

Removes the graph from the list of graphs in Graph Manager. The graph is permanently gone once this option is selected. If you think you might want the graph in the future, but want to remove it from the current document, you can save or export it to have a permanent version of it.

Refresh

Updates the graph when the properties or advanced properties have been changed.

Save

Saves the graph as a .grf file.

Export

Exports the graph in one of several ways. The export can be a graphic bitmap or metafile in several formats. It can be in the native graph format, which can be reloaded as a full graph in other map documents. Or, just the data can be exported in several different formats, allowing you to create your own versions of the graph in other applications.

Advanced Properties

Enables the Advanced Properties dialog box to give you much more control over the appearance of the graph.

Properties

Allows you to change the graph with the options available in Graph Wizard.

Graph Manager options

If you remove the layer on which a graph is based, the graph will still remain in your document. You need to specifically remove the graph if you no longer want it. You can associate the graph with a new layer by displaying Graph Properties and assigning a new layer.


Published 6/7/2010