Overview > The Interface

Once you have installed the FusionCharts for Dreamweaver component, you will notice a new 'FusionCharts for DW' tab on the 'Insert' panel. In case you don't see the 'Insert' panel, you can bring it up by selecting the 'Insert' option from the 'Window' menu. After bringing up the 'Insert' panel, select the tab 'FusionCharts for DW'.

The FusionCharts Toolbar

Clicking on the 'FusionCharts for DW' tab will cause it to get highlighted and the FusionCharts toolbar to be displayed. The FusionCharts toolbar contains eight buttons: 'Insert Dynamic Simple Chart', 'Insert Dynamic Composed Chart', 'Insert Simple Chart', 'Edit Dynamic Chart', 'Delete Dynamic Chart', 'Insert Composed Chart' , 'Edit Chart' and 'Delete Chart'.

• Insert Dynamic Simple Chart: This button is used for launching the user interface for creating dynamic simple charts, such as Single Series Charts, Multi Series Charts and Stacked Charts.
• Insert Dynamic Composed Chart: This button is used for launching the user interface for configuring dynamic Combination Charts.
• Edit Dynamic Chart: This button will only work when an existing dynamic chart has been selected. Clicking on this button will launch the user interface showing the data and the chart configurations of the selected chart. If you click on this button without first selecting an existing chart, an alert box will be displayed to inform you that no chart has been selected.
• Delete Dynamic Chart: This button is used for deleting an existing dynamic chart, to delete a chart all you need to do is select the chart and then click the 'Delete Dynamic Chart' button.
• Insert Simple Chart: This button is used for launching the user interface for creating simple charts, such as Single Series Charts, Multi Series Charts and Stacked Charts.
• Insert Composed Chart: This button is used for launching the user interface for configuring Combination Charts.
• Edit Chart: This button will only work when an existing chart has been selected. Clicking on this button will launch the user interface showing the data and the chart configurations of the selected chart. If you click on this button without first selecting an existing chart, an alert box will be displayed to inform you that no chart has been selected.
• Delete Chart: This button is used for deleting an existing chart, to delete a chart all you need to do is select the chart and then click the 'Delete Chart' button.

The FusionCharts user interface

Now, we are going to introduce you to the FusionCharts user interface. In order to bring up the user interface you need to first open up a page that is part of an existing site. You can launch the user interface by either clicking the 'Insert Simple Chart' button or the 'Insert Composed Chart' button.

The interface provides a tabbed layout for quick and easy chart configuration. There are three tabs in the user interface which are:

• Data (Grid): This is used for configuring data for the chart.
• Chart Selection: This is where you get to select a chart type and configure properties pertinent to a particular chart element.
• General Options: Allows you to configure global chart properties (such as fonts, chart size etc.).

The 'Data (Grid)' tab is selected by default and the various options pertaining to data entry are displayed int the panel below. When you click on any other tab it will get highlighted and the content of the screen below will change accordingly.

Minimizing the Interface

While working with FusionCharts for Dreamweaver you may want to minimize the interface in order to work on your Dreamweaver pages. To achieve this just click on the 'FusionCharts for DW' hotspot which is located just below the title bar - clicking on the same spot again will cause the interface to maximize.

Contextual Help

Contextual help is a very helpful feature of the FusionCharts for Dreamweaver interface. Throughout the interface you will find small buttons with a '?' symbol next to every configurable option. On clicking the button, a tooltip will appear with a short description about the functional implication of the configurable option.