Supported Field Types for GravityCharts Data Sources
Three settings decide what a chart plots, and they do different jobs. Knowing which is which is the fastest way to get the chart you want.
How the three settings fit together #
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Data Source | The field the chart groups by. Each of its choices becomes a bar, a slice, or a point. |
| Data Operation | What the chart shows for each group: a count of entries, or a sum, average, maximum or minimum. |
| Data Field | The field whose values are aggregated. Only needed when the operation is something other than Entry count. |
So a chart of average revenue per region uses the Region field as the Data Source, “Average values” as the Data Operation, and the Revenue field as the Data Field.
Data Source: which fields can be charted #
The Data Source has to be a field that offers choices, because those choices are what the chart groups by:
- Drop Down
- Multi-Select Drop Down
- Radio Buttons
- Checkboxes
The same field types from the Survey Add-On, Quiz Add-On (scores are not supported) and Polls Add-On work too. Other field types on the form, including Number, Date and text fields, are not offered in the list.
Warning: Multiple Rows Likert Survey fields and the Survey Rank field type are currently not supported.
Note: One chart uses one Data Source. To chart the same form more than one way, create more charts, since one feed produces one chart.
Data Field: Number fields and what else counts #
When the Data Operation is anything other than Entry count, a Data Field appears. This is the field being added up or averaged, and it accepts:
- Number
- Drop Down
- Multi-Select Drop Down
- Radio Buttons
- Checkboxes
- List
Choice-based fields work here as long as their choices carry numeric values. Values that are not numeric are ignored rather than counted as zero.
A Number field does not need a date field or a timeline. Pair it with any choice-based Data Source and pick the operation you want, and the chart aggregates it directly.
Date field: only for timelines #
Setting the Data Type to “Show on Timeline” replaces the Data Source with a Date field, which puts dates along the X axis instead of a field’s choices. That setting only accepts Date fields, plus the entry date, and timelines are available on Bar / Column and Line / Area charts.
For the full timeline walkthrough, see Plotting data against time.
