Introduction to Selectors
Sample Model: List Box
This section provides an example of the Selectors functionality using the Insert in Row function. We will use the List Box selector to illustrate the example.
The List Box is a selector that lets you make one selection at a time from a list of possible selections. In Xcelsius, you can configure the selection to be made by a mouse click or a mouse over. Let's review some of the most relevant features of the List Box:
- Click the Title selection icon to select the List Box title from the Spreadsheet, or enter the text.
- Click the Labels selection icon to select the List Box Labels from the spreadsheet, or enter the label names. Labels are the items that appear on the List Box itself. For example, in the current picture, the words "Aterthon", Berkley", etc. are the List Box labels. You can use any labels that you want, such as Country Names (Argentina, Brazil, USA, Taiwan, etc).
- Chose the Insert Option that applies to your model. See Introduction to Selectors for more detail.
- Select the Insert In range. This is the range or cells that contains the values that are inserted with each List Box selection.
- The Behavior tab lets you specify whether the List Box will have a sound. The sound is a friendly "click" that occurs when a selection is made.
- The Update On option lets you specify whether the selection is made at mouse click or at mouse over. We recommend you select mouse click if, after selecting an item, you can go to another area in the model. We recommend mouse over when the selection shows a chart or other component, but you don't have any other interactivity with the model.
- The Dynamic Visibility Option controls the Display Status, Entry Effect, and Effect Duration.
- The Appearance tab has functions for modifying the appearance of the List Box. Click the Show Title combo box to enable or disable the List Box title, change the title position, size, color, and font style.
- In the Labels section you can align the labels (left, right, center) and change the font size, color, and style. Additionally, you can configure the colors that indicate when a selection has been made (Mouse Over Text, Selected Text).
- The Label Background options let you customize the colors and appearance of the background area that contains the labels. By default, we have selected a professional and user-friendly look. If required, you can change it to suit your needs.
Example
Suppose you need to create a model that shows different branches and the net revenues over a period of years. You want to show branch-by-branch using a List Box and a Column Chart. The List Box will use the Insert in Row function, so that with each selection, a row that contains the net revenues by the selected branch is inserted in the range that is linked to the chart. Let's review some instructions:
1. Typically, your Excel file will look like the figure below. It contains the list of branches and the revenues for years 1998 to 2002. Since you want to use the Insert in Row function, it is a good idea to highlight the row that is going to be used as the target range.
After the Excel file is imported into Xcelsius, insert the List Box on the canvas area and link it to the spreadsheet.
2. From the Property Window, click on the Labels icon and select the branch names as shown below:
3. On the Insert Data menu, select the Insert in Row Function.
4. Click the Source Data icon and select the range that contains the data to be inserted. In this case, select the range B4:F12. With this action, the List Box inserts row-by-row the selected range depending on the selection that is made.
5. Indicate where you want the row values to be inserted by clicking the Insert In icon and selecting the range B14:F14.
The List Box is now ready. The final step in the configuration process is to insert and link the column chart to the selected Insert In range.
After you create the chart, your model will look like the following. Note that with each selection made, the chart changes dynamically.
