Layers in TrendHub will help you compare different periods of interest in a visual way. Layers can be created or added in multiple ways throughout the application. In this document the focus is on creating a manual layer and customizing layers.
After adding tags or attributes of interest and jumping to the Layers menu by clicking the layers menu icon on the left side of the screen, you will see the following overview.
By default, there will be one layer present, this layer is marked as the base layer and is the period which is also shown on the focus chart. The time axis and the date pickers of the focus chart always show the time frame of the base layer.
Layer options
On the layers menu you have several options.
Align layers leading: With this option, which is selected by default, all active layers will be aligned with the same starting point.
Align layers trailing: This option will align the end points of all the active periods.
Hide all layers: The hide option will hide all layers except for the base layer.
Clear all layers: With this option, all layers except for the base layer will be removed. This action cannot be undone.
Exception: If a view is saved, unsaved changes will be triggered. The "discard changes" option can restore the deleted layers.
Creating a layer
Adding a new layer is done by clicking the blue plus button in the menu's header on the right side. A popup will be shown where you can specify a specific start and end date for the new layer. By default, the start and end date of the base layer is filled out.
Make sure the desired start and end date and time is entered before clicking the blue "Add layer" button. Once confirmed the layer is immediately added to the layer list and visualized on the focus chart. These layers are referred to as sublayers.
You can think of a sublayer as being an exact copy of the historical data of all your visualized tags in the base layer; only the period focused upon is different. This enables you to compare different periods of the same data in one overview.
More detail about adding layers using searches can be found here.
The base layer has a full line visualization on the context chart matching the period, once other layers are added, they are indicated on the context chart by striped lines.
Layer details
When a layer is selected (see image below) a details box appears that holds the layer's visual and origin information, as well as options to act upon the layer.
Visual
This visual information and actions include:
- The start and end date and time of the period.
- Shift options, to move the layer into the past or future (only available for sublayers).
- Layer name input field.
- Tag visualization option, to hide a specific tag (or attribute) in this layer.
- Line style, option to make a difference between the layers (only available for sublayers).
Origin
The origin information and actions include:
- Original start and end date and time of the layer.
- The entered time stamps when creating a layer.
- The original start and end date of the layers which were added through a saved view.
- The start and end date of the search result.
- Duration of the layer.
- Source, the location where the layer originates from:
- Manually added.
- Type of search.
Customizing a layer
Once a layer is added, it is highlighted on the focus chart. This enables you to directly customize the new layer.
You can also do the same to existing layers. By clicking them once, the details are revealed.
Moving layers
You can shift layers if needed, by clicking the shift buttons. The outer buttons correspond to a shift of 5% of the current period and the inner buttons to a shift of 0.5% of the current period.
You can also move a layer around on the context chart by grabbing the periods grab handle, which appears after clicking the layer. Zooming in on the context chart makes it easier to move the layers to a more precise location.
Renaming layers
Giving a layer a name helps distinguish them on other locations (E.g., Compare layer, in exports, etc.) This can be done after a layer is selected, by entering a new name into the input field and hitting enter to confirm. By default, each layer is named "Layer".
Excluding tags
The tags option allows you to hide a specific tag or attribute on the selected layer. Simply click the colored dot to match the tag (or attribute) you wish to hide.
Changing line styles
Adjusting the line style of a layer also helps distinguish layers. You can select up to five different line styles.
Setting new base layer
You can set any layer to be the base layer. As mentioned earlier, this will update the time axis and the date pickers of the focus chart.
Note: All changes to the layers can be saved within a view and are present on the chart visual export.