The eight built-in symbols for charts are not sufficient for some (many?) users. Crosses (+, x) and circles are for instance needed for scientific (and education) uses. Related OOo bug (with 12 votes): http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=3582
You can simply add required symbols to gallery and use it them, what's wrong with that possibility? May be an Extension "add scientific chart line symbols" might be useful?
Created attachment 43586 [details] See Comment 1
Actually, at home I could open a svg image editor, create the symbol I need, save it and add it to the gallery, but many users don't have time do to this, or not the ability (either they are not advanced users enough, either they just don't have any svg editor, for instance at work). This seems to me a blocking factor to introduction in companies or education. I remember being asked a few years ago by my high school chemistry teacher to use Excel instead of OOo during practical works because the first one could make charts with crosses, and ooo not. Therefore, having at least the same symbols as in Excel would be more that useful. But an extension to do so risks to be useful only to those who already can make their SVG symbols.
@nicotnc-gecko@yahoo.fr If you could attach here a DRAW document containing Symbols in accordance to your needs, it should be an ease hack to make these symbols available as Chart symbols. May be you first do a draft with may be 5 symbols, if that works, we can create a complete set.
Created attachment 43597 [details] Additional data series markers proposals Here are 5 proposals, with "+" and "x" crosses, full and empty circle and empty square. I don't have any computer with MS Excel to check the available symbols, but I think that these 5 are enough.
What does " ... needed for scientific (andeducation) uses." mean? What scientific conventions arrogate use of "X" instead of a mutton in a chart line? My gallery proposal has the disadvantage that those symbols will not follow line's color.
May be a solution could be to use characters for additional symbols? They can use the same colors as lines, it should not be too difficult to "connect" their color to the one of the line. Remains the "ad hoc to picture conversion" for the use as symbol, what might not be an "easy hack".
kohei, could you help giving some pointers to make this an easy hack? Not sure, but maybe this can help: http://opengrok.libreoffice.org/search?q=SymbolStyle
In ODF1.2 more symbols are defined. They include Circle, X and Plus. So those symbols can be stored in file format. To get filled and unfilled circle and square it is necessary to allow to set the border and the filling of the symbols independent from each other. The corresponding issues in OOo are 3582, 117838 and 64728. If it is not urgent, I would like to work on this issue.
I have made a prototype implementation for additional symbols. That are those symbols which are listed as "named symbols" in the ODF1.2 specification. Non-filled symbols are not contained, because currently it is not possible to set border and filling independently in LibO. You find pictures of the new symbols in http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/User:Regina/DraftAdditionalSymbolsInCharts. I will attach two patches in addition, so that you can examine the code. The patches are not full tested yet, so please do not push them immediately.
Created attachment 50702 [details] Add new standard symbols for data points
Created attachment 50704 [details] Some mappings changed I have altered some mappings, so that 'circle' is only used for circle, and right arrow is mapped to Excels 'DOWJ' for import and export.
Created attachment 50999 [details] Add missing chart data point ODF1.2 standard symbols Final patch, now in one file :) Following problems are already in current LibO version and not caused by my patch: *Import of xls looses values of non-automatic fields *Import of xlsx sets the kind to "automatic" although they were explicitly set in Excel *Export to xlsx sets the kind to "automatic" although they are explicitly set in LibO.
I've pushed Regina's patch to master, which should add more stock symbol types and save and load with ODS file format. We still need to take care of mapping with the xls(x) file formats, but we could make that a separate bug if needed (so that we can close this one).
[This is an automated message.] This bug was filed before the changes to Bugzilla on 2011-10-16. Thus it started right out as NEW without ever being explicitly confirmed. The bug is changed to state NEEDINFO for this reason. To move this bug from NEEDINFO back to NEW please check if the bug still persists with the 3.5.0 beta1 or beta2 prereleases. Details on how to test the 3.5.0 beta1 can be found at: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/BugHunting_Session_3.5.0.-1 more detail on this bulk operation: http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/RFC-Operation-Spamzilla-tp3607474p3607474.html
I see the new symbols in LO3.5Beta1.
Closing. Please file a new issue, if you see further problems with markers in charts.
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