A Thermometer widget is a simple status indicator that displays a thermometer set to a certain temperature level. The temperature level within the thermometer is a visual representation of a single metric value. This type of widget is ideal for tracking progress toward a goal. Like the Gauge and Cylinder widgets, this type of widget is designed to display the value of a single metric.
The Thermometer widget is most useful when combined with a selector because this allows users to choose specific metric values to display in the thermometer. In the image below, the thermometer level represents the Units Sold metric.
Insert a Thermometer widget into the document. For steps, see Inserting a widget into a document
Add objects to the widget template. To do this, from the Dataset Objects panel on the left, select attributes and metrics and drag them on top of the widget, using the following requirements:
Place at least one attribute on the widget template's rows. Its elements are displayed in the selector.
Place one metric on the widget template's columns. This ensures that the temperature level in the thermometer represents the metric values.
Right-click the widget template, select View Mode, and then Graph. The widget template is displayed in a graph view.
Insert a selector next to the Thermometer widget. This selector allows users to choose different attribute elements. Assign the attribute as the selector's source. For steps to insert a selector and select a source for it, see Inserting a selector into a document.
Set the Thermometer widget template as the target of the selector. For steps to select an object as target of a selector, see Choosing targets for a selector.
It is recommended you also drag the dataset report from the Dataset Objects panel and place it beneath the selector. This allows you to see the report's values as you select different attribute elements from the selector and see how they change the appearance of the Thermometer widget.
By default, the values on the side of the Thermometer widget range from 1 to 100. If there are metric values on your report that are larger than 100, right-click the widget and select Properties to open the Thermometer Properties dialog box. In the Max value field, enter a number larger than the largest metric value on the report. For example, if the metric values on the report range from 60,000 to 1,000,000, enter a number like 1,100,000 to accommodate larger values in the data.
View and test your results by selecting Flash Mode.
Note: If Flash Mode is not available you must make Flash Mode available in the document. For steps, see, Defining which display modes are available to users.
In Flash Mode, right-click the widget and select Properties. The Thermometer dialog box opens. These are the options:
Thermometer Type: There are two different thermometer designs --Metallic, a red and silver thermometer, and Web 2.0, a blue and red thermometer.
Min Value: This number will represent the lowest value on the thermometer. Type a minimum value in the field.
Max Value: This number will represent the highest value on the thermometer. Type a maximum value in the field.
Inherit graph-grid formatting: This option allows you to select whether the widget values -- the percentage or currency, for example -- display in the same format as they do in the grid(s) and or graph(s) from which they were added to the widget.
Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.
Related topics