Meter
Bar against a target. What the meter is for, the data it needs and every option it has.
6 min read
On this page
Bar against a target. It sits in the Single value group of the widget library.
When to use it#
Use a meter to show one value as a bar along a scale, with an optional target marker and coloured ranges. It suits "how far are we towards the target" questions, such as spending this month against a budget, or an emergency fund against its goal.
When to pick something else#
- Just a percent of a goal, as a ring? Use Progress.
- A dial with zones? Use a Gauge.
- Several items each against their own target? Use a Bullet chart.
- The number and its trend? Use a KPI.
The data it needs#
Pick these in the Data tab of the inspector. BankSync suggests a column for each when your source has an obvious match.
| Field | Needed | Pick | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Yes | a number |
Each row is drawn as it is, so shape the rows first if you need totals. See Shaping data.
Meter options#
Set these on the Style tab of the inspector. "Automatic" means BankSync picks a value from the chart's size and data.
| Option | What it does | Values | New charts start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value column | The column the number comes from. Its values are added up into one number. | Text | value |
| Target | The value the bar fills up to. It sets the end of the scale and is marked on the bar. | Number | 100 |
| Orientation | Lay the bar horizontally (the default) or vertically. | Horizontal, Vertical | Automatic |
| Corner radius | Rounds the ends of the bar, in pixels. Defaults to fully rounded. | Number, 0 or more | Automatic |
| Show value | Write the current value next to the bar. On by default. | On or off | Automatic |
| Show target | Draw a marker at the target on the bar. On by default. | On or off | Automatic |
| Show scale | Write the start and end values of the scale. On by default. | On or off | Automatic |
Needs history#
Show a note instead of the chart until the rows cover enough periods, so a first week never reads as a trend.
| Option | What it does | Values | New charts start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date field | The date column whose distinct periods are counted. | Text | Automatic |
| Period | What counts as one period: a day, week, month, quarter or year. | Day, Week, Month, Quarter, Year | Automatic |
| Periods needed | How many distinct periods the rows must cover before the chart draws (2 to 60). | Whole number, 2 to 60 | Automatic |
| Waiting message | Shown until there is enough history. Leave empty for a message naming the periods. | Text, up to 120 characters | Automatic |
Number format#
How the number is written: currency, percent, decimals and locale.
| Option | What it does | Values | New charts start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | The kind of number: plain, currency, percent, accounting, scientific, compact (1.2K), date, time or duration. Percent expects a fraction, so 0.25 shows 25%. | Number, Currency, Percent, Accounting, Scientific, Compact, Date, Time, Duration | Automatic |
| Locale | Language and region for separators and symbols, such as en-US or en-AU. Defaults to en-US. | Text | Automatic |
| Currency | Three-letter currency code such as USD, AUD or EUR, or auto to use the currency most of the rows are in. Defaults to USD when neither this nor a currency column is set. | Text | Automatic |
| Currency column | The column that holds each row’s currency code, such as currency or isoCurrencyCode, for money in more than one currency. A total is shown in the currency most of its rows are in; when they mix currencies the code is written after the number, such as 1,234.50 AUD, and a KPI says the total adds different currencies. With no code in the rows, a plain number is shown rather than a guessed symbol. | Text, up to 120 characters | Automatic |
| Currency display | Write the currency as its symbol, such as A$1,234.50 (the default), as its code after the number, such as 1,234.50 AUD, which reads the same in every country, or as the bare sign, such as $1,234.50. A dashboard whose money is all in its workspace’s currency uses the bare sign on its own. | Symbol, Code, Narrow | Automatic |
| Decimal places | Show exactly this many digits after the decimal point. | Number | Automatic |
| Sign | When to show a plus or minus sign: automatically, always, for non-zero values only, or never. | Auto, Always, Except zero, Never | Automatic |
| Time zone | Time zone for date and time formats, such as Australia/Sydney. Leave empty for the viewer’s own. | Text | Automatic |
Colour bands#
Coloured ranges along the bar. The bar takes the colour of the band its value falls in. Add as many as you need; each one has:
| Option | What it does | Values | New charts start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ends at | Where this band ends, as a fraction of the target (0.8 is 80%). Each band starts where the previous one ended. | Number, 0 or more | Automatic |
| Band colour | Colour of this band, and of the bar when its value falls in the band. | Colour | Automatic |
| Band name | Optional name shown under the bar and in the tooltip. | Text | Automatic |
Shared chart styling#
Every chart also has the shared styling options. These apply to this one:
- Legend: position, layout and which series show.
- Axes: titles, tick labels and number format.
- Grid, title, padding and background.
- Value labels on the marks.
- Categories and labels: top N with "Other", sort order, readable labels, the handwritten callout.
- Style: corner radius, line width, opacity and animation.
- Tooltip on hover.
- Colours: follow the dashboard palette or pick one for this chart.
Messy data#
- All rows are added into one value by default; choose another summary for balances.
- With no matching rows the meter shows 0, not an empty message, so check the source if a meter reads zero unexpectedly.
- The target sets the end of the scale. Without one, the scale runs to 100, or to the value if it is larger.
- A value past the end draws a full bar, shows the true figure and notes "over" the maximum; one below the start notes "under".
On a phone#
A horizontal meter fits a phone's width well. When the cell gets short, the scale numbers are hidden first so the bar and value keep their room.
Related charts#
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