Creating Your First Chart

A good way to become familiar with Chartist is to follow this example, creating a small organization chart.

Essential Information Before Plunging Ahead

Start	From the Program Manager, double click the mouse on the Chartist Icon.
Setup	Choose the File Setup Paper & Printer... command from the menu. Make certain that the correct printer is selected from the list. Typefaces that you can use in the chart will be those supported by the selected printer.
Page Boundaries	Notice the green lines on the main display. You may see both solid and dashed lines. The solid green lines indicate the boundaries of pages covered by the chart. The dashed lines indicate the centerlines of the pages.These page sizes will agree with the configuration of your printer.
Grid Points	Also shown on the main display are small black dots in a regular pattern. When the Snap to Grid option is checked, symbols are always centered on grid points. You can turn the grid points off with the View Grid command.
Zooming	The + and - keys on the numeric keypad cause the display to zoom in and out. The current scale factor can be seen in the Tool Bar just under the menu, in percent of full scale. To return to 100% scale in one step, select the View Normal command from the menu. At some reduced scale the grid points will stop being displayed if they are too close together.
Scrolling	The scroll bars on the right and bottom edges of the main window let you move the window over the chart. Clicking the arrows will move the window by 1/8 of its width or height. Clicking on the gray bar between the rectangle and an arrow will move the window by 1/2 of its width or height. You can also click and drag the rectangles ("thumbs"). When you let go, the window will move to the new scroll position.

Making The Chart

Maximize Window	If necessary, click on the Maximize button, which is located at the top right corner of the Chartist window title bar.
Set Line Style	This chart is going to use Auto-Routed lines without arrow heads. By choosing these settings now, you will make them the default settings for new lines. Click on the button in the Tool Bar. You will see the Edit Line Style dialog box. Within the Arrow box, click on the button of drop down list box entitled "Dest," then scroll the box up until you can see the line with no arrow. Click on this selection, and then click on OK. Notice that the sample line in the Tool Bar no longer has an arrowhead.
Move To Top Center	Click on the bottom right scroll bar arrow until the dashed green vertical centerline of the page is near the center of the display.
Add Symbol	Click on the button in the Tool Bar. The cursor will change from an arrow to a small dotted box with a larger dashed rectangle around it. When you place the symbol, it will be centered on the designated point. Alternatively, you can click on the Rect shape in the symbol palette, and bypass the Choose Shape dialog below. Move the cursor to the column of grid points nearest the green centerline. Them move the cursor about 1.5 inches from the top (notice the ruler along the left side of the window), and click the mouse. You will now see the Select Symbol Shape dialog box.
Choose Shape	The available shapes are listed by name. As you highlight each shape name in the list, you will see a small sample of the shape to the right. Highlight the Rect shape and click on the OK button, or press Enter. Congratulations, you have added your first symbol to your first chart!
Add Text	The first symbol is going to contain the boss's name. Click the mouse inside the new symbol. This selects the symbol for editing. You will see eight selection handles superimposed on the symbol. Choose the Symbol Text... command from the menu, or press F3, or double-click inside the symbol. Any of these actions will bring up the Edit Symbol Text dialog box. At the center of the dialog box, you will see a white rectangular area with a flashing text caret. This area is the area inside the symbol into which text can be entered. It will vary in size depending on the size and shape of the symbol you are editing. Type the following into the text area: John Jones [Enter] President [Enter] here means to press the Enter key to start a new line. Notice how the text centers itself in the text area as you type. Click on the OK button, or press Alt+O.
Add More Symbols	Similarly, add a second and third symbol to the chart: Add a Rect below and to the left of the first one. Add the following text to this symbol: Rick Davis VP Design Add a third rectangle below and to the right of the first one. Add the following text to the symbol: Julia Able VP Finance
Moving Symbols	If you did not leave enough room between the symbols, you can move a symbol by clicking inside the symbol and holding the mouse button down while you drag the symbol to a new location. When you let go of the button, the symbol will move to the new location.
Add Line	Click on the button in the Tool Bar. The cursor will change to a circle with a cross, the gunsight cursor. Move the cursor inside the top symbol, near the center of the bottom side. Click and hold the left mouse button. the cursor will change to a pencil. Still holding down the button, drag the cursor to the bottom left symbol, inside it and near the center of the top side. Release the button, and the line will be drawn. Alternatively, you can use the right mouse button to draw lines. Click and hold the right button down and the starting point, and release at the ending point. Note that a line exits the edge of a symbol nearest the click, and enters the edge of a symbol nearest the release.
Deleting Lines	If the line did not route from the bottom of the first symbol to the top of the second, you did not designate the start and end points properly. You can delete the line by selecting it and pressing the Delete key.
Selecting Lines	To select a line, place the cursor on the line but outside the connected symbol. Click the left mouse button. When the line is selected, it is drawn in reverse colors.
Add Second Line	Similarly, add a second line from the bottom edge of the top symbol to the top edge of the third symbol. Notice that the second line shares part of its path with the first one.
Add Title	Add a symbol near the top of the chart, on the same center line as the first symbol. Choose the Titl-Cent shape from shape the list. Notice that this shape has no scale model to the right of the shape list. A title shape does not have a border. When the shape appears in the chart, it will be outlined with a dash-dot line. This informs you that this is a borderless shape. The dash-dot line will not show when printed. Place the following text in the Title: Our Team
Print	To print the chart, deselect all items by clicking outside any symbols and away from any lines, then choose the File Print... command from the main menu. You will see the Print dialog box. Click on the OK button to print the chart. One page will be printed. Chartist automatically prints all of the pages required to cover the information in the chart.

Note: This example assumes that the default font for your selected printer will allow all of the above text to fit inside the respective symbols. If the default font is too big, start over, and do the following:

When you get ready to add text to the first symbol, click on the Fonts... button in the Edit Text dialog box.. Click on the Size box and edit in a smaller point size for the font. For example, if the current size is 12 points, try 10 points instead. Then click on the OK button in the Fonts dialog to go back to the Edit Text dialog. Once you choose a font in this way, it becomes the default font selection for new symbols. See the section on Selecting Fonts For Symbol Text.

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