Re: st: bar graph axis color- frustrated

[Michael McCulloch <mm@pinestreetfoundation.org>]

Yes, works just fine, and i was able to extend your example to  
incorporate the size option:

graph dot (asis) mean*, over(var) name(reshape, replace) ///
	marker(1, msymbol(Oh) msize(huge)) marker(2, msymbol(d) msize(huge))

On Jun 11, 2010, at 4:29 PM, Michael N. Mitchell wrote:

> Dear Michael
>
>  I think you can use the -marker()- option...
>
> graph dot (asis) mean*, over(var) name(reshape, replace) marker(1,  
> msymbol(Oh)) marker(2, msymbol(d))
>
> Does that do the trick?
>
> Michael N. Mitchell
> Data Management Using Stata      - http://www.stata.com/bookstore/dmus.html
> A Visual Guide to Stata Graphics - http://www.stata.com/bookstore/vgsg.html
> Stata tidbit of the week         - http:// 
> www.MichaelNormanMitchell.com
>
>
>
> On 2010-06-11 4.19 PM, Michael McCulloch wrote:
> > On this example code of dot plots, how would one change the dots to
> > other shapes?
> > Following -help graph dot-, I tried:
> > graph dot (asis) mean*, over(var) name(reshape, replace)  
> > dots(msymbol(o d))
> > but received the error message:
> > (note: named style smcircle d not found in class symbol, default
> > attributes used
> >
> >
> >
> > **** begin David's example ****
> > sysuse auto,clear
> > local i = 1
> > foreach var of varlist mpg head turn gear {
> > local l`var' : var label `var'
> > local a " `a' `i' `"`l`var''"' "
> > local ++i
> > }
> > collapse mpg head turn gear, by(fore)
> > stack mpg head turn gear, into(a) clear
> > label def _stack `a'
> > label val _stack _stack
> > bys _s: gen origin = _n -1
> > reshape wide a, i(_s) j(origin)
> > label var a0 "Domestic"
> > label var a1 "Foreign"
> > graph dot (asis) a*, over(_s) name(stack, replace)
> >
> > /* Dave */
> > sysuse auto,clear
> > collapse (mean) mpg head turn gear, by(foreign)
> > foreach var of varlist mpg-gear {
> > rename `var' mean`var'
> > }
> > gen row = _n
> > reshape long mean, i(row) j(var) string
> > drop row
> > reshape wide mean, i(var) j(foreign)
> > label var mean0 "Domestic"
> > label var mean1 "Foreign"
> > graph dot (asis) mean*, over(var) name(reshape, replace)
> >
> > **** end David's example ****
> >
> >
> > On Jun 11, 2010, at 3:27 PM, Kieran McCaul wrote:
> >
> > > ...
> > >
> > > OK, I agree, Nick. Putting more examples into the documentation  
> > > would
> > > be unnecessary, but I do think that the documentation could be a  
> > > little
> > > clearer.
> > >
> > > I rarely do bar graphs, but let's say I had to do one.
> > >
> > > I first generate the bar graph with the minimal number of options  
> > > set.
> > > It looks OK, so now I start modifying it to get the final graph  
> > > that I
> > > want.
> > >
> > > One of the things I want to do is specify axes of a certain width  
> > > and
> > > colour. Now I know how to do this for scattergrams, line graphs,  
> > > etc,
> > > so this should be no big deal, so naively I add in -xscale(lw(*2)
> > > lc(red))-, but this doesn't work.
> > >
> > > OK, so I look at the help file and I see "axis_options". Fine, I  
> > > look
> > > at these.
> > >
> > > There is nothing in there about the x-axis, other than the option
> > > -xalternate-; everything else is about the y-axis.
> > >
> > > How do I set the options for the x-axis? Where do I look? I'm not
> > > going to believe that the programmers who wrote -graph bar- didn't
> > > anticipate that someone would want to tinker with the look of the
> > > x-axis, so I "know" the options will be in there.
> > >
> > > So I go back up to the top of the help file and start reading it,  
> > > line
> > > by line, and eventually I find them: -axis(cat_axis_line_options)-  
> > > is
> > > one of the options of -yvaroptions-.
> > >
> > > Now this seems a tad obscure to me. If I'm looking for axis  
> > > options and
> > > I see a hyperlink called axis_options, then that's where I would go.
> > > I'm hardly going to go looking in -yvaroptions-.
> > >
> > > So, I think the help file could be a bit more helpful. By all means
> > > keep the x-axis options in -yvaroptions-, but I think that it  
> > > would be
> > > helpful to have a note in the -axis_options- that simply said  
> > > something
> > > like "If you want to alter the characteristics of the x-axis, go  
> > > to the
> > > options listed under -yvaroptions-".
> > >
> > > Kieran
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
> > > [mailto:owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu] On Behalf Of Nick Cox
> > > Sent: Friday, 11 June 2010 6:03 PM
> > > To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
> > > Subject: RE: st: bar graph axis color- frustrated
> > >
> > > This isn't (meant to be) contentious, but the thread does  
> > > underline that
> > > none of half-a-dozen experienced Stata users knew the answer just  
> > > like
> > > that, including Michael Mitchell who has written an entire book on  
> > > Stata
> > > graphics.
> > >
> > > (I was asleep, but I wouldn't have known either.)
> > >
> > > But the solution is documented and the tail statement in
> > >
> > > "yvaroptions(over_subopts) allows you to specify over_subopts for  
> > > the
> > > yvars. This is seldom done."
> > >
> > > appears to be quite correct.
> > >
> > > There is a fine line between answering all possible questions and
> > > bloating the documentation further. Sometimes the longer your help
> > > files, the less people are inclined to read through them.
> > >
> > > Nick
> > > n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk
> > >
> > > Kieran McCaul
> > >
> > > it's really buried away, isn't it.
> > >
> > > Changing the look of the category axis is really something I would
> > > expect people would want to do. Perhaps the Graphics Manual could be
> > > updated to show a few examples.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > *
> > > * For searches and help try:
> > > * http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
> > > * http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
> > > * http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
> > >
> > > *
> > > * For searches and help try:
> > > * http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
> > > * http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
> > > * http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
> >
> >
> > Best wishes,
> >
> > Michael McCulloch, LAc MPH PhD
> > Pine Street Foundation
> > 124 Pine Street
> > San Anselmo, CA 94960-2674
> > tel: 415-407-1357
> > fax: 206-338-2391
> >
> > *
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> > * http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
> *
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Best wishes,

Michael McCulloch, LAc MPH PhD
Pine Street Foundation
124 Pine Street
San Anselmo, CA 94960-2674
tel:	415-407-1357
fax: 	206-338-2391

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