Assigning Colors to Chart Elements Based on Data Source in Bold Reports Designer

Create visually impactful and brand-aligned charts in Bold Reports Designer by assigning specific colors to chart elements such as bars, lines, or pie slices—using predefined color values from your data source. This feature improves readability, highlights key data points, and maintains alignment with your organization’s branding.

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for developers, report designers, and administrators, along with best practices and troubleshooting tips to help you implement this feature effectively.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure the following:

• A configured data source in Bold Reports Designer containing a field with color values (e.g., hex codes like #FF0000 or color names like Red).
• A chart item (e.g., bar, line, or pie chart) added to the report canvas with assigned data.

Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to map data source colors to chart elements in Bold Reports Designer:

1. Add or Select a Chart

   • Drag a chart item (e.g., bar chart) from the toolbox to the report canvas, or select an existing chart.
   • Assign data to the chart by configuring the data source and fields. For guidance, refer to the Assign Data documentation.

2. Access the Series Color Settings

   • With the chart selected, locate the Properties panel (typically on the right). If it’s not visible, click the Settings icon in the toolbar.
   • In the Basic Settings section, expand the Choose Series category.
   • Click the pencil icon next to the desired series to open the Advanced Settings panel.
   

3. Configure the Series Color Property

   • In the Advanced Settings panel, locate the Series Color section.
   • Click the box next to Series Color, then select Expression from the popup to open the Expression Editor.
   

4. Write the Color Mapping Expression

   • In the Expression Editor, create an expression to map colors from your data source to the chart series. For example:

     =Fields!ColorField.Value
     

     Replace ColorField with the name of the data source field containing color values (e.g., hex codes or color names).
   • Click OK to save the expression. For more details, see the Expressions documentation.
   

5. Preview and Test the Chart

   • Save the report and click the Preview button in the toolbar to generate the chart.
   • Confirm that the chart elements (e.g., bars) reflect the colors specified in the data source field.
   

Additional Resources

• How to Set Specific Color for Specific Values in Chart Series
• Chart Series Documentation
• Bold Reports Support Portal
• Sample Report Download

By following these steps and best practices, you can create clear, professional, and brand-aligned charts in Bold Reports Designer. For further assistance, contact the Bold Reports support team or explore the linked resources.