Gadgets
Introduction
The gadget is the key element of Visual Dashboard (VD). All other functions described in Navigation, Canvas, and Menu Commands exist to prepare data for analysis by these gadgets. The gadgets, used here in the generic sense, are divided into four groups on the Dashboard Options menu: Analysis gadgets, StatCalc calculators, NutStat growth charts, and Report gadgets. The Analysis gadgets are similar to the familiar Statistics and Advanced Statistics commands in Classic Analysis (CA) that encompass both descriptive and inferential statistics. The StatCalc calculators are used to estimate the sample size and power of various study designs and statistical tests commonly used in epidemiology. The NutStat growth charts are plotting tools which combine CDC and WHO reference data on infant and child development with the ability to plot chronological data from an individual on the same graph. This facilitates the comparison of the subject's growth over time to percentile curves from the reference samples. Finally, the Report gadgets provide a mechanism for labeling and annotating the Dashboard, as well as any files and hard-copies created from it.
The tables in the Data Analysis Command Reference show the correspondence between VD and CA commands and analyses that are unique to each module. Functions not available in CA include StatCalc (also available as a stand-alone module) and NutStat (only available in VD); both are integral components of the Dashboard.
Gadgets
Overview
Each gadget has a configuration panel that appears when the gadget is selected from the Options Menu (cf. Menu Commands) or when the user clicks on the configuration icon of a gadget already on the Canvas. The following tables summarizes the configuration options for each analysis gadget, StatCalc calculator, and NutStat growth chart. The column "Right Mouse Button Menu Options" refers to the options listed when the user right-clicks over the gadget. Depending on the gadget, the menu enables the user to copy data or graphics to the clipboard or a file, as well as center the gadget, move it behind other objects on the Canvas, or close it entirely.
Configuration Options for Analytical Gadgets
Statistics | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gadget | Subtype | Configuration | Parameters | Right Mouse Button Menu Options | User Guide |
Line List | Variables |
|
| VD | |
Grouping and Sorting |
| ||||
Display |
| ||||
Data Filters[9] |
| ||||
Frequency | Variables |
|
| VD | |
Grouping and Sorting |
| ||||
Display |
| ||||
Word Cloud | Variables |
|
| VD | |
Display |
| ||||
Combined Frequency | Variables |
|
| VD | |
Grouping and Sorting |
| ||||
Display |
| ||||
M × M / 2 × 2 Table | Variables |
|
| VD | |
2 × 2 Value Mapping |
| ||||
Display |
| ||||
Colors & Styles |
| ||||
Matched Pair Case-Control | Variables |
|
| VD | |
Define Value Mappings |
| ||||
Display |
| ||||
Means | Variables |
|
| VD | |
Display |
| ||||
Duplicates List | Variables |
|
| VD | |
Display |
| ||||
Charts | |||||
Gadget | Subtype | Configuration | Parameters | Right Mouse Button Menu Options | User Guide |
Chart | Column | Variables[13] |
|
| VD |
Grouping and Sorting[13] |
| ||||
Display |
| ||||
Colors and Styles |
| ||||
Labels |
| ||||
Legend[13] |
| ||||
Line | Display |
|
| ||
Colors and Styles |
| ||||
Area | Display |
|
| ||
Colors and Styles |
| ||||
Pie | Display |
|
| ||
Colors and Styles |
| ||||
Labels |
| ||||
Aberration Detection | Variables |
|
| ||
Grouping and Sorting |
| ||||
Display |
| ||||
Labels |
| ||||
Pareto | Variables |
|
| ||
Display |
| ||||
Colors and Styles |
| ||||
Labels |
| ||||
Scatter | Variables |
|
| ||
Display |
| ||||
Colors and Styles |
| ||||
Labels |
| ||||
Epi Curve | Variables |
|
| ||
Grouping and Sorting |
| ||||
Display |
| ||||
Colors and Styles | Same as Column Chart | ||||
Labels |
| ||||
Legend |
| ||||
Advanced Statistics | |||||
Gadget | Subtype | Configuration | Parameters | Right Mouse Button Menu Options | User Guide |
Advanced Statistics | Linear Regression [10] | Variables |
|
| VD |
Display[11] |
| ||||
Logistic Regression | Variables |
|
| ||
Complex Sample Frequencies | Variables |
|
| ||
Complex Sample Means | Variables |
|
| ||
Complex Sample Tables | Variables |
|
|
Notes:
- Mouse option items listed in gray indicate methods involved in the positioning or display of the gadget on the Canvas, as opposed to methods for moving or processing data.
- A pair of square brackets enclosing a space in monospaced font, "
[ ]
", indicates that the option or feature to the right is controlled by a checkbox. A "check" enables the option; absence of one indicates that the option is disabled. - A variable type enclosed in parentheses in monospaced font indicates the type of input the field requires (e.g.,
(int)
=
integer,(float)
=
floating-point,(text)
=
text string). - The two colored squares represent the high and low color values of the gradient. The color values are selected by the user with a standard Window custom color chooser. A gradient is created by interpolating between the two colors.
- Monospaced numbers in square brackets indicate the range of allowed values for an input field. User input drawn from a finite list of text or integer values is typically handled by a pull-down menu, although a simple input field may be used if the number of possibilities is large.
- Color palette options: Atlantic; Breeze; ComponentArt; Deep; Earth; Evergreen; Heatwave; Montreal; Pastel; Renaissance; SharePoint; Study; and Vibrant A, B, and C.
- This menu item, "
Selected Chart:
", is non-functional and for informational purposes only. - Words in angle quotes represent buttons that typically perform an operation when activated.
- Except as noted in
[10]
, all Analysis Gadgets use the same Data Filters parameters that are shown for Line List. These parameters will not be repeated for the remaining Analysis Gadgets. - Linear Regression is the only Analysis Gadget without its own Data Filters section.
- All Advanced Statistics gadgets use the same abbreviated Display options.
- With the cursor hovering over an Analysis Chart Gadget, the menu displayed when activating the right mouse button typically has the options as listed for Column Chart. If nothing is listed for a chart type, assume the same options as those from Column Chart apply. If the right mouse button menu options differ in any way, the entire menu for that gadget type is listed.
- The parameters for Variables, Grouping and Sorting, and Legend for other chart gadgets are typically the same as those used for Column Chart. If the parameter row is absent for a particular gadget type, one can assume the same options apply. When a parameter group differs in a particular gadget, the entire set of parameters will be listed for that group.
- PSU: Principal Sampling Unit.
Each gadget has its own delete, collapse/expand, and configuration buttons; these are the only controls that can be accessed exclusively through the Canvas. The Options Menu and the Data Filters and Defined Variables tools are available from the Canvas and Toolbar. Gadgets can be positioned manually or automatically placed in a vertical stack. Gadget dimensions are content-dependent and cannot be resized manually.
NutStat Growth Charts
The NutStat gadgets are configured differently from the gadgets for statistical analyses. Instead of the large configuration panel with multiple pages of options described in the previous table, NutStat gadgets are configured from a relatively small panel on the Canvas. This panel is labeled "Growth Chart Parameters" and remains in place once the chart is rendered. There are minimal options for configuring the chart display; the user may disable legend display and use of color, and can change chart orientation and switch between "customary" and metric units. The remaining controls are five pull-down menus for identifying the data fields to be used in rendering the graph (Patient ID, Gender, dimension X, dimension Y, and Patient ID to plot, where dimensions X and Y are the defining characteristics of the chart [e.g., Age and Height]). Most charts plot one bodily dimension (e.g., height, weight, BMI) against the subject's age, although a few plot two dimensions against each other (e.g., height vs. weight). In either case, creating a chart begins with plotting a series of reference curves that represent the distribution of the reference data by percentile (e.g., 1st, 3rd, 15th, 50th, 85th, 97th, and 99th) for that chart (e.g., WHO Child Growth Standards - Height for Age [Male]). Next, the source data are used to plot the dimensions of a single individual at multiple points in time, allowing that individual's growth curve to be compared to the standard.
The distinguishing characteristics of the available NutStat growth charts are summarized in the following table.
Configuration of NutStat Growth Charts
Dataset | Target | Reference Range[1] | X-Axis [2] | Y-Axis[2] | X-Axis Units, Customary | Y-Axis Units, Customary | X-Axis Units, Metric | Y-Axis Units, Metric |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CDC 2000 Growth Reference | Children, ≥ 2 yrs | 2 - 10 yrs | Age | BMI | Months | kg/m2 | Months | kg/m2 |
Age | Height | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |||
Age | Head Circumference | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |||
Age | Length | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |||
Age | Weight | Months | Pounds | Months | Kilograms | |||
Height | Weight | Inches | Pounds | Centimeters | Kilograms | |||
Length | Weight | Inches | Pounds | Centimeters | Kilograms | |||
WHO Child Growth Standards | Children, 0 - 2 yrs | 0 - 5 yrs | Age | BMI | Months | kg/m2 | Months | kg/m2 |
Age | Height | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |||
Age | Head Circumference | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |||
Age | Arm Circumference | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |||
Age | Length | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |||
Age | Weight | Months | Pounds | Months | Kilograms | |||
Height | Weight | Inches | Pounds | Centimeters | Kilograms | |||
Height | Weight | Inches | Pounds | Centimeters | Kilograms | |||
WHO 2007 Growth Reference | 5 - 20 yrs | Age | BMI | Months | kg/m2 | Months | kg/m2 | |
Age | Height | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |||
Age | Weight | Months | Pounds | Months | Kilograms | |||
CDC/WHO 1978 Growth Reference | 2 - 10 yrs | Age | Height | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |
Age | Height | Months | Inches | Months | Centimeters | |||
Age | Weight | Months | Pounds | Months | Kilograms | |||
Height | Weight | Inches | Pounds | Centimeters | Kilograms | |||
Length | Weight | Inches | Pounds | Centimeters | Kilograms |
Notes:
- The Reference Range refers to the range of ages over which the reference curves are drawn, a reflection of the ages at which participants were measured.
- In the Options Menu, the individual chart gadgets have an unusual naming convention:
<dimension-Y>
for<dimension-X>
(e.g., "Height for Age", "Weight for Height", etc.). In this construction, the Y-axis, or dependent variable, comes first, followed by the X-axis, or independent variable.
Functional Requirements
Each gadget has its own delete, collapse/expand, and configuration buttons; these are the only controls that can be accessed exclusively through the Canvas. The Options Menu and the Data Filters and Defined Variables tools are available from the Canvas and Toolbar. Gadgets can be positioned manually or automatically placed in a vertical stack. Gadget dimensions are content-dependent and cannot be resized manually.
When the Canvas is in Analysis mode and the gadgets are visible, each gadget shall enable the user to:
- reopen its configuration window by clicking on the gear icon at the upper right (white gear on purple background),
- collapse or expand the gadget by clicking on the triangle icon at the upper right (white triangle on gray background),
- permanently close the gadget by clicking on the "X" icon at the upper right (white "X" on red background), and
- open a menu by clicking the right mouse button while the cursor is hovering over the gadget that gives options for saving to a file, copying to the clipboard, or sending to Excel or a web browser, or saving gadget data as text or a graphic image.
Future Development
Gadget Options
- There is inconsistency in the location of "Show Gridlines" checkbox:
- Column Chart places the checkbox under: Colors and Styles→Styles→
[ ]
Show grid lines, whereas - Line Chart places the checkbox under Display→Output Options→
[ ]
Show grid lines.
- Column Chart places the checkbox under: Colors and Styles→Styles→
- The right mouse button menu for the Column and Line Chart gadgets have a non-functional item, "Selected Chart:", which appears to be for informational purposes only. If so, it should also display the name of the selected subgraph to its immediate right, informing the user of the data source for the next three operations on the menu. In the Column and Line Chart Variables configuration, the first variable is the main variable and the second has the prompt: "One graph for each value of:" <VariableName>. The subgraphs are named for the main variable followed by each value of the second variable. For example, if the main variable is
Age
and the second is categorical, taking on the four values, [Fe
,Fi
,Fo
,Fum
], the subgraphs would be namedAge
-Fe
,Age
-Fi
,Age
-Fo
, andAge
-Fum
. Thus, when the mouse is located over the first subgraph, the complete text of the (non-selectable) menu item should be either "Selected Chart: Age
-Fe
" or simply "Selected Chart: Fe
". See note[7]
under the Configuration Options for Analytical Gadgets table. - Linear Regression is the only Analysis Gadget without the ability to configure its own (local) Data Filters. Since there is nothing unusual about the statistics for linear regression that would warrant the exclusion of local data filters, this is presumably an oversight. Data Filters should be enabled for Linear Regression in the next bug-fix release.
- In the NutStat Growth Chart Properties panel, the behavior of the Units menu (options: "Customary" (default) and "Metric") is misleading and poorly documented.
- For example, in WHO Child Growth Standards - Weight for height, switching to "Metric" changes the axes from pounds and inches to kilograms and centimeters, respectively, yet the prompt for the X-axis field selection menu remains, "Height field (inches)" while the Y-axis prompt is appropriately neutral ("Weight field:"). The mismatch between the X-axis menu prompt and the X-axis label on the actual chart suggests that the gadget might do the unit conversion on the source data internally, but it does not. Instead, the reference data are adjusted to the new units, while the source data values are unchanged but plotted on the new metric scale. If the source data originally fell between the standard curves, the result is that the source data are offset by a factor of 0.39, the number of inches per centimeter.
- To fix this and configure a NutStat chart, the user shall first be prompted to select Metric or English (Customary) units. Once set, the prompts for the dimensions height, length, weight, and head and arm circumference shall reflect the units appropriate for the chosen measurement system. BMI is an unusual case because its dimensions are by definition kg/m2. The units menu shall be disabled unless at least one of the axes has linear (height, length, or circumference) or mass units.
- NutStat gender field coding instructions are misleading
- The prompt for the Gender field selection menu has a parenthetical comment, "must be coded
M
/F
". If the user interprets this to mean that the field must be a Comment Legal field with values "M
-Male
" and "F
-Female
", the gadget will silently accept the field but erroneously interpret both values asM
orMale
. In fact, the field type must betext
withMale
andFemale
coded asM
andF
, respectively. - To fix, the parenthetical comment in the Gender field prompt shall be modified to read, "Must be text variable with values
M
orF
".
- The prompt for the Gender field selection menu has a parenthetical comment, "must be coded