Quick Trend

Overview

Quick Trend creates floating charts from supported PI Vision and Vision Library+ symbols and keeps those charts available while you move between displays in the same browser page.

When to use it

Use Quick Trend to compare selected symbol data without changing the display, inspect values and statistics at exact times, or keep a temporary chart visible while navigating between displays.

Use the PI Vision workspace action when you need a separate native ad hoc workspace in a new browser tab.

Before you begin

• Open a display with supported Vision Library+ symbols.
• Confirm that the display or source symbol uses the time range you want to inspect.
• Decide whether selecting a symbol should replace the active chart or add traces to it.

An administrator can hide the tool button or replace PI Vision's native symbol double-click action site-wide.

Use the tool

1. Select a supported symbol, then select Quick Trend to open a populated chart. Without a supported selection, the chart opens with instructions and waits for a selection.
2. Select a supported symbol while Quick Trend is listening to replace the active chart's traces.
3. Hold Ctrl while selecting another supported symbol to add its traces without duplicates.
4. Select an existing Quick Trend to make it the active target for later selections.
5. Select Quick Trend again to create another chart, pause or resume listening, or close all charts.
6. Press Escape to clear the active maximize, ruler, or range-selection state. Press it again to pause listening.

When an administrator enables the double-click override, double-click a supported symbol to create a new populated Quick Trend and start listening. A later single click replaces the active chart, and Ctrl-click adds traces. Unsupported symbols retain PI Vision's native double-click behavior.

Some Vision Library+ symbols also provide Open Quick Trend and Add to active Quick Trend actions for their selected value, row, or visual item.

The chart header groups related controls:

• Display: Switches between shared or separate scales, automatic or data source limits, and line or marker presentation.
• Zoom: Changes or restores the visible chart range.
• Summary: Opens the trace summary table.
• Range selection: Calculates summary statistics for an interval you drag across the plot. Select it again to return to ruler mode.
• Ruler settings: Clears rulers, turns synchronization or snapping on or off, and exports data between rulers A and B.
• More: Provides source undo and redo, SVG download, and Open in PI Vision workspace.
• Minimize, Maximize, and Close: Manage the floating chart window.

Move across the plot to display the live cursor and current trace values. Select inside the plot to create ruler A, then select again to create ruler B. Each ruler shows its timestamp above the plot and carried-forward trace values beside the line.

Drag a ruler's timestamp label to move it. Drag the label beyond the plot boundary to remove that ruler. The most recently selected or dragged ruler stays in front when labels overlap. Pinned rulers remain visible in an SVG download.

When synchronization is enabled, compatible Quick Trends and supported charts share the live cursor and A/B rulers. Snapping moves rulers to plotted timestamps. After ruler B exists, select Export data between A and B to download the values in that interval.

Configure the tool

Work with the summary and legend

The summary table shows the current, minimum, maximum, and average values for each trace. Rulers add A, B, difference, and percentage-difference columns. Range-selection mode recalculates the statistics for the selected interval.

• Select a trace row to emphasize that line and dim the others, or use the eye control to show or hide it.
• Edit Bottom or Top to apply manual scale limits, or use the delete control to remove the trace.
• Maximize the chart to show available data source descriptions.

When the summary table is closed, the legend appears in the upper-right plot area and shows each trace's latest value and unit of measure. On a narrow chart, select the trace-count control to open the compact legend.

Set the time range

Use the shared Time Bar at the bottom of a standard Quick Trend to edit its start and end, shift the range, choose a duration, or return the range to now. Editing the range switches a display-linked Quick Trend to a fixed range; unlock the Time Bar to follow display time again.

Toolbar and ordinary symbol Quick Trends initially follow the PI Vision display time range. Charts launched from symbols with a fixed range keep that range. Event-frame comparisons retain each series' relative event-frame timing and do not become the active standard Quick Trend.

Manage chart windows

Drag the header to move a chart with a mouse or touch gesture. Double-click the header to maximize or restore the chart.

Minimize a chart to place it in the Quick Trend taskbar at the bottom-left of the page. Select its taskbar item to restore it, or close it directly from the taskbar.

Minimizing the last visible Quick Trend pauses listening so hidden charts do not continue changing from symbol selections. Restoring that chart does not resume listening automatically; select Quick Trend and resume listening when you are ready to update it again. If another Quick Trend remains visible, listening continues and that chart becomes the active target.

Troubleshooting and limitations

• If selecting a symbol does not update the chart, select Quick Trend and resume listening.
• If a selection replaces traces that you intended to keep, hold Ctrl while selecting the additional symbol or use Add to active Quick Trend.
• If Escape does not immediately pause listening, press it again after the active maximize, pinned-ruler, or range-selection action clears.
• If double-click still opens PI Vision's native trend, ask an administrator whether QuickTrend.OverrideDefaultDoubleClick is enabled.
• Quick Trend preferences and charts are runtime-only. Refreshing the browser closes the charts and resets temporary chart choices.
• Quick Trend remains within the current browser page. Use Open in PI Vision workspace when the chart must open in a separate native workspace.