NAME

rrdgraph_graph - rrdtool graph command reference


SYNOPSIS

PRINT:vname:format

GPRINT:vname:format

COMMENT:text

VRULE:vname#color[:legend]

LINEwidth:vname#color[:legend][:STACK]

AREA:vname#color[:legend][:STACK]

TICK:vname#rrggbb[aa][:fraction[:legend]]

SHIFT:vname:offset

PRINT:vname:CF:format (deprecated)

GPRINT:vname:CF:format (deprecated)

HRULE:value#color[:legend] (deprecated)

STACK:vname#color[:legend] (deprecated)


DESCRIPTION

These instructions allow you to generate your image or report. If you don't use any graph elements, no graph is generated. Similarly, no report is generated if you don't use print options.


PRINT

PRINT:vname:CF<:>format
Deprecated. Use the new form of this command in new scripts. The first form of this command is to be used with CDEF vnames.

PRINT:vname:format
Depending on the context, either the value component or the time component of a VDEF is printed using format. It is an error to specify a vname generated by a DEF or CDEF.

Any text in format is printed literally with one exception: The percent character introduces a formatter string. This string can be:

For printing values:

For printing times:


GRAPH

GPRINT:vname:CF:format
Deprecated. Use the new form of this command in new scripts. This is the same as PRINT, but printed inside the graph.

GPRINT:vname:format
This is the same as PRINT, but printed inside the graph.

COMMENT:text
Text is printed literally in the legend section of the graph.

HRULE:value#color [ :legend ]
Deprecated. Use LINEx in new scripts.

VRULE:vname#color [:legend ]
Draw a vertical line at time. Its color is composed from three hexadecimal numbers specifying the rgb color components (00 is off, FF is maximum) red, green and blue. Optionally, a legend box and string is printed in the legend section. time may be a number or a variable from a VDEF. It is an error to use vnames from DEF or CDEF here.

LINEwidth:{vname or number}#color[:legend] [ :STACK ]
Draw a line of the specified width onto the graph. If the color is not specified, the drawing is done 'invisibly'. This is useful when stacking something else on top of this line. Also optional is the legend box and string which will be printed in the legend section if specified. The vname can be generated by DEF, VDEF, and CDEF. If the optional STACK modifier is used, this line is stacked on top of the previous element which can be a LINEx or an AREA

AREA:vname#rrggbb[aa][:legend][:STACK]
See LINE, however the area between the x-axis and the line will be filled.

TICK:vname#rrggbb[aa][:fraction[:legend]]
Plot a tick mark (a vertical line) for each value of vname that is non-zero and not *UNKNOWN*. The fraction argument specifies the length of the tick mark as a fraction of the y-axis; the default value is 0.1 (10% of the axis). Note that the color specification is not optional.

SHIFT:vname:offset
Using this command RRDtool will graph the following elements with the specified offset. For instance, you can specify an offset of ( 7*24*60*60 = ) 604'800 seconds to ``look back'' one week. Make sure to tell the viewer of your graph you did this ... As with the other graphing elements, you can specify a number or a variable here.

STACK:vname#color[:legend]
Deprecated. Use the STACK modifiers on the other commands.

Some notes on stacking

When stacking, an element is not placed above the X-axis but rather on top of the previous element. There must be something to stack upon.

You can use an invisible LINEx or AREA to stacked upon.

An unknown value makes the entire stack unknown from that moment on. You don't know where to begin (the unknown value) and therefore do not know where to end.

If you want to make sure you will be displaying a certain variable, make sure never to stack upon the unknown value. Use a CDEF instruction with IF and UN to do so.


NOTES on legend arguments

Escaping the colon

A colon ':' in a legend argument will mark the end of the legend. To enter a ':' as part of a legend, the colon must be escaped with a backslash '\:'. Beware that many environments process backslashes themselves, so it may be necessary to write two backslashes in order to one being passed onto rrd_graph.

String Formatting

The text printed below the actual graph can be formatted by appending special escape characters at the end of a text. When ever such a character occurs, all pending text is pushed onto the graph according to the character specified.

Valid markers are: \j for justified, \l for left aligned, \r for right aligned, and \c for centered. In the next section there is an example showing how to use centered formatting.

Normally there are two space characters inserted between every two items printed into the graph. The space following a string can be suppressed by putting a \g at the end of the string. The \g also ignores any space inside the string if it is at the very end of the string. This can be used in connection with %s to suppress empty unit strings.

 GPRINT:a:MAX:%lf%s\g

A special case is COMMENT:\s which inserts some additional vertical space before placing the next row of legends.

If you are using the proportional font in your graph, you can use tab characters or the sequence \t to line-up legend elements. Note that the tabs inserted are relative to the start of the current legend element!


SEE ALSO

the rrdgraph manpage gives an overview of how rrdtool graph works. the rrdgraph_data manpage describes DEF,CDEF and VDEF in detail. the rrdgraph_rpn manpage describes the RPN language used in the ?DEF statements. the rrdgraph_graph manpage page describes all of the graph and print functions.

Make sure to read the rrdgraph_examples manpage for tips&tricks.


AUTHOR

Program by Tobias Oetiker <oetiker@ee.ethz.ch>

This manual page by Alex van den Bogaerdt <alex@ergens.op.het.net>