Two forms of histogramming requests are supported by Flexible Search: the Return Count requests and the Return Results requests. At most one histogramming request can be made within a single search request.

The Return Count requests can be used in addition to a simple request to return the number of items found in each category, range or time frame. Meanwhile, the data is returned, filtered and sorted without regard to category, range or time frame.

The Return Results requests are used in place of a simple request. In addition to the number of items being returned for each category, range or time frame, the actual data is filtered, sorted and returned by category, range or time frame for display.

The Return Count by Time Frame requests is one of the Return Count requests, and is used to return the number of records found for each of a number of specified time frames. A timeline index is used to define the time frames. Either all time frames defined by the index or a selected subset may be used.

Both the Return Count by Time Frame and Return Results by Time Frame requests use the DefineTimelineHistogram command. The Return Count by Time Frame request uses the DefineTimelineHistogram command with only two arguments to return the number of time frames containing items matching the search criteria, as well as the number of items matching the search criteria for each selected time frame.

To return a subset of the time frames containing results matching the search criteria, pass the name of an HTML variable, containing the list of base times, in the proper order, to the command as the second argument. A base time is the earliest or oldest date-time value within the time frame -- the beginning of the time frame. To return all time frames, pass the proper control character as the second argument: a plus sign (+) to display going forward, or a minus sign (-) to display going backward in time.

To select a specific list of time frames for display in a predetermined order, use the following format:

DefineTimelineHistogram( idx, lst );

DefineTimelineHistogram Arguments (Predetermined Order)

To select all time frames for display, sorted in either ascending or descending order, use the following format:

DefineTimelineHistogram( idx, ctl );

DefineTimelineHistogram Arguments (Ascending/Descending Order)

To select a specific list of time frames for display in a predetermined order, use the following format:

DefineTimelineHistogram( idx, lst, cnt );

DefineTimelineHistogram Arguments (Predetermined Order)

To select all time frames for display, sorted in either ascending or descending order, use the following format:

DefineTimelineHistogram( idx, lst, cnt );

DefineTimelineHistogram Arguments (Ascending/Descending Order)

Access the DefineTimelineHistogram Dialog Box by selecting the Timeline Histogram menu item under the Categories category of the Logic Template editor command menu.

Examples

Return the number of results found for each individual time frame identified by the timeline index "Date".