Qlik Sense Custom Color by Dimension expression

[stascher]

Hello

I've got a stacked bar chart with two dimensions (First, Second) and one measure (Measure).

The chart's second dimension (Second) is specified by an expression and is based on the value of a variable:

fx = if ($(myVar)=1, [DimensionX], [DimensionY])

For the coloration I would like the colors to be based on the value(s) of the active dimension; ie, I need to dynamically color by dimension.

Under the Colors setting I chose Custom > By Dimension and specified the above expression in the Dimension expression box.

This does not work. All of the colors turn to gray!

Some observations from playing around:

• specifying either [DimensionX] or [DimensionY] alone in the Dimension expression box displays colors, but obviously only when myVar is set to match the value I've specified there.  Since I need to dynamically switch between them, this is not a solution.
• it appears that anything in the expression box other than just [DimensionX] or [DimensionY] fails. For example the expression: if(true(),[DimensionX]) fails even when myVar=1.
• if there is anything (including whitespace!!!) either before or after the [DimensionX], that fails too.
• It's like they put an expression editor in the Custom Colors By Dimension setting, but you're not supposed to put an expression in it.
  

Thanks for any suggestions.

[rubenmarin]

Hi Steven, color by expression expect a color code, ie:

If(ThisYearSales>LastYearSales, Green(), RGB(255,0,0))

In your case:

if ($(myVar)=1, Color1, Color2)

https://help.qlik.com/en-US/sense/November2017/Subsystems/Hub/Content/Colors/color-by-expression.htm

https://help.qlik.com/en-US/sense/November2017/Subsystems/Hub/Content/ChartFunctions/ColorFunctions/...

To keep a color for each dimension value you can try with:

if ($(myVar)=1, Color(FieldIndex('DimensionX', [DimensionX])), Color(FieldIndex('DimensionY', [DimensionY])))

[stascher]

Just to be clear, I'm using the expression function under Color by Dimension, not Color by Expression.

And it seems that (at least in this version of QlikSense) anything but a single dimension name; eg [Dimension1], in the expression box causes loss of all color.

[rubenmarin]

It needs to return only one value and Aggr() can return more than one value, set the expression as:

=if($(myVar)=1, [DimensionX], [DimensionY]) // With the starting '='

This doesn't works?

[stascher]

I agree what you've specified should work. But it doesn't.

The only way I can make it work is if I express it as such:

$(=chr(39)&if(myVar=1,'DimensionX','DimensionY')&chr(39))

Which to me seems like a unnecessarily complicated expression.

[rubenmarin]

It works for me, have you set the starting '='?

[stascher]

My chart is a little more complicated.  I've modified your example to include an instance of what I'm seeing.

I cannot get proper segment colors to appear without doing what I've described earlier.

Perhaps you can make it work? I appreciate your assistance.

[rubenmarin]

I tried "=if($(var2)=1,D3,D4)" and seems to work, can you try?

[stascher]

Seems to work in this instance, let me apply it to my original application and see.

[stascher]

One final modification: Gave the fields slightly more complex names and qualified them. This is closer to our actual app now.