Y scale legend right-sided in graphs

[Djobydjoba]

Hi Mark,

This suggestion/request has already been made in some other posts, but I make a dedicated topic for a better visibility.

Most of stock graphs have the Y scale located at the right-side. This is quite a standard in softwares. This follows better the natural reading direction, from left to right. A natural way of reading is: "what is the price of the spot I'm currently looking at?" Starting from this spot this is more natural to go to the right by following the horizontal grid for taking note of the value in the scale. This is a natural reading direction.

Another argument is that the last/current price is directly next to the Y-scale, so it is faster and easier to read its value and to locate its situation along the scale. The current price is the price we normally look at first, in addition to its situation along the scale, and then, starting from this current price and the knowledge of the scale, the look can step back and look at the overall and the historical. This is a different reading approach. The look starts from the last price and, if wanted, can go back in time to understand what is the path that the price has followed to end here. When the scale is on the left, the look is tempted to start from the first price and to follow all the price path until the last price. This is somewhat less efficient.

When the scale is on the right, reading easiness of the Y-values is given to the most recent prices. It is more sensible because they are more important than older prices.

A screenshot to illustrate : https://i.ibb.co/YXb5LnK/Right-sided-Y-scale.png

So an option to move the Y scale to the right side would be great.

There are graph types where the Y scale at the left side is the standard though: Investment Overlay for example. It's because the starting price is normalized. So for these graph types the Y scale should probably always stay on the left. Perhaps risk/reward too.

Thanks

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

Okay, thanks for the well thought out idea. I can see your point.

[Djobydjoba]

Some additions:

There are graph types where the Y scale at the left side is the standard though: Investment Overlay for example. ... Perhaps risk/reward too.

In fact, that is not exactly true. These graphs types can be found frequently with the Y-scale to the right.

Examples:
https://i.ibb.co/qsjKc5S/20200520-mer-08h12-01.png
https://i.ibb.co/34VW6SC/20200520-mer-07h53-01.png

Through all my observations, I can tell there are no hard rules, but:

- For a standard stock graph, the Y-scale to the right in MUCH more common
- for comparison / normalized graphs (financial), this is 50/50. Probably more to the left.
- For a scientific / statistical graph (NOT financial), the Y-scale to the left seems MUCH more common.

Anyway, it seems there is no reason to make exceptions depending on graph type regarding Y-scale placement. the Y-scale could be moved to the right for ALL graph types in FM.

Again, such an option would be GREAT. To me, the Y-scale to the right is more efficient, for all the reasons listed in the previous post.

Thanks

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

Okay, thanks for the additional information.

[Djobydjoba]

Mark,

You have already plenty of requests and suggestions to deal with, but I bump this request to have the main Y axis label to the right of the screen because IMO it would be a significant improvement.

I think all the modern trading / charting softwares display the Y axis labels to the right by default, and probably the extreme majority of people that deal with chart analysis / TA graphs nowadays work with the Y axis labels to the right. As explained above, it is more efficient, because the important area in a graph is the right half, where the more recent prices are. In the left half are the older prices, so of less importance. Any experienced chart reader mainly focuses on the right half, the left half is often only considered by the peripheral vision. So the Y axis labels have to be next to the most recent prices, so on the right. Leaving the Y axis labels on the left and the eyes must go back and forth from the far left to read the labels to the far right to see the levels of the most current prices, which is really useless, inefficient and tiring. It's all the more tiresome because nowadays the screens are (very) large, so we have to follow, from the label to the left, the label line across the entire width of the screen up to the recent prices. It's really getting more and more annoying to me this software's uniqueness.

What I think: looking at a FM graph with the Y axis labels to the left gives certainly a little bit of bad feeling to any experienced chart reader new to Fund Manager, something like "it is a kind of old charting program from 30 years ago". The good news is that there is "just" (well, easier said than done...) to switch the Y axis labels to the right side to become modern, at today's level.

That is really better and up to date with the labels on the right:
https://i.ibb.co/QYyH4Lr/On-The-Right.png

The Y axis labels to the right should be IMO the default setting in new FM installations, to be modern and at today's level. Main Y-axis labels to the left is something which should no longer be pushed.

These are of course my opinions but I don't think I'm wrong about my perception of things here...

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

Thanks for the "bump" on this topic. I'm quite sure you're right, and what you say does make sense. We'll try to increase the priority for this.