With RMChart you can save your chart as a bitmap or an EMF-file, which are the suitable formats if you want to use the file e.g. for WWW publishing or pasting it into other applications. If you don't need the saved chart in a format, which can be read by other applications, you can use a very comfortable and flexible option: the RMC content string.

A RMC content string holds all informations (including the data or a path to the data file) to draw a chart. It is very small, because only the necessary informations are stored in it and it can be saved as a simple text file. The format of the string is simple too: a 5 digit numeric value, which identifies the meaning of the field, followed by the content. The fields a separated by the pipe symbol.

You can pass the string (or the name of the file, which holds the string) while setting property control.RMCFile. Immediately after setting the property you have full access to all properties and objects the same way, as if you would have build the chart "from scratch". It's up to you if you alter the chart before displaying it or display it as it is.

There are two ways, to build the string. After you've designed your chart In RMCDesigner you can either copy the RMC content string to the clipboard or svae it into a *.rmc file. Of course you can load it again later, alter it and save it again. Or you can get the string (or save it into a file) within your own application with function control.WriteRMCFile.

I think with this concept you get a very powerfull and versatile feature who's benefit is only limited by your imagination. From a simple "play back" functionality of static charts, which you may have created in RMCDesigner, over templates, which you complete with living data during runtime of your application up to your own "Designer", which enables your users to alter the charts in your application - everything goes (at least I hope so :-)).

See Sub mnDatastring_Click(), Sub mnFile_Click() and particularly the "MiniDesigner" in the VB6 demo project for an example. The shown task of cloning a chart might be not very meaningful, but you can see how easy it is to use the concept.