Output Components
Output components display calculated results in your ROI Model.
Ekphrastic provides three primary formula-based Output components:
Std Formula Output
Card Formula Output
Gauge Formula Output
All three use the same Formula Editor and calculation approach. The main difference is how the calculated result is presented.
This allows you to choose the presentation that best reflects the importance and meaning of a result without changing the underlying calculation.
Choosing an Output Component
Std Formula Output
General calculated results displayed directly within the model
Card Formula Output
Important KPIs or headline results that should stand out
Gauge Formula Output
Percentage-style results represented on a 0–100 gauge
For example, a model might use Standard Outputs for supporting calculations, Cards for headline metrics such as annual benefit or ROI, and a Gauge for a percentage-based performance measure.
Std Formula Output
A Std Formula Output displays a calculated result directly within your model.
It is the most general-purpose formula Output and is useful when a result does not require the additional visual emphasis of a Card or Gauge.
Adding a Standard Output
From Components, under Outputs, add:
Std Formula Output
You can then configure the calculation, number format and presentation.
Display Information
A Standard Output can include:
Display Label
Display Detail
optional Display Icon
icon colour
font colour
background colour
font size
Display Detail can provide additional context explaining what the calculated result represents.
Number Format
A Standard Output can display its result as:
Numerical
Percentage
Time
Currency
Only one format is applied at a time.
For Numerical results, you can configure a custom:
Prefix
Suffix
Percentage formatting applies % as the suffix.
Currency formatting allows you to select the required currency.
Decimal places can also be configured for the calculated result.
Standard Output Formulas
The value displayed by a Standard Output is determined by its Formula.
Standard Outputs use the Ekphrastic Formula Editor and can reference eligible Inputs and other Outputs within the model.
An Output cannot reference itself.
If a Formula has not been provided, you may see:
Please confirm the formula.
Formula errors must be resolved before the Output can be saved.
For more information, see Creating & Editing Formulas and Formula Reference.
Standard Output Tooltips
You can optionally add a Mouseover Tooltip and configure its colour.
Tooltips are useful when a result needs additional explanation without permanently adding more supporting text to the model.
Standard Output Attached Resources
Standard Outputs support Attached Resources.
This allows supporting Resources already available to the ROI Model to be associated with the result.
Available pill presentation includes:
Evidence Backed
Supporting Resources
See Attached Resources for more information.
Standard Output Visibility
A Standard Output can use a Visibility Condition to determine when it appears.
When conditional visibility is enabled, you can also configure:
Calculate on Hidden
This determines whether the Output continues calculating while it is hidden.
Hiding an Output therefore does not automatically mean that its calculated value becomes zero or is excluded from other calculations.
See Conditional Visibility & Calculate on Hidden for more information.
Card Formula Output
A Card Formula Output uses the same type of calculation as a Standard Output but presents the result as a visually distinct card.
Cards are useful for important KPIs and results that should receive greater emphasis within the model.
Examples could include:
Annual Benefit
Net Benefit
ROI
Payback Period
Cost Savings
Adding a Card Output
From Components, under Outputs, add:
Card Formula Output
Card Display & Formatting
Card Outputs support the same core result formats as Standard Outputs:
Numerical
Percentage
Time
Currency
Numerical results can use custom prefixes and suffixes.
Percentage formatting applies %, while Currency allows the appropriate currency to be selected.
You can also configure:
Display Label
Display Detail
Display Icon
icon colour
font size
background colour
tooltip
Attached Resources
Visibility Condition
Calculate on Hidden
Card-Specific Styling
Card Outputs provide additional styling controls that are not available on Standard Outputs.
These include:
Value Text Color
Label & Detail Text Color
Card border
Card shadow
These controls allow the calculated value to be visually differentiated from its supporting label and description.
The Card displays its label, detail and result as part of the card itself.
Card Formulas
Card Outputs use the same Formula Editor and calculation rules as Standard Outputs.
They can reference eligible Inputs and Outputs in exactly the same way.
This means choosing a Card rather than a Standard Output changes the presentation of the result, not the fundamental way the result is calculated.
Formula errors must be resolved before the Card can be saved.
Card Attached Resources
Card Formula Outputs support Attached Resources.
Supporting Resources already available to the ROI Model can therefore be associated directly with an important KPI or calculated result.
Available pill presentation includes:
Evidence Backed
Supporting Resources
Card Visibility
Card Outputs support:
Visibility Condition
Calculate on Hidden
This allows a Card to appear only when relevant while separately controlling whether its underlying calculation continues to operate while the Card is hidden.
Gauge Formula Output
A Gauge Formula Output presents a calculated percentage using a semi-circle gauge.
The Gauge uses a scale labelled from:
0 to 100
It should therefore be used for results that naturally make sense as percentage-style values within that range.
Examples could include:
Adoption Rate
Automation Rate
Utilisation
Achievement against a percentage target
Performance percentage
Adding a Gauge
From Components, under Outputs, add:
Gauge Formula Output
Gauge Percentage Formatting
Gauge Outputs are specifically designed for percentage-style results.
A Gauge is automatically configured as:
Percentage
%suffixno prefix
Although other display-format options may appear in the editor, the Gauge remains percentage formatted.
Use a Standard or Card Formula Output instead when a result needs to be displayed as:
currency;
time;
a general numerical value.
Gauge Appearance
Gauge configuration includes:
Display Label
Display Detail
Display Icon
icon colour
font colour
background/gauge colour
font size
Formula
decimal places
tooltip
Visibility Condition
Calculate on Hidden
Unlike Standard and Card Outputs, Gauge Outputs do not support Attached Resources.
Gauge Formulas
Gauge Outputs use the same Formula Editor as Standard and Card Outputs.
The calculated result is supplied directly to the Gauge.
The Formula should therefore produce the percentage-style value you want represented on the Gauge's 0–100 scale.
For example, a result intended to represent 75% on the Gauge should calculate to 75.
Changing Between Output Types
Standard, Card and Gauge Formula Outputs belong to the same component conversion group.
When editing one of these components, select:
Swap component type
You can change between the following:
Std Formula Output
Card Formula Output, Gauge Formula Output
Card Formula Output
Std Formula Output, Gauge Formula Output
Gauge Formula Output
Std Formula Output, Card Formula Output
The component keeps the same underlying identity when its type is changed.
Shared configuration such as the label, Formula, tooltip and visibility settings can remain available during the change.
However, settings that only exist on a particular component type may not carry across.
Changing to a Gauge
Changing an existing Standard or Card Output into a Gauge changes its result formatting.
The Gauge applies:
Percentage formatting
%suffixno prefix
Review the result and Formula after making the change to ensure that the calculated value is appropriate for a 0–100 Gauge.
Changing from a Card
Card Outputs contain presentation settings that do not exist on Standard or Gauge Outputs.
These include:
Card border
Card shadow
Label & Detail Text Color
Value Text Color
These Card-specific settings are not retained as equivalent settings when the component is saved as a type that does not support them.
Review the component's presentation after changing its type.
Output Formula References
Standard, Card and Gauge Formula Outputs can reference eligible Inputs and Outputs in their calculations.
They cannot use every type of component as a calculation source.
For example, Table Formula Outputs and Charts cannot be referenced as Formula sources.
Layout and presentation components such as Columns, Accordions and Dynamic Value Text are also not calculation sources.
For more information about creating calculations and selecting references, see Creating & Editing Formulas.
Output Dependencies
Formula Outputs can themselves be referenced by other eligible calculations.
This creates dependencies between components.
If another calculation uses an Output, Ekphrastic can prevent you from deleting that Output until the dependency has been removed.
The same principle applies when the Output is being used by:
another Formula;
a Visibility Condition;
a page Visibility Condition.
This protects the model from calculations or conditions referring to components that no longer exist.
See Editing, Copying & Deleting Elements for more information.
Standard, Card or Gauge?
The underlying calculation does not determine whether you should choose a Standard or Card Output.
Instead, consider how prominently the result should be communicated.
Use a Std Formula Output for general or supporting calculated results.
Use a Card Formula Output when a result is important enough to receive greater visual emphasis.
Use a Gauge Formula Output when the result is naturally represented as a percentage on a 0–100 scale.
A well-structured ROI Model can use a combination of these components to create a clear hierarchy between supporting calculations and the results that matter most.
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