Attached Text Scrolling Beyond the Visible Region in Excel

Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
Article ID: Q31437

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0
Microsoft Excel for OS/2, versions 2.2, 2.21, and 3.0

SUMMARY

If you attach text to a data series of a chart, the size of the chart is not modified to account for the additional chart contents. If the added text contains enough characters to reach an outer bound (that is, the right edge of the chart), the text scrolls off the visible area of the chart.

Note that in Microsoft Excel version 5.0, you can move data labels and prevent text from scrolling off of the chart.

MORE INFORMATION

If you experience the above problem, you must manually manipulate the size of the chart. This process can be accomplished by adjusting the length of the category axis. Use the following procedures for an XY (Scatter) or line chart.

XY (Scatter) Chart

Select the x axis and choose Scale from the Format menu.
Change the Maximum value to a larger number. This procedure causes the x axis to scale larger than the largest data point, creating additional space on the chart to display the attached text.

Line Chart

To create additional space on a line chart, chart a "null" category as the last category of the chart. This can be done by including a column (or row) of cells containing the value #N/A the same dimension as the original data. (For more information about the NA function, see page 157 in "Microsoft Excel Function Reference" for version 3.0 and page 90 in "Microsoft Excel Functions and Macros" for versions 2.x.)

The following is an example of this process:

   A1: 7    B1: 4   C1:  7   D1: #N/A
   A2: 9    B2: 6   C2:  4   D2: #N/A
   A3: 8    B3: 3   C3:  8   D3: #N/A

Select A1:D3 and create a new chart.

Select the line chart from the gallery menu to create the desired chart.

This chart contains an extra data category that displays no values. This results in extra space to the right of the last data point to place the attached text.

KBCategory: kbusage
KBSubcategory:
Additional words: 2.00 3.00 4.00

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.