ID: Q109193
5.00 5.00c 7.00 WINDOWS XE0925 FASTTIPS Q&A kbusage kbfasttip
The information in this article applies to:
Following is the complete text for the FastTip for Microsoft Excel version 5.0 for Windows. It contains the commonly asked questions and answers about working with charts.
Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
XE0925: WORKING WITH CHARTS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Revision Date: 12/93
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1. Q. What new chart types are available in Microsoft Excel
version 5.0?
A. Microsoft Excel version 5.0 provides the new doughnut chart
type, which is a pie chart that displays more than one data
series.
In version 5.0, you can easily combine chart types in a single
chart by applying the built-in combination autoformat to your
chart. An autoformat is a predefined collection of chart types,
colors, patterns, and other visual elements. You can use the
built-in autoformats provided by Microsoft Excel or you can
create your own. To apply an autoformat:
1. Activate the chart. (If the chart is embedded on the
worksheet, double-click it to activate it.)
2. From the Format menu, choose AutoFormat.
3. Select the autoformat you want to use.
4. Choose OK.
You can also manually format each data series in a chart as a
different chart type. This means, for example, that you can
format one data series, such as actual sales, using a column
chart type, and another data series in the same chart, such as
projected sales, using a line chart type. To assign a chart
type to a single data series:
1. Activate the chart. (If the chart is embedded on the
worksheet, double-click it to activate it.)
2. Select the data series to which you want to apply a
different chart type.
3. From the Format menu, choose Chart Type.
4. Select the chart type you want to use. (To make other
changes, such as changing the subtype or the series order,
choose the Options button after changing the chart type.)
5. Choose OK.
For more information about chart types and autoformats, see
"Changing the Chart Type" in Chapter 16 of the "User's Guide."
2. Q. When I create a chart on a new chart sheet, it appears
different from those in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel.
Why?
A. When you create a chart as a new sheet in Microsoft Excel 5.0,
the chart will appear in a view similar to print preview. (To
create a new chart, select data on your sheet and choose the
Chart command from the Insert menu, and then choose As New
Sheet). This view shows how the layout of your chart and its
elements will look when you print it. In this view, you can
size, move, and format the plot area (the region bounded by the
axes) and add items to your chart such as graphic objects,
titles, text boxes, and the legend.
How this chart window appears on screen and when printed depends
on the settings you select in the Page Setup dialog box for
items such as paper size, orientation, and margin size. For
example, if the page orientation is set to Landscape, the window
appears wider than it is tall. The option you select under
Printed Chart Size on the Chart tab in the Page Setup dialog box
affects how you can move and size the chart area, plot area, and
the chart elements. When you select the Use Full Page option,
you can size and move the plot area but not the chart area. When
you select the Scale To Fit Page and Custom options, you can
size both the plot area and the chart area. With either of these
options selected, chart elements such as titles, text boxes, and
arrows will be moved relative to the chart area.
The following table lists the Printed Chart Size options that
are located on the Chart tab, how they affect the way the chart
is displayed and printed, and how they affect what you can move
and size.
And you can move
With this option The chart does this and size the following
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Use Full Page Fills the page within The chart area cannot be
the margin settings. sized. Chart items must
be individually sized or
moved.
Scale To Fit Page Scales to fit the page The chart area can be
within the margin sized either vertically
settings either by or horizontally but not
width or by height both. Chart elements move
(depending on the in proportion to the
direction you size it) chart area.
Custom Adjusts to any size or The chart area can be
placement within the moved and sized vertical
margin settings. and horizontally. Chart
elements move in
proportion to the chart
area.
For additional information, see "Preparing a Chart for
Printing" in Chapter 18 of the "User's Guide."
3. Q. How do I format my chart to appear as it did in earlier
versions of Microsoft Excel?
A. When you create a chart as a new sheet in Microsoft Excel 5.0,
the chart, by default, appears in a page layout view. If you
want your chart to be sized with the window (as it is in
earlier versions of Microsoft Excel), choose the Sized With
Window command from the View menu. To make this change for all
new charts:
1. From the Tools menu, choose Options.
2. Select the Chart tab.
3. Select Chart Sizes With Window Frame.
4. Choose OK.
For additional information, see "Preparing a Chart for
Printing" in Chapter 18 of the "User's Guide."
4. Q. When I double-click my chart, it doesn't open into a chart
window as it did in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel. How do
I move or copy my chart object to a chart window?
A. When you double-click a chart object in Microsoft Excel 5.0,
the chart object is activated and the thin border is replaced
with a thicker border. While the chart object is activated, the
Chart menu bar is displayed so that you can revise, format, and
add information directly to the chart on your worksheet.
If you want to copy your chart object to a chart window:
1. Select a blank cell on your sheet.
2. From the Insert menu, choose Chart and then choose As New
Sheet.
3. In Step 1 Of 5 of the ChartWizard, choose the Finish button.
You now have a blank chart sheet.
4. Activate the sheet that contains your chart object and
double-click the chart to activate it.
5. From the Edit menu, choose Copy.
6. Activate the blank chart sheet.
7. From the Edit menu, choose Paste.
For additional information, see "Activating a Chart to Modify
It" in Chapter 15 of the "User's Guide."
5. Q. How do I add new information to an existing chart?
A. Microsoft Excel 5.0 offers several easy and direct ways to add
information to an existing chart. The best method to use depends
on whether your chart is an object on your worksheet or a
separate chart sheet. When you add new data to a chart,
Microsoft Excel compares your data selection with the existing
chart data and determines how it should be plotted. When there
is some uncertainty, Microsoft Excel displays the Paste Special
dialog box so that you can provide more specific information.
NOTE: In addition to the methods described below, you can also
use the ChartWizard to add information to a chart object or a
chart sheet. The ChartWizard walks you through the process of
creating or adding information to your chart and prompts you
to enter information and select options along the way. To
start the ChartWizard, activate your chart and choose the
ChartWizard button.
To add new information to a chart object
----------------------------------------
1. Select the data you want to add, including the cell
containing the category or series name.
2. Click the outside edge of the selection and continue to hold
down the mouse button while you drag the selection to your
chart object.
3. Release the mouse button.
To add new information to a chart sheet
---------------------------------------
1. Select the data you want to add, including the cell
containing the category or series name.
2. From the Edit menu, choose Copy.
3. Activate your chart sheet.
4. From the Edit menu, choose Paste.
When Your New Data Does Not Appear as Expected
----------------------------------------------
If your new data does not appear as expected on either your
chart object or your chart sheet, you can choose the Undo
command from the Edit menu (if adding the data was the last
action you performed), or you can choose the Clear command from
the Edit menu and then choose Series.
Once you've removed the added data from the chart, select the
data on your sheet and choose Copy from the Edit menu. Activate
your chart and choose Paste Special from the Edit menu. Specify
the appropriate options and choose OK.
For additional information, see "Adding and Deleting Chart
Data" in Chapter 17 of the "User's Guide."
6. Q. How do I add trendlines or error bars to my chart?
A. In Microsoft Excel version 5.0, you can add trendlines and
error bars to 2-D area, bar, column, line or xy (scatter)
charts. You cannot add trendlines to 3-D, pie, doughnut, or
radar charts.
To add trendlines to a chart:
1. Activate the chart. (If the chart is embedded on the
worksheet, double-click it to activate it.)
2. Select the data series that you want the trendline
associated with.
3. From the Insert menu, choose Trendline.
4. Select the Type tab.
5. Under Trend/Regression Type, select the type of trendline
you want. (You can use the Options tab to name the trendline
and select other options such as the forecast period.)
6. Choose OK.
To add error bars:
1. Activate the chart. If the chart is embedded on the
worksheet, double-click it to activate it.
2. Select the data series that you want the error bars
associated with.
3. From the Insert menu, choose Error Bars.
4. Under Display, select the type of error bar display you
want.
5. Under Error Amount, specify how you want the error amount
calculated.
6. Choose OK.
For more information about adding trendlines and error bars to
charts, see "Adding a Trendline to a Data Series" in Chapter 19
of the "User's Guide."
Keywords : kbfasttip
Version : 5.00 5.00c 7.00
Platform : WINDOWSLast Reviewed: July 12, 1997