FastTips for Excel 3.0 for Windows: Charting Q&A

Summary:

    Microsoft Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
                WE0565: CHARTING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

                                                   Revision Date: 8/92
                                                      No Disk Included

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1. Q. How can I place a chart directly on a worksheet? Once I place a
      chart on a worksheet, how can I make changes to the chart?

   A. There are two ways to place (embed) an Excel chart on an Excel
      worksheet. The first method requires a mouse. With the second
      method, you can use either the keyboard or a mouse. It is not
      possible to place a chart on a worksheet using Microsoft Excel
      version 2.0 for Windows.

      To embed a chart on a worksheet with a mouse, use the following
      four-step method:

      Step 1. Make sure the Excel tool bar appears across the top of
      the screen. If the tool bar does not appear across the top of
      the screen, choose Workspace from the Options menu and make sure
      that the Tool Bar check box is selected. If the Tool Bar check
      box does not appear in the Workspace dialog box, you are
      probably using Microsoft Excel 2.0 and cannot complete this
      procedure.

      Step 2. Select the data on the worksheet that you want to chart.

      Step 3. With your mouse, click the Chart tool on the Excel tool
      bar. (The Chart tool is the fourth button from the right on the
      tool bar.) Once you select the Chart tool, your mouse pointer
      changes into a cross hair. Position the mouse pointer on the
      worksheet where you to want place the upper-left corner of the
      chart. To create your chart area, hold down the left mouse
      button while you drag the mouse down and to the left. Continue
      dragging the mouse until the dotted square is the size you want
      your chart to be. Release the left mouse button; the embedded
      chart now appears.

      Step 4. If you want to make changes to an embedded chart,
      double-click the chart to open it in its own window. Once the chart
      appears in a chart window, you can make editing and formatting
      changes. When you are finished making changes, choose Close from the
      File menu.

      To embed a chart on a worksheet with either the keyboard or a
      mouse, use the following four-step method:

      Step 1. Select the data on the worksheet that you want to chart.
      From the File menu, choose New, select Chart, and choose the OK
      button. Excel creates a chart to which you can now make changes.

      Step 2. When you are finished making changes, choose Copy from
      the Edit menu. From the Window menu, choose your worksheet.
      Position the active cell on the worksheet where you want the
      upper-left corner of the chart. From the Edit menu, choose
      Paste.

      Step 3. If you do not want to make more changes to the chart,
      choose the chart from the Window menu. From the File menu,
      choose Close. Save changes to the chart only if you want to make
      additional changes later.

      Step 4. If you do not have a mouse and need to make additional
      changes to the chart, you must first delete the current embedded
      chart in the worksheet. Choose the worksheet from the Window
      menu. If the chart is not selected, choose Select Special from
      the Formula menu, select the Objects option button (or press
      ALT+B), and choose the OK button. Press TAB until your chart is
      selected, then press DEL. You can then return to your chart to
      make additional changes and repeat the copy/paste procedure
      described in step 2.

      For more information regarding embedded charts, please refer to
      page 534 of the "Microsoft Excel User's Guide" for version 3.0.

2. Q. How can I change the order in which the data series are plotted
      or the series names are used in the legend?

   A. Microsoft Excel version 3.0 for Windows allows you to directly
      modify the order in which the data series are plotted from a
      worksheet and the order in which the series names are used in
      the legend or chart title. This feature is available only in
      Microsoft Excel 3.0 and later.

      Use the following two steps to begin either of these procedures:

      Step 1. Activate the chart by choosing it from the Window menu.
      If the chart you want to change is embedded, double-click the
      chart to open it in a chart window.

      Step 2. From the Chart menu, choose Edit Series. (If this
      command does not appear on the Chart menu, you are probably
      working with short menus. If so, choose Full Menus from the
      Chart menu. Now you can choose Edit Series from the Chart menu.)
      From within this dialog box, you can edit chart information.

      To change the order in which the data series are plotted, use
      the following two steps:

      Step 1. Under Series in the Edit Series dialog box, select the
      series you want to reorder.

      Step 2. In the Plot Order box at the bottom of the dialog box,
      type the number that represents the order in which you want the
      series to plot.

      To alter the series name used in the legend, use the following
      two steps:

      Step 1. Under Series in the Edit Series dialog box, select the
      series you want to reorder.

      Step 2. In the Name box, type an absolute reference for the data
      series name, or type the name.

      To save the changes in the Edit Series dialog box, choose either
      the Define button or the OK button.

      For more information regarding the Edit Series command in Excel,
      please refer to pages 441-443 of the "Microsoft Excel User's
      Guide" for version 3.0.

3. Q. How can I attach worksheet values to my chart?

   A. Microsoft Excel version 3.0 for Windows comes with two chart
      types that automatically attach all worksheet values to the
      chart.

      To attach worksheet values to a chart, use the following three
      steps:

      Step 1. Activate the chart by choosing it from the Window menu.
      If the chart you want to change is embedded, double-click the
      chart to open it in a chart window.

      Step 2. From the Gallery menu, choose either Column or Bar,
      depending on the type of chart you want.

      Step 3. Select chart type number 7.

      If you want the worksheet values attached to all the data points
      for a different type of chart, follow the preceding steps and
      then, from the Format menu, choose Main Chart. Under Main Chart
      Type, select the type of chart you want.

      To attach a worksheet value to a single data point in any type
      of chart, use the following three steps:

      Step 1. Press CTRL and click the data point you want to attach a
      value to.

      Step 2. From the Chart menu, choose Attach Text.

      Step 3. Choose the OK button; the value is now attached to the
      data point you selected.

4. Q. How can I create a picture chart in Microsoft Excel version 3.0
      for Windows, and what types of picture formats can I use?

   A. To create a picture chart, first copy the picture to the
      Clipboard. (If you are unsure how to do this, please refer to
      the documentation for the application in which you created the
      picture.)

      After you copy the picture to the Clipboard, use the following
      two-step procedure:

      Step 1. Activate the chart by choosing it from the Window menu.
      Select the chart series that you want to use the picture in.

      Step 2. From the Edit menu, choose Paste. From the Format menu,
      choose Patterns. The Picture Format dialog box is displayed.
      Under Picture Format, select the Stack option button if you want
      your picture to be stacked and automatically scaled. Select the
      Stack And Scale option button if you want to control the scale.

      Microsoft Excel 3.0 supports both bitmap and metafile formats.
      Other picture formats, such as TIFF, HPGL, and PCX files, do not
      paste directly into Excel.