 |
|
|
Home | Products | PowerPoint | Books | Book Excerpts
Chapter 11: Working with Charts
Page 3 of 4
by Patrice-Anne Rutledge and Jim Grey
...Continued from Page 2
Formatting a Chart
Adding a Trendline
Continued on Page 4...
Formatting a Chart
Microsoft Graph offers detailed precision in chart creation and
the opportunity to make numerous formatting changes. You can set
overall chart options or format specific chart objects. Before
making major changes to the chart's default settings, be sure
to carefully consider your reason for customizing. Different is
better only when it adds value or clarity to your chart.
Note - If the chart isn't active, you won't
see the chart menu and toolbar options. Double-click the
chart to select it and display chart options.
|
Setting Overall Chart Options
Use the Chart Options dialog box to set overall chart options
for the chart type you selected. In Microsoft Graph, choose Chart,
Chart Options to display this dialog box, shown in Figure 11.17.
Figure 11.17
Set a variety of chart-formatting options in this dialog box.
We'll use the clustered 3D column chart type as an example
as we explore the tabs of this dialog box. If you select a different
chart type (such as a pie), the options and tabs might differ slightly.
Make any necessary changes within the tabs of this dialog box,
and then click OK to apply them to your presentation.
Entering Chart Titles
On the Titles tab, you can enter titles for the overall chart
and the available axes such as category, value, or series. The
example to the right previews these changes in your chart.
Caution - The chart title isn't the same as
a slide title. If you create a chart title, your chart
will have two titles—one for the slide and one for
the chart.
|
Formatting Axes
On the Axes tab, shown in Figure 11.18, you can choose
whether to display category, series, and value axes. If a particular
axis isn't available, you won't be able to choose it.
In this example, the category axis displays the data you entered
in the first row of cells in your datasheet. The value axis displays
a numerical series based on the values you entered in the datasheet.
Figure 11.18
Specify whether to display a particular axis.
Formatting Gridlines
On the Gridlines tab (see Figure 11.19), you can choose
whether to display major or minor gridlines for all available axes.
Figure 11.19
Major gridlines, selected by default, can make values easier
to read.
Note - Pie and doughnut charts don't have
gridlines.
|
Displaying a Legend
On the Legend tab, shown in Figure 11.20, you can choose
to display a legend by selecting the Show Legend check box.
Placement options include placing your legend at the bottom, corner,
top, right, or left of your chart.
Tip - After you place a legend on your chart, you
can select and drag it to a new location.
|
Figure 11.20
A legend makes a chart easier to understand.
Displaying Data Labels
A data label makes data in your chart easier to identify. You
can display a value, percent, text label, text label and percent,
a bubble size, or no label at all. Figure 11.21 shows the
Data Labels tab.
Figure 11.21
Data labels are optional means of identifying chart information.
Note - Depending on the chart type you select,
not all data label options are available.
|
If you do choose to display a data label, the Legend Key check
box appears. Check this box if you want to display a color-coded
box next to the data label to associate it with the legend.
Displaying a Data Table
If you want to include a table with all your datasheet data in
your chart, you can choose the Show Data Table check box in the
Data Table tab (see Figure 11.22).
Figure 11.22
If your chart contains complex numerical data, a data table
can make this information more meaningful.
If you select this option, you also have the choice to Show Legend
Keys if you want to display a color-coded box in the table columns
to associate them with the legend.
Formatting Chart Objects
You can format individual chart objects, such as the chart area,
axes, series, legend, and gridlines. To format a specific chart
object, select it from the Chart Objects drop-down list on the
Standard toolbar, and then click the Format button to the right
of the drop-down list. A Format dialog box customized for the type
of object you select appears. For example, you might see the Format
Axis dialog box or the Format Data Series dialog box, depending
on the selected chart object. If the Format button isn't available,
no formatting options exist for the selected chart object.
You can modify many formatting options from the Format dialog
box, including pattern, font, placement, scale, alignment, and
shape. Remember, though, that numerous changes don't always
enhance a chart. Go easy.
To learn more about the available options in this dialog
box, see "Using the Format Dialog Box" in
Chapter 14, p. 296.
|
Some things you might want to consider changing include the following:
-
Apply a different color to the data series fill areas. To
do this, select the data series you want to modify from the
Chart Objects drop-down list and click the Format button. Figure
11.23 illustrates the Format Data Series dialog box.
Choose a new color from the Area group box and click OK. PowerPoint
updates the color in the presentation.
Figure 11.23
Change fill color in this dialog box.
-
Increase or decrease font size to make text more readable
or to make it fit a specific area. For example, to change the
font size of the legend, select the legend in the Chart Objects
drop-down list and click the Format Legend button to display
the dialog box of the same name (see Figure 11.24).
From the Font tab, you can increase or decrease the font size
as needed.
Figure 11.24
Adjusting the font size is a common formatting change.
-
Adjust the value axis scale. To do this, select the value
axis from the Chart Objects drop-down list and click the Format
Axis button. Figure 11.25 shows the Scale tab in the
Format Axis dialog box.
You can change the minimum and maximum values or the major
and minor gridline units on the Scale tab. For example, if
all the values in your chart are more than 100 and you want
to see the variations in the existing values more clearly,
change the minimum value from 0 to 100. PowerPoint updates
the presentation, making the differences between the three
data series much more apparent.
Figure 11.25
You can adjust the axes and gridlines in the Format Axis dialog
box.
Formatting 3D View
If you choose a 3D chart type, you can format 3D viewing options
such as elevation, rotation, height, and perspective. Table 11.3
explains each of these options.
Table 11.3 3D View Options
|
3D View Option
|
Description
|
|
Elevation
|
Lets you control the elevation level from which you view
the chart. The range is from –90° to 90° with
a default of 15°.
|
|
Rotation
|
Lets you control the plot area rotation around a vertical
axis. The default rotation is 20° with a possible range
of 0° to 360°. On 3D bar charts, the range is only
up to 44°. Be careful not to overdo rotation, however.
A 90° rotation on a typical column chart yields unreadable
results, for example.
|
|
Height
|
Lets you control the value axis height as a percentage of
the category axis length. A height of 150% makes the chart
height one and a half times the category axis length.
|
|
Perspective
|
Lets you control the chart depth view in degrees. With a
default of 30°, the range is from 0° to 100° and
measures the ratio of the chart front to back. This option
is unavailable when the Right Angle Axes check box is selected
or when the chart type is a 3D bar.
|
To format these options, follow these steps:
-
In Microsoft Graph, choose Chart, 3-D View to open the 3-D
View dialog box, as shown in Figure 11.26.
Figure 11.26
Modify the way your chart displays 3D objects in this dialog
box.
Caution - Again, the default
settings for 3D options are designed to work with this
chart. Be careful making
changes! Major changes to a chart's elevation, rotation,
height, or perspective can make it unreadable.
|
To learn more about 3D, see "Adding Shadow
and 3D Effects" in Chapter 14, p. 303.
|
-
Enter a new elevation in the Elevation field or click the
up and down arrow buttons above this field to adjust elevation.
The box to the right displays an example of what the selected
change looks like.
-
Enter a new rotation or click the left and right arrow buttons
to the right of the field to change the rotation. The sample
box previews this change.
-
Click the Auto Scaling check box to automatically scale the
chart to fit the slide.
-
If you remove the check mark from the Auto Scaling check box,
the Height field appears. In it, you can set height as a specific
percentage of the base.
-
If you remove the check mark from the Right Angle Axes check
box, the Perspective field and associated arrow buttons appear.
Set the perspective manually or use the buttons to modify the
perspective.
-
Click the Apply button to view the effects of potential changes
to chart.
- Click the Default button to set the 3D changes you've
made as your new default.
Tip - If you make a mistake, click Close to exit
the dialog box without saving changes.
|
-
Click OK to apply the changes and return to your presentation.
Back
Adding a Trendline
A trendline creates a forecast of future trends based on existing
data. For example, you can use a trendline to predict future revenues
based on existing revenue data in a chart. This is also referred
to as regression analysis.
You can use trendlines to make basic forecasts, but a solid understanding
of regression analysis and statistics is necessary to make the
best use of this feature.
You can display a trendline in unstacked area, bar, column,
line, stock, XY (scatter), and bubble charts that don't have
a 3D effect.
To create a trendline, follow these steps:
-
Choose Chart, Add Trendline to open the Add Trendline dialog
box, shown in Figure 11.27.
Figure 11.27
Predict future values by creating a trendline.
Can't access the Add Trendline menu option? See
the "Troubleshooting" section near the end of
this chapter.
|
-
Choose the Trend/Regression Type, such as Linear or Moving
Average, from the group box.
-
Select the data series on which you want to base the trend
from the Based on Series list.
-
Click the Options tab for more options, shown in Figure
11.28.
-
You can enter a custom name for the trendline or accept the
default. The default uses the type of trendline you selected
in the Type tab, followed by the series name in parentheses.
Figure 11.28
Specify the period of time you want to forecast.
-
Indicate how many periods you want to forecast either forward
or backward. For example, if your chart displays data for four
quarters and you choose to forecast four periods forward, PowerPoint
displays trends for the next full year in quarterly increments.
-
Click OK to apply the trendline.
Figure 11.29 shows a sample trendline. Based on actual
data from the past year, it forecasts for the next year how long
callers to a help line will have to wait on hold before speaking
to someone.
Figure 11.29
This chart illustrates both current values and future predictions.
Back
Continued on Page 4...
© Copyright Pearson Education. All
rights reserved. 
| |
