Computer Applications – Charts in MS Excel
Read the complete lesson in an organized slide-by-slide format. This topic contains 33 learning sections from the source presentation.
LESSON CONTENTS — 33 SECTIONS
Charts in MS Excel
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, students are expected to be able to:
Create a chart in Microsoft Excel
Move, resize, and delete charts in Microsoft Excel
Edit charts in Microsoft Excel
Format charts in Microsoft Excel
1
Creating Charts
Area Chart
Excel 2003 allows you to create many different kinds of charts.
An area chart emphasizes the trend of each value over time.
An area chart also shows the relationship of parts to a whole.
Column chart
A column chart uses vertical bars or columns to display values over different categories.
They are excellent at showing variations in value over time.
2
Creating Charts Cont……
Bar Chart
A bar chart is similar to a column chart except these use horizontal instead of vertical bars. Like the column chart, the bar chart shows variations in value over time.
Figure
3
Bar Cha
r
ts
4
Creating Charts Cont……
Line Chart
A line chart shows trends and variations in data over time.
A line chart displays a series of points that are connected over time.
Pie chart
A pie chart displays the contribution of each value to the total.
Pie charts are very effective way to display information when you want to represent different parts of the whole, or the percentages of a total.
5
Creating Charts Cont……
Other charts
Doughnut, Stock XY (scatter), Bubble, Radar, Surface or Cone, Cylinder, and Pyramid Charts.
Identifying the Parts of a Chart
A chart or graph can help to clarify a concept beyond written words.
Charts are a visual representation of data in a worksheet.
Charts make it easy to see comparisons, patterns, and trends in the data.
7
Creating Charts Cont……
Parts of a Chart
Source Data: The range of cells that make up a chart.
The chart is updated automatically whenever the information in these cells changed.
Title: The title of the chart
Legend: The chart key, which identifies each Colour on the chart represents.
Axis: The vertical and horizontal parts of a chart.
Vertical axis: Is often referred to as the Y axis
Horizontal axis: Is referred to as the X axis
Data Series: The actual charted values, usually rows or columns of the source data.
Value Axis: The axis that represents the values or units of the source data.
Category Axis: The axis identifying each data series.
8
Creating Charts Cont……
Creating a Chart Using the Chart Toolbar
Charts can be created in a number of ways in Excel 2003.
The quickest way to create and edit your charts is to use the Chart Toolbar.
To show the chart toolbar
Choose View Toolbars Chart on the menu bar.
10
Creating Charts Cont……
Parts of the Chart Toolbar
Chart Objects List Box: This list box lets you select different parts of a chart for editing.
Format Chart Area: Used to format that part of the chart which is currently selected.
Chart Type: A drop-down menu that lets you selects different types of charts. The chart type can be changed at any time.
Legend: Used to show or hide the chart legend.
Data Table: Used to show or hide the actual Source Data used to create the chart.
By Row: Plots the Data Series using the row labels (Y-axis)
By Column: Plots the Data Series using the column labels (X-axis)
Angle Text: Use to rotate the angle of the X-axis and Y-axis labels
11
Creating Charts Cont……
Creating an Embedded chart
Charts can be created in either of two ways in Excel 2003.
Embedded Charts
Chart Sheet
Excel creates an embedded chart by default.
An embedded chart is placed on the same worksheet as the source data used to create it.
13
Creating Charts Cont……
To Embed a Chart in a Worksheet
Choose View Toolbars Chart on the menu bar.
Select the range of cells that you want to chart.
Your source data should include at least three categories or numbers.
Click the chart type pull down on the chart toolbar.
select the chart that you would like to use.
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Creating Charts Cont……
Open a chart Options dialog box
Chart Options to add a title to your chart.
Select Titles Tab
Type the title of the chart in the chart Title Text box.
Different charts work best with different data.
A pie chart, for example, can only display one data series at a time.
Excel 2003 includes 4-steps Chart Wizard that you can use to guide you through the steps for creating a chart.
Highlight the cell range you want to chart
Choose Insert Chart on the menu bar and follow the instructions in the wizard.
15
Creating Charts Cont……
Moving an Embedded Chart to a Chart Sheet
Create an embedded chart.
Select the chart to be moved to a chart sheet.
Choose Chart Location from the menu bar.
In the’ Chart Location’ dialog box
select the As a new sheet radio button.
The ‘As object in’ radio button adds the chart as an embedded object on the Worksheet.
Click the OK button.
The chart is displayed on a separate Chart Sheet in the Workbook.
You can also use the ‘Chart Location’ dialog box to rename the Chart Sheet.
16
Moving, Resizing, and Deleting Charts
Moving a Chart
An embedded chart can be moved anywhere on a worksheet.
The easiest way to move a chart is to drag it around the worksheet.
To move a chart
Click anywhere on the white space in the chart and use the cursor to drag the chart anywhere on the worksheet.
Release the mouse button to place the graph in its new location.
17
Moving, Resizing, and Deleting Charts cont..
Resizing a Chart
Charts can be resized (made larger or smaller) to fit on a worksheet.
Chart Titles are sized in proportion to how large or small you make the chart.
Within the Chart Area, the Legend and/or Plot Area can be made larger or smaller.
Chart Titles can be moved but not resized.
To Resize a Chart
Click anywhere on the white space of the chart area, plot area or legend you want to move or resize.
Point the mouse to one of the Grab Handles or Resize Cursor-the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow-to resize the chart.
Use the mouse to drag the sizing handle until the chart is resized to the desired size.
18
Moving, Resizing, and Deleting Charts cont..
Deleting a Chart
Any embedded chart or chart sheet can be deleted from a worksheet.
A chart sheet is deleted in the same manner a worksheet is deleted.
Click anywhere on the white space of the chart area to select the chart.
Press the Delete key on your keyboard.
19
Editing Charts
Changing Chart Data
When you add a chart to your worksheet
Excel creates a link between the chart and your source data.
Any changes made to the original source data are automatically reflected in the chart.
Source
G
oodwill Co
m
munity Foun
dation, 2002
20
Editing Charts cont….
Changing Chart Value Directly in Worksheet Cells
Open the Worksheet that contains the chart to be changed.
Click in the Cell whose Value will change
Type the new value.
Press Enter to accept the new value.
21
Editing Charts cont….
Changing Chart Data
To add data to an existing chart
Rows or columns of data can be added to an existing chart by selecting the Add Data option on the Chart Menu.
Input any new Source Data into the worksheet (e.g., a new column called South America).
Click on the chart to select it for editing.
Choose Chart Add Data from the Menu Bar.
The Add Data Dialog box appears.
Select the cell range of a new data to be added to the chart.
Marching anta appear around the cell range.
The selected cells are added to the Add Data Dialog box.
Click Ok button to add the new data to the chart.
22
Editing Charts cont….
Charging the Chart Title
The Chart Title can be changed at any time to a name that’s meaningful to you.
To change the chart title on the chart
Click anywhere in the title name
Make any changes to the text.
Click anywhere outside of the title to apply your changes.
23
Editing Charts cont….
Changing the Data Series Names or Legend Text
Data Series Names and Legend Text are changed in much the same manner as when you changed Chart Values in the worksheet.
Click the cell that contains the Data Series name or Legend that you want to change.
Type the new name.
Press the Enter key to add the new name to the chart.
Source
G
oodwill Co
m
munity Foun
dation, 2002
24
Editing Charts cont….
Changing the Chart Type
There are 14 different types of charts in Excel 2003, and, with each chart type, there can be several variations.
You can see that you can create any number of different charts.
The Chart Type can be changed at any time with a couple of clicks of the mouse.
To select a different chart type
Click on the chart to select it for editing.
Click on the Chart Type dropdown list box
Select a different chart.
25
Formatting the Chart Title
The Chart Title can be formatted to change Colour, pattern, typeface, size and alignment using the ‘Format Chart’ Title dialog box.
Select the chart title.
Click the Format Button on the Chart Toolbar (or double click the Chart Title).
The ‘Format Chart Title’ dialog box contains three different tabs namely Patterns, Font and Alignment that can be used to format the Chart Title.
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Formatting the Chart Title cont……
The Patterns tab: lets you define borders and fill colours.
The Font tab: lets you define Font, Font Style, Size and Colour
The Alignment tab: lets you define horizontal and vertical cell placement, as well as text orientation
Click the OK button to accept the Chart Title format changes
Formatting the Chart Legend
The chart legend displays very useful information about the chart.
Like a roadmap, the Legend identifies what different colours or objects represent in the chart.
27
Formatting the Chart Title cont…..
The Chart Legend, like the Chart Title and Category Axis Labels, can be formatted to your liking.
To format the chart legend
Press the show/hide legend button on the Chart Toolbar to turn on the Legend Display.
This button acts like a toggle by turning the display on or off.
Click to select the Chart Legend.
Click the Format Button on the Chart Toolbar (or double click the chart legend).
28
Formatting the Chart Title cont…..
The Format Legend dialog box contains three different tabs-Patterns, Font and Alignment-that can be used to format the Chart Title.
The Patterns tab: lets you define borders and fill colours.
The Font tab: lets you define Font, Font Style, Size and Colour.
The Placement tab: lets you define the location where the Legend will appear on the chart.
Click the OK button to accept the Chart Legend format changes.
The only way to change the actual text that appears in the Chart Legend is to change the source Data in the worksheet.
29
Formatting the Chart Title cont…..
Formatting Axis Labels
In Excel, a graph represents a data in two dimensions.
The number of items sold in January is data on two dimensions: number of items and month.
The number of items might be plotted on one axis, Y-axis, while the month may be plotted on the X-axis.
The Y-axis runs up-and-down on the graph.
The X-axis runs left-to-right.
When formatting the Axis labels in your chart, you can adjust the numbers on the Scale of the chart as well as change font, colour, and style.
30
Formatting the Chart Title cont…..
Formatting an Axis
Click anywhere in the Axis label that you want to edit
Click the Format Button on the chart Toolbar or Double click the chart Axis
The ‘Format Axis’ dialog box contains five different tabs-Patterns, Font and Alignment that can be used to format the Chart Title.
Patterns: tab lets you define borders and tick marks.
Scale tab: lets you define numeric intervals on the Value (Y) Axis scale.
Font tab: lets you define Font, font style, size and colour
31
Formatting the Chart Title cont…..
The Number tab: lets you define the format of numbers displayed in the axis.
The Alignment tabs: let you define text orientation.
Click the OK button to accept the axis format changes.
You can also use the angle axis buttons on the chart toolbar to change the angle of the value and category.
Source
G
oodwill Co
m
munity Foun
dation, 2002
32
Formatting the Chart Title cont…..
Changing the Data Series Colour
When a chart is created in Excel 2003 you notice that colour is automatically applied to the Data Series.
You can keep this format or change it for each Data Series in the chart.
Many different aspects of each data series can be changed, but you’ll probably change the Colour of bars, columns, pie slices and areas most often.
Select the data series that you wish to edit.
Click the Format Button on the Chart Toolbar (or double click the data series).
Click the OK button to accept the data series colour changes.
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