Office 2008:Mac / Excel Charting/Graphs ???

[SecrtAgnt]

I've looked online but I think I'm missing the proper vocabulary to express what I'm trying to do and how to search for it.

In the legend block on the bottom, there are little Icons/Avatars that represent the graphic fill of the corresponding verbal description in the chart.

The only way I can find to make them larger is by increasing the font. The problem is, they still aren't big enough and the text no longer fits in the legend.

Is there a way I to make the boxes next to the text (but not the font) larger so we can see what the graphic fill looks like?

(I don't want to have to print in color)

Thanks!

 

[-aggie-]

Doesn't look like you can.

 

[SecrtAgnt]

Doesn't look like you can.

ACK!

I was hoping to hear I missed it somewhere!!

Thanks.

Anyone else?

 

[Gregg2]

I haven't done lots of graphs like this, but I was also thinking that the default legend is what you're stuck with. Looks like color is the only way to go.

 

[Jstra2187]

Help me Chart in excel!!!

I HATE Microsoft Excel but I have to use it for work. I am trying to chart some data that is spread out in a couple of rows. For example row 1 contains the date (jan. 1st - Sept.) Row 2 contains data from 2009 from Jan. 1st - Sept., Row contains data from 2010 from Jan. 1st-Sept. , THEN row 4 contains the dates from Sept - dec. Row 5 contains data for 2009 from Sept-December 31 and row 6 has 2010's data from sept.- dec.

I am trying to make my graph so that the x axis is the date (Jan.-Dec.), the Y axis is #s 0-1,000 in increments of 100, ONE line for 2009's data and ONE line for 2010's data.

In the older version of Excel, you could just highlight the data you wanted and Create a chart and wazzing - you had a chart. Now, this is not possible. My boss is an excel wizz and cannot figure it out. I HATE excel and I am about ready to drop the computer down the stairs I am so frustrated...

The president of the company wants the charts set up this way and I cannot figure it out. Somebody PLEASE help me!

In case my explanation was not that great, here's a picture of what my sheet looks like.

 

[Gregg2]

Jstra, I bet it's confused by the fact that the headings are not all in one row. I've made simple graphs, and it works just fine having one row with headings and one column. Try that. Obviously, if it works, you just need to rearrange your data to get everything in one graph.

 

[Jstra2187]

Thanks Gregg2. I actually got so aggravated that that is what I did.

 

[Gregg2]

Well, that tells me it can't interpret the continuation of the data the way you had it set up in two sections like that. That doesn't surprise me at all. You could leave it like that, and make two graphs if that would work for you.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

The only way I can find to make them larger is by increasing the font. The problem is, they still aren't big enough and the text no longer fits in the legend.

Welcome to the world of Microsloth - probably the world's worst commercial software maker.

One way would be to remove the legend from the chart entirely and then recreate it using Drawing Toolbar's rectangle and text box in Word / Excel. Then you can have any size combination of text and coloured legend boxes that you want.

The other way, which may not work with some legend placements, is to make the legend text as big as you need to get the coloured boxes the correct size, then make the legend text white coloured (or whatever background colour you're using) so they are invivlbe, and then again use the Drawing Toolbar's text boxes to put the wording back in manually at the size you want.

 

[exegete77]

One possible way to do this is to set up a table on another worksheet, with the pattern in one column. Then you can use the camera for a pic of each pattern. Once that is done, select the pic and set its reference to the worksheet name and reference (i.e. Legend!B2). Then use the pic on your graph.

If VBA were available there would be other options, but this might be the least troublesome.