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Specifying the value axis position


    You can specify whether to have the value axis (typically the y axis) displayed on the left side, the right side, or both sides of the graph. You can have the same axis displayed on both sides, or, if you want different scales to appear on either side, you can select specific data to apply to one side or another. It is important to keep the following in mind when specifying value axes to the right or left side of the graph:

    • If you select the entire graph and then select the On Both Sides option, both sides will show the same axis scale.
    • If you want to have different scales on the right side versus the left side, you must assign data columns to the appropriate side of the graph. For example, if you want the left side of a graph to show Meters and the right side Feet, you need to select the data to show in Feet and specifically assign it to On Right Side to have the right side of the graph show the desired scale in Feet.
    • There are no value axis options for pie graphs.

    (See Combining different graph types.)

To specify the axis position:

  1. In the Graph Type dialog box, choose one of the following options from the Value Axis pop-up menu:
    • For column, stacked column, line, or area graphs, choose On Left Side, On Right Side, or On Both Sides.
    • For scatter graphs, choose On Left Side or On Both Sides.
    • For bar and stacked bar graphs, choose On Bottom Side, On Top Side, or On Both Sides.

    Note: If you select On Both Sides without assigning data to a specific side, the scales on the axes will be identical on both sides of the graph.

    • For Radar graphs, choose On All Sides.
  2. Click OK.

To specify different scales for axes on both sides:

  1. Select a graph that has labels for both axes, and make sure that the legend is showing. (See Entering labels and data for particular graph types.)
  2. Choose Object > Graph > Type, or double-click the graph tool.
  3. In the Graph Type dialog box, choose On Both Sides from the Value Axis pop-up menu.
  4. Choose Left Axis from the Graph Options pop-up menu, and make the desired changes to the Left Axis values.
  5. Choose Right Axis from the Graph Options pop-up menu, and make the desired changes to the Right Axis values.
  6. Click OK, and then deselect the graph.
  7. Use the group-selection tool The group-selection tool to select a set of data and its legend box or legend line.
  8. Double-click the graph tool to open the Graph Type dialog box.
  9. Choose On Right Side from the Value Axis pop-up menu.
  10. Choose Value Axis from the Graph Options pop-up menu, reenter the changes you want to make to the right axis values, and then click OK.
  11. Note: Once you have created a graph with a separate right and left axis, you cannot adjust the axis values. To change the axis values, you must change the graph back to a left side-only value axis.

To set the graph so that all data can be read on two different scales:

  1. Assign some data columns to one scale and the rest of the data columns to the other scale.
  2. Set the minimum and maximum on the two axes to be equivalent as described in Setting axis tick mark and label options. For example, for a graph in which one axis displays a Celsius scale and the other a Fahrenheit scale, you can set the Celsius scale to 0 (minimum) and 32 (maximum), and set the Fahrenheit scale to 32 (minimum) and 122 (maximum). All the data in the graph can then be read accurately on either scale.