The Chart dialog box enables
you to insert a new chart or modify the existing one.
The dialog box contains three Control Tabs for changing
properties of a chart, and a Preview Window to preview the chart before
inserting it. These tabs are:
Type tab
This tab enables you to select a type of a chart
you wish to create. These types are:
Bar Charts:
-
Clustered Bar. Each value is a bar. Bars are
grouped by data columns. Bars of the same data series are sorted out by
color. Such a bar chart enables you to analyze the height of each single
bar, i.e. numerical data being assigned.
-
Stacked Bar. Each value is a bar. Bars are grouped
by data rows and stacked one on another. Bars of the same data series are
sorted out by color. This type of chart lets you analyze numerical data
more easily: here you can compare not only total value (heights) of bars,
but also different numerical components of each bar.
-
Multiple Bar. A separate clustered bar chart
for each data row.
-
Percent Bar. Similar to the stacked bar, but
the height of each stacked bar is calculated as the sum of all data in
the column, and is displayed as 100%. The heights of bars representing
separate cells are displayed as percentage ratio to the total sum. If a
column contains both negative and positive data, then two stacked bars
are displayed to each side of a horizontal plane.
Pie Charts:
-
Pie-Pie. First data column is represented by
a pie chart. To make small pieces easier to see, you can group them together
as one item in a pie chart, and then break down that item in a smaller
pie next to the main chart.
-
Pie-Bar. Same as the Pie-of-Pie chart
but here you can break down pie items into bars next to the main chart.
There is no rigid difference between these two types of charts. You can
alternate between smaller pies and bars when breaking down either a Pie-Pie
or
a Pie-Bar chart in the Chart dialog box.
-
Multiple Pie. Each data column is a separate
pie chart.
-
Complex Pie. Odd data columns are represented
by separate pie charts, and the heights of segments of each chart are defined
by even columns.
Line and Area Charts:
-
2D Line. Each data column is a separate line
chart.
-
3D Line. Each data column is a separate 3D-line
chart.
-
2D Area. Each data column is represented by a
colored 2D-area, limited by a line chart.
-
3D Area. Each data column is represented by a
colored 3D-area, limited by a 3D-line chart.
Hi-Lo Charts:
-
Hi-Lo Normal. Each data row is a separate chart.
It is a bar between the Low and High values with a horizontal ledge showing
the Average value. This type of chart shows also the Depth value.
-
Hi-Lo Right Bar. Same as Normal, except the horizontal
ledge is only right-side.
-
Hi-Lo Left Bar. Same as Normal, except the horizontal
ledge is only left-side.
-
Hi-Lo Lines. Same as Normal, except bars' average
values are connected with a 3D strip.
Different
Charts:
-
3D Bar. Each data series is displayed as a bar.
Bars of the same data series are color matched.
-
Pyramid. Each data series is displayed as a pyramid.
Pyramids of the same data series are color matched.
-
Cylinder. Each data series is displayed as a
cylinder. Cylinders of the same data series are color matched.
-
Cone. Each data series is displayed as a cone.
The cones of the same data series are color matched.
Wall Charts:
-
XWall. Each data series is displayed as a vertical
plane along the X axis. Xwall bars of the same data series are color matched.
-
YWall. Each data series is displayed as a vertical
plane along the Y axis. Ywall bars of the same data series are color matched.
-
XWallTop. Each data series is displayed as a
vertical plane along the X axis, with a plain top. XwallTop bars of the
same data series are color matched.
-
YwallTop. Each data series is displayed as a
vertical plane along the Y axis, with a plain top. The YwallTop bars of
the same data series are color matched.
Ribbon Charts:
-
Ribbon. A bar chart where only the top plane
of each bar is displayed. These planes are then connected to one another
with a three-dimensional ribbon to establish continuity and flow.
-
XRibbon. A three-dimensional ribbon chart, where
values of different data series are connected by ribbons. Each data series
ribbon has a different color.
-
BarRibbon. A bar chart where both bars and their
top planes are displayed. These bars and top planes are then connected
one to another with a three-dimensional ribbon to establish continuity
and flow. Each data series is displayed as a bar. The bars of the same
data series are color matched.
-
Top. Each data cell is represented by a plane.
Top bars of the same data series are color matched.
The Style tab
This tab enables you to define style of your chart.
The tab is context sensitive to the type of a selected chart. The Style
tab is different for: Pie charts, Line
charts, and other charts.
The Style tab (Pie Charts)
When a Pie Chart is displayed, the Style tab
enables you to modify its appearance.
The chart selection window is located to the left
of the tab. Here you can select the chart or the segment of a chart to
modify.
The Pie Thickness control enables to modify
the height of the pie.
The Pie Style section enables you to set a
style of the pie:
-
Plane. A plane pie.
-
Step. A 3D pie with each segment lower than the
previous one.
-
Block-up. A 3D pie, where segments with greater
values are taller.
-
Block-down. A 3D pie, where segments with greater
values are lower.
The Format section enables you to define the
form of your data. If you check Value, the values of data series
will be displayed. If you check Percent, the percentages of data
series will be displayed.
In this tab you have also the Preview window
with orientation sliders controls. These enable you to control orientation
of a selected pie. The blank button in the right-bottom corner switches
the pie between the plane and its previous position. There are arrows to
rotate the pie in the same plane clockwise and counterclockwise. The plus
and minus buttons let you zoom the pie in and out. By clicking the tree
item in the left pane of the Style tab, you can select a slice you
wish to display. There are two more buttons by which you can separate and
join back to the pie a segment corresponding to a selected value.
The >> button will apply your changes to
the picture in the main Preview window of the dialog box (make sure to
check the Preview check box beforehand).
Style tab (Line Charts)
Here you can set appearances of Axes and lines.
There are three axes available X, Y1 and Y2. Y1 and
Y2 make it possible to see two different charts in one. It means that you
can define two different measurements in one chart.
For each of the axes you can change the following
properties:
Label Size has four choices for the labels
of the axes:
-
Large
-
Medium
-
Small
-
None - no label
Grid Lines has the following choices:
-
Solid
-
Dashed
-
Dotted
-
None - no grids
Minor Ticks defines the number of ticks between
the major ticks.
Tick Marks option enables you to switch on/off
the tick marks.
Step defines the step between the major ticks.
Max Value sets maximum value for the axes.
By default, this function considers maximum value of your data series.
To change this to a value other than the default value, use the pull-down
menu.
Min Value sets minimum value for the axes.
By default, this function considers the minimum value of your data series.
To change this to a value other than the default value, use the pull-down
menu.
You can get additional options while creating your
chart by clicking
Data Series... button and getting the Data
Series dialog box.
The Style tab (Others)
To make your chart more understandable, you can change
Label Size and Grid Style of X and Y Axes.
For Label Size, the following options are
available:
-
None - no label
-
Small
-
Medium
-
Large
For Grid Style, there are the following options:
-
None - no grids
-
Dotted
-
Dashed
-
Solid
Style tab (Hi-Lo Charts)
In addition to the Lable Size and Grid
Style sections, there are two more check boxes in the Style
tab for Hi-Lo Charts.
Check the Show Depth box to make the chart
bars look deeper.
Check the Full Rotation box to enable full
rotation of the chart with all its axes when dragging the sliders in the
Preview
section. If this check box is cleared, the chart will rotate with respect
to one axis when the slider is dragged.
Colors & Data tab
This tab enables you to set values for the chart.
To create a table, press the New button and set a number of the
Rows and Columns. You can change default names of the axes. Once you set
the number of rows and columns, you can Add,
Insert or Delete
row(s) or column(s).
Add Row(s)/Column(s)
Adds row(s)/column(s) to the end of the list.
Insert Row(s)/Column(s)
Inserts line(s) exactly above a selected row; and
column(s) exactly to the left of a selected column.
Delete Row(s)/Column(s)
Deletes selected row(s)/column(s).
To type in the values for the chart, you can double-click
the cell or press enter or click a selected cell.
In this tab, you can also set the Colors for the
chart. Pressing the
Colors button displays the Colors
dialog box.
There is the Preview section with sliders
for setting the appearance of your chart in the dialog box. Lower slider
enables you to rotate the chart from left to right, left slider enables
you to rotate the chart from top to bottom. The upper slider sets the width
of bars or lines.
For Bar Charts, the two buttons under the Preview
window, Horizontal and Symmetric, are available. If you press
the Horizontal button alternatively, then Bar charts will turn into
horizontal bar charts or vertical ones, respectively. If you press the
Symmetric
button, the charts containing negative data will be displayed along with
the symmetrically equal halves of the X axis (the positive and negative
semi-axes are equal). In case the bar charts are arranged horizontally
the appearance is changed vice versa - i.e. the Y semi-axes are turned
to be symmetric.