Learning objectives:At the end of this lesson students should be able to: Choose a chartCreate a chartModify a chartEnhance charts with graphic shapesEmbed chartsPrint charts

Creating a Chart 

• Charts allow your viewers to more easily see the meaning behind the numbers in the spreadsheet, and make showing comparisons and trends a lot easier. In this example, you will be trained how to insert and modify Excel charts and see how they can be an effective instrument for communicating information..

• The quickest and easiest way to create a chart in Excel is to use the Chart Wizard. This step by step lesson leads you through the four steps of using the Chart Wizard

• Chart Wizard

• The Chart Wizard brings you in the process of creating a chart by displaying a series of dialog boxes.

• Input the data into the worksheet and highlight all the cells that will be included in the chart including headers.

• Click the Chart Wizard button on the standard toolbar to view the first Chart Wizard dialog box.

• The Chart Wizard Icon on the Standard Toolbar

• Note: For help with these instructions, see the image example above.

• Having selected your data before starting the Excel Chart Wizard, you should see an example of your chart in the top window of the dialog box.

•  Chart Options - Enter the name of the chart and titles for the X- and Y-axes. Other options for the axes, grid lines, legend, data labels, and data table can be changed by clicking on the tabs. Press Next to move to the next set of options

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• Identifying the Parts of a Chart• Source data • Have you ever read something you didn’t fully

understand but when you saw a chart or graph, the concept became clear and understandable?

• The range of cells that make up a chart. The chart is updated automatically whenever the information in these cells change.

• Parts of a Chart• It might help to know the parts of a chart before

you try to format one. Some types of charts do not have all of these parts. For example, a pie chart does not have axes.

• Plot area• where the data is actually pictured• Data series• the bars or dots or wedges that represent

the values you are charting• Data label • the value for a bar or dot or wedge,

displayed near it on the chart• Axis • the vertical or horizontal edge of the chart

that is marked off in even lengths

• Data table • a table of the values plotted on your chart• Chart area• includes all of the chart parts - the plot area, the titles, the

data table, legend, and background• Background • the color, pattern, or image behind the actual chart• Titles• the title for the whole chart and titles for each axis• Legend • shows what the colors or patterns on the chart represent• Chart tips

•  a popup that identifies the part your pointer is over. A tip can name the data series and gives the data point's value.

Useful Shortcut Keys

• Chart Objects List - To select an object on the chart to format, click the object on the chart or select the object from the Chart Objects List and click the Format button. A window containing the properties of that object will then appear to make formatting changes.

• Chart Type - Click the arrowhead on the chart type button to select a different type of chart.

• Legend Toggle - Show or hide the chart legend by clicking this toggle button.

• Data Table view - Display the data table instead of the chart by clicking the Data Table toggle button.

• Display Data by Column or Row - Charts the data by columns or rows according to the data sheet.

• Angle Text - Select the category or value axis and click the Angle Downward or Angle Upward button to angle the the selected by +/- 45 degrees.

• Type of CHARTS

• > standard chart types

• 1 A column chart shows data changes over a period of time or illustrates comparisons among items.

• 2.A bar chart illustrates comparisons among individual items. Bar charts have the following chart sub-types:

• 3A line chart shows trends in data at equal intervals.

• 4 A pie chart shows the size of items that make up a data series (data series: Related data points that are plotted in a chart. Each data series in a chart has a unique color or pattern and is represented in the chart legend. You can plot one or more data series in a chart. Pie charts have only one data series.), proportional to the sum of the items. It always shows only one data series and is useful when you want to emphasize a significant element in the data.

• 5 An xy (scatter) chart shows the relationships among the numeric values in several data series (data series: Related data points that are plotted in a chart. Each data series in a chart has a unique color or pattern and is represented in the chart legend. You can plot one or more data series in a chart. Pie charts have only one data series.), or plots two groups of numbers as one series of xy coordinates.

• 6 An area chart emphasizes the magnitude of change over time

• 7 Like a pie chart, a doughnut chart shows the relationship of parts to a whole; however, it can contain more than one data series (data series: Related data points that are plotted in a chart. Each data series in a chart has a unique color or pattern and is represented in the chart legend. You can plot one or more data series in a chart. Pie charts have only one data series.)

• 8A radar chart compares the aggregate values of a number of data series (data series: Related data points that are plotted in a chart. Each data series in a chart has a unique color or pattern and is represented in the chart legend. You can plot one or more data series in a chart. Pie charts have only one data series.)

9 A surface chart is useful when you want to find optimum combinations between two sets of data. As in a topographic map, colors and patterns indicate areas that are in the same range of values.

10 A bubble chart is a type of xy (scatter) chart. It compares sets of three values and can be displayed with a 3-D visual effect. The size of the bubble, or data marker (data marker: A bar, area, dot, slice, or other symbol in a chart that represents a single data point or value that originates from a worksheet cell. Related data markers in a chart constitute a data series.), indicates the value of a third variable. To arrange your data for a bubble chart, place the x values in one row or column, and enter corresponding y values and bubble sizes in the adjacent rows or columns.

• 11 Stock This chart type is most often used for stock price data, but can also be used for scientific data (for example, to indicate temperature changes). You must organize your data in the correct order to create stock charts.

• 12 Cylinder charts are column (or bar chart) that use cylinder shaped items to show data. Although cylinder charts do not add any additional data, sometimes using this shape allows to achieve a better visual appearance of your data.

• 13 A Cone chart is a variation of the 3D Bar and Column charts. It represents the bars or columns as cones. The cone chart essentially is a rotated triangle. It has a flat circular base and one curved side topped by a higher point.

• 14 The Pyramid Chart displays data that, when combined, equals 100%. These charts are single series charts representing data as portions of a 100% total, and do not use an axis.

CUSTOM TYPES

B & W AREA