OpenOffice.Org 1.0 Resource Kit

Charts

The Chart feature wizard guides you through creating graphical charts that represent your spreadsheet data.

While you can create charts for data in non-adjacent cells, you'll get the best chart results if you use data in adjacent cells .

Troubleshooting and Memory

If you have problems inserting charts, it might be a memory issue. See Managing the Amount of Memory Used on Graphics and Inserted Objects on page 119.

Basic Chart Example

Figure 21-1 shows a sample chart and the elements of each.

Figure 21-1. Parts of a sample 2-D bar chart

Inserting Charts

  1. In the spreadsheet, select the cells you want to include in the chart.

  2. In the toolbar, click and hold down the Insert Object icon, and click the Insert Chart icon. As you move the mouse pointer into the spreadsheet, the pointer changes to cross hairs.

  3. In the spreadsheet, click and drag to create the area that the chart will fill.

The AutoFormat Chart wizard launches. While the wizard is mostly self-explanatory and guides you through the chart creation process, Figure 21-2 through Figure 21-4 provide some specific guidance.

Figure 21-2. Selected data and the first two AutoFormat Chart windows

Figure 21-4. The third AutoFormat Chart window

Figure 21-3. The second AutoFormat Chart window

You can create the chart at any point in the wizard by clicking the Create button. If you click Create in the first window, StarChart inserts a default chart.

If you have trouble getting your chart the way you want it, try different combinations of the First row as label and First column as label options in the first window, and the Data series in (Rows and Columns ) in the last three windows.

Modifying Charts

Once you've created a chart, you can change it in lots of ways. A chart is composed of many different parts, each of which you can modify.

Modifying General Chart Attributes Using the Main Toolbar

Double-click the chart to make the tools in Figure 21-5 appear in the main toolbar at the left side of the work area. The tools are fairly self-explanatory.

Figure 21-5. Chart modification tools, which appear on the main toolbar when you double-click an existing chart in the spreadsheet

Modifying Additional Formatting and Data Calculation Using the Chart Modification Window

Getting to this window is tricky, so be sure you follow the clicking instructions exactly.

  1. Select the chart so that green handles appear around the outside of the chart.

  2. Double-click the chart so that the green handles change to black.

  3. Double-click in the inner chart area displaying the actual data (the pie or bar area, for instance). You must double-click on an area that represents data, such as a bar.

Make the appropriate selections. Most windows are self-explanatory; Table 21-1 describes the options in all tabs. Figure 21-6 on page 594 shows an example chart.

Figure 21-6. Applying data labels with all Data Labels options marked

Table 21-1. Tabs in chart modification windows

Tab

Description

Borders

Lets you select a line or border style, color , width, and transparency for the selected chart object.

Area

Lets you select a color, gradient style, hatching pattern, or bitmap for the area of the selected object. You can also set more specific options for the selection you make.

Transparency

Lets you set transparency (color intensity) options for the option you selected in the Area tab. The higher the transparency, the lighter the color, hatching, or bitmap will be. You can also choose to set gradient transparency options that let you fade the color or bitmap from darker to lighter in different ways.

Characters

Lets you change font characteristics of the selected element.

Font Effects

Lets you apply additional formatting effects, such as outlining or strikethrough , to the select element.

Data Labels

Lets you add the value (as a number or percentage) and the heading label to the selected data. An example is shown in Figure 21-6.

Statistics

2D charts only. Lets you view statistical information in the chart, such as mean, variance, standard deviation, and margin of error.

Options

Lets you view a secondary Y axis and set the spacing between data in the chart.

Modifying the Data Range

Select the outer frame of the chart, not an element within the chart, right-click and choose Modify Data Range. Enter the range in the window in Figure 21-7, then click Create.

Figure 21-7. Modifying the range of data the chart covers

Adding and Changing Chart Organization and Formatting Details

After you generate a chart you can go back and change specific details about the chart, such as the title, axes labels, grid lines, and whether the data series is in rows or columns.

  1. Make sure the chart is selected with black selection handles. (Select it, then double-click it so the green handles change to black.)

  2. Right-click the chart, and choose AutoFormat.

  3. The AutoFormat Chart wizard launches to let you modify the elements you want.

  4. When you're finished, click Create.

Changing the Type of Chart

After you generate a chart, you can change the chart type. For example, if you generate a bar chart, you can change it to a pie chart.

  1. Double-click the chart so the tools in Figure 21-5 on page 593 appear.

  2. Click the Chart Type tool; the Chart Type window in Figure 21-8 will appear. Select the type you want.

    Figure 21-8. Changing the chart type

  3. Click OK.

Changing a Chart's Background, Lines, and Transparency

When a chart is selected for editing, you can change the background of the chart area and chart wall.

  1. Select the chart. Then double-click the chart; the green handles will change to black.

  2. Right-click the chart, and choose Chart Area (or Chart Wall).

  3. Modify the options for Line, Area, and Transparency. See Figure 21-1 on page 593 for more information.

If the chart is 3D, you can also change the chart floor (the base of the X axis).

Rotating 3D Charts

If you generate a 3D chart, you can rotate the chart to a different 3D angle.

Figure 21-9 shows how to rotate 3D charts.

Figure 21-9. Rotating 3D charts

Updating Charts

Charts in Calc follow the same update rules as the spreadsheet. See Updating Calculations on page 571.

Changing Default Chart Colors

Calc uses a standard set of colors for data when it generates a chart. You can change the default colors used.

  1. Choose Tools > Options > Chart > Default colors. See Figure 21-10.

    Figure 21-10. Default colors for spreadsheets

  2. Select the color of the data series you want to change, and click a new color in the color palette.

    Repeat for each color you want to change.

  3. Click OK.

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