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What is a Chart ?

A chart is just a graphical representation of some numbers and the scientists and engineers among us often refer to charts as graphs.

The two terms refer to the same thing and throughout this website we will use the term chart.

Information is often easier to absorb when it is presented graphically and charts are often used to emphasize the relationship between certain data values.

Displaying your data graphically can make it easier to spot patterns and trends in your data.

Before you can create a chart you must have some data on your worksheet.

Creating a Chart

Select the cells containing the data you want to chart. This should include any row and column headings.

When creating a chart from a range of cells on a worksheet you do not need to highlight the whole range.

Excel will automatically highlight the current region around the active cell up to and excluding any blank rows and columns that surround.

The quickest way to create a chart is to press (F11) once the source data is highlighted.

This will create a chart using the default chart type which is a clustered column chart.

The chart will be created on a separate chart sheet as opposed to embedded in the active worksheet.

When you create a chart the source data will actually be linked to the chart object which means the chart will be updated automatically whenever the data changes.

 Chart Example - Clustered Column Chart

After you have created a chart you can easily change the chart type, source data and formatting.

Excel provides a chart wizard which allows you to change the chart type, source data, chart options and location of your chart before it is actually created.

Using the Chart Wizard

You can display the chart wizard by either selecting (Insert > Chart) or by pressing the chart wizard button on the standard toolbar.

 Chart Wizard - Displays the (Insert > Chart) dialog box.

The chart wizard is a series of dialog boxes which lets you make decisions regarding the chart you want to create.

There are four steps in the wizard which allow you to change the chart type, source data, chart options and location of your chart.

Step 1 - Chart Type - Lets you choose from the 14 different standard types of chart. Below the list of chart subtypes on the right hand side is a brief description to help you choose the right chart. There is also a "Press and Hold to View Sample" button that will display a preview of how the chart will look.

Step 2 - Source Data - Lets you select the cells and define the range to use for the chart. You can also choose whether you want to plot columns or rows as your data series. There are two tabs “Data Range” and “Series”. The Series tab splits up the actual data range into individual series.

Step 3 - Options - Lets you define certain options for the chart (i.e. titles, axes, gridlines, legend, data labels and data table). This also displays a preview of how the chart will look.

Step 4 - Location - Lets you decide whether to display the chart on a separate chart sheet or as an embedded object on the active worksheet.

The advantage of using the Chart Wizard is that you can easily go back and change any of the options before you actually create the chart.

Using the Chart Menu

When you create or activate a chart the Chart Menu Bar is automatically substituted for the Worksheet Menu Bar.

The Chart Menu Bar is almost identical to the Worksheet Menu Bar except that the Data drop-down menu is replaced with a Chart specific drop-down menu.

Using the Chart Toolbar

When you create or activate a chart the Chart toolbar will be displayed automatically.

This toolbar gives you quick access to a lot of the different chart specific commands.

If the Chart toolbar is not displayed when you activate a chart you can display it by selecting (View > Toolbars > Chart).

Using the Chart Shortcut menu

Clicking anywhere on a chart with the Right mouse button will display a shortcut menu.

This shortcut menu gives you quick access to all the commands you are most likely to want including all those on the Chart drop-down menu.

The chart shortcut menu will change depending on which part of the chart is currently selected.

This is the shortcut menu that is displayed when you have the Chart Area selected.

Things to Remember

Charts are dynamic meaning that the data on your worksheet is linked to the chart. If the numbers on your worksheet change then the chart will be updated automatically.

Charts let you visually illustrate the relationship between different items.

If you want to chart a whole block of data you only need to select one of the cells before starting the Chart Wizard. The current region will be selected automatically.