 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Mac Forum / Applications / Excel / March 2009Cannot add data as labels for the horizontal (category) axis
I wanted to make an ordinary line chart. As typically I want to have the dates (years) to which my values belong on the horizontal (category) axis. In Excel 2004 this could be done in the data editor for the chart. In the tab "Series" data could be selected for the category axis labels. In Excel 2008 the data editor for charts is modified, the two tabs are merged, but the option to select data as labels for the category axis is missing. Without this option I cannot create the most ordinary diagrame with Excel 2008, just when I started liking it. Any answers for this problem? I am having the same issue. I want to have the data in the chart and the dates along the x-axis. I just get numbers one through ...if I change it to date I always get Jan.1, Jan 2, etc. Anybody know how to get dates on the x-axis - I have them on the chart. I'm having exactly the same problem! I posted this question to the forums but nobody has replied: At first I just thought I was missing something but maybe not? It's a bit ridiculous if you can't add x-axis labels to a chart. Basically makes charting data useless for me. > I'm having exactly the same problem! I posted this question to the forums but > nobody has replied: <http://www.officeformac.com/ProductForums/Excel/522><br> > <br> > At first I just thought I was missing something but maybe not? It's a bit > ridiculous if you can't add x-axis labels to a chart. Basically makes > charting data useless for me. See my response to your other post. So, how do I mimic the analysis tool pac feature? I bought this software for my first ever class in stats so I'm no expert. Technical jargon only confuse me. I'm learning about pictographs, frequency charts, and different kinds of statistic configuration. I can't figure out how to label my charts. Can anyone help me? If not, this software is no good to me..boo hoo. Thanks > So, how do I mimic the analysis tool pac feature? Most of the results of the ATP wizards can be obtained with workbooks found here: http://www.coventry.ac.uk/ec/~nhunt/oatbran/ This "feature" of Excel 2008 is driving me nuts. I wasted a half hour today trying to figure out how to add labels to the X axis. I finally fired up my ancient Windows laptop, added labels with Excel 2002, and then re-opened the spreadsheet on my Mac. I'm not quite clear on the "solution" which Ben describes. In my case, my series labels are in column A, and data begins in column B. My X axis labels are all in a row across the top of the spreadhseet, beginning in column B. The labels are numbers (1992 through 2008). Excel picked up the series labels automatically, but no matter how I selected the data range, the X axis labels never appeared all I got was numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. is there some magic technique for selecting the data range that I somehow overlooked? I can't help but wonder why the Mac BU dropped the feature from Excel 2008 to specify a range for "Category (X) axis labels." However they intend users to select/add X axis labels in the new version is not at all obvious. On 2/11/08 7:54 PM, in article ee895fb.8@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw, > This "feature" of Excel 2008 is driving me nuts. I wasted a half hour today > trying to figure out how to add labels to the X axis. I finally fired up my [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > specify a range for "Category (X) axis labels." However they intend users to > select/add X axis labels in the new version is not at all obvious. The feature was not dropped. Just moved. Select the chart, then select chart options in the formatting palette. Select the axis and then enter the title.  SignatureBob Greenblatt [MVP], Macintosh bobgreenblattATmsnDOTcom It's not the title I want, it's the category labels. The ones that in previous versions of Excel were called "Category (X) axis labels." On 2/12/08 12:03 PM, in article ee895fb.10@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw, > It's not the title I want, it's the category labels. The ones that in previous > versions of Excel were called "Category (X) axis labels." Then just change that drop down to category axis, and enter the label you want. SignatureBob Greenblatt [MVP], Macintosh bobgreenblattATmsnDOTcom Hi Bob: For some reason, I'm not quite understanding your instructions. Under "Chart Options," I only see the option of adding a title to the "Horizontal (Category) Axis." I can't find any drop-down menu or otherwise where I can specify the labels for the axis. I want to assign a range of cells so that they appear as the labels along the X axis (I have a dozen or so columns in my chart, and at the bottom of each column I want the value in the corresponding cell from within the specified range to appear). In previous versions of Excel, there was the option to specify the range for "Category (X) axis labels." I can't find anything similar in Excel 2008. I had expected to find it in the "Select Data Source" pop-up, which is activated by clicking "Edit..." under "Chart Data." That's where it used to live in previous versions. Thanks for your help! On 2/12/08 1:28 PM, in article ee895fb.12@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw, > Hi Bob: > > For some reason, I'm not quite understanding your instructions. Under "Chart > Options," I only see the option of adding a title to the "Horizontal > (Category) Axis." I can't find any drop-down menu or otherwise where I can > specify the labels for the axis. Look at the little triangle next to title. Click it and you will have options for Chart title and each axis. To link the title to a cell, add the axis title as described above. Then enter a formula in the formula bar to link to the range. > I want to assign a range of cells so that they appear as the labels along the > X axis (I have a dozen or so columns in my chart, and at the bottom of each > column I want the value in the corresponding cell from within the specified > range to appear). You may have to change the chart type. Or reselect the range and draw the chart again. > In previous versions of Excel, there was the option to specify the range for > "Category (X) axis labels." I can't find anything similar in Excel 2008. I had > expected to find it in the "Select Data Source" pop-up, which is activated by > clicking "Edit..." under "Chart Data." That's where it used to live in > previous versions. If you are still having trouble, send me the workbook and an explanation of what you want. > Thanks for your help! SignatureBob Greenblatt [MVP], Macintosh bobgreenblattATmsnDOTcom Okay, here's how to do it (explanation courtesy of Bob Greenblatt there's no way I could have figured this out on my own!): To specify a range of cells as the labels on the X axis, click on one of the data series in the chart (for example, click on one of the colours in a bar chart). When you do, you will see a range appear in the floating formula bar. In my case, the range in the formula bar was: =SERIES(Summary!$A$5,,Summary!$B$5:$R$5,3) The space between the two commas is where the X axis labels are specified. In my case, for whatever reason, Excel didn't pick up the labels when I created the chart. I added the range of cells containing the X axis labels (cells B3 through R3) like so: =SERIES(Summary!$A$5,Summary!$B$3:$R$3,Summary!$B$5:$R$5,3) Problem solved! The challenge, of course, will be to remember how to do this in a few weeks. I can't believe that MS figured that was easier than the old way (where there was a clearly-labelled field in which a user could specify the range). Bob, thank you i agree with others, who would of thought that is where to add the x axis labels. Obviously no one at microsoft does charts with numbers on the axis or it would not have been so hidden. I appreciated Ben's info he got from microsoft as it did help, i lost hours trying to figure this out. Drdul....guess we will have to refer to these postings to remember as i am sure you are right, we will forget how to do this if we do not do it enough. OK, there is much simpler way: the column with labels for X-axis can not have a label (title) above cells with x-axis labels or put this title one row above, so that when you select data for your chart you do not include that title in your selection. This is because Excel assumes that each column that starts with a title is another series of data. Year | [empty] ----------------------- [empty] | Data ----------------------- 1997 | 7.5 ---------------------- 1998 | 7.6 ---------------------- 1999 | 7.7 ---------------------- 2000 | 7.6 I agree, previous Excel versions were more intuitive - while the above rule worked as well in previous versions, it was much easier as well to correct your chart. best regards, Pawel So, I called microsoft support and got the issue sorted out (not 100% to my liking but at least it works). In order to make an x-axis label, you have to start the chart off by selecting 2 columns of data with your label on the left hand column and your actual data in the right hand column. This should work if your label data is formatted to be text. If your label is formatted as a number, then when you select your data, you have to start your selection 1 cell above your label/data (for example, if your label and data start at cell A2 and B2, you select cells A1 and B1 as well as the rest of your data). Then click on the type of chart you want. Personally I'd much rather see a field for "x-axis labels" that existed in previous versions of excel. Excel 2007's way of handling X-axis labels is particularly cumbersome when the labels and data are not contiguous, requiring selecting one column, holding down Command, and selecting another column. The old method seems much more intuitive for cases like that. your advise is very useful, but I wonder in the case of having the topic of x- axis because I have to leave a blank cell there... Thank Okay, so I was having the same problem as well. As a new Mac user I was completely lost in Excel, but I am now learning its just the new version of excel that was throwing me for a loop. Even after reading through how to fix this problem my co worker finally found the toolbar that assists you to label the title, x axis and y axis!! Labeling the Title, X axis, and Y axis: Go to the main toolbar in your worksheet and file the icon "TOOLBOX", once you click on toolbox the "FORMATTING PALETTE" will appear. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR GRAPH SELECTED.....then click on "CHART OPTIONS". Right under chart options you will see "TITLES" you can then select either chart title, x axis or y axis, then just type into the line below and label away! After you label them you can then go back in and change the title like in the old format by just double clicking on it!! SImple as can be NOW!!! Thanks Drdul for figuring it out. This is absolutely ridiculous! Especially when the X-data is adjascent to the Y-Data! The problem is compounded when you try to add more data to the graph by expanding the range of the X-data. This has got to be the absolute WORST implementation of this "feature." It used to be so simple! How did this get screwed up so badly? It's a simple line graph, for Pete's sake! Thank you Drdul for figuring that out! That is such a completely ODD thing to have to do to get values onto the X-axis!! That's a very basic sort of thing that should be in the user interface! This has got to be a bug. Hopefully this will be fixed on the next update. I wasted over an hour figuring this out. Even after reading the posts above it took me 15 minutes to figure out what to do. This used to be so easy in other versions of Excel. Thanks Drdul - I wasted way too much time before I got to your post. I can't believe that this is an acceptable solution to Microsoft - this is so counter productive! Errgh. Just so I'm clear... in order to label items on the category axis, I HAVE TO type (or paste) a cell range in the formula bar, between those two empty commas, when the chart is selected? I've been using excel since 1.05 and THAT was better than this lot! I'm glad I'm not the only one that wasted hours over this x axis issue. I finally got my answer from reading the messages above, and when I got back to Excel to put it into practice, it crashed....again. And that was about 1 hour AFTER I had downloaded all the software updates. I think I am going to re-install the old Excel, and hope that none of my colleagues send me graphs prepared on the 2008 version (xlsx). I wonder if their graphs will have properly labeled x-axes!!!! All you folks who have explained the unexplainable, let me add my two cents. It's a bug, not a feature. If I select xy-scatter chart, then I have full access to the X axis labels which I define, as in the earlier Excel, by selecting a column of labels. Everything works like it should, and the chart data menu includes the X axis. However, switch to a line chart and the X axis is lost. I am told that switching from scatter to area works also. Again, it's a but, not a feature. Try a different form of chart, like I did (line to scatter) and it might work for you. Meanwhile, come next week, I'll call MS to explain it to them. Let me add my voice to the discussion of how ridiculously difficult it is to change the data displayed on the x-axis. I just recently began switching over from Excel for Windows to the Mac version. I just purchased Office 2008 for Mac, but will probably go back to the Windows version. I can't continue wasting as much time as I did in trying to change the data displayed. I have also found the "Help" to be next to worthless. Sorry to be so ignorant, but where does one find the "floating formula bar" that you mentioned? > Okay, here's how to do it (explanation courtesy of Bob Greenblatt there's no way I could have figured this out on my own!): > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > The challenge, of course, will be to remember how to do this in a few weeks. I can't believe that MS figured that was easier than the old way (where there was a clearly-labelled field in which a user could specify the range). On 4/2/08 4:10 PM, in article ee895fb.25@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw, "Anthony Albert" <public1mail@dslextreme.com> wrote: > Sorry to be so ignorant, but where does one find the "floating formula bar" > that you mentioned? [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >> I can't believe that MS figured that was easier than the old way (where there >> was a clearly-labelled field in which a user could specify the range). Click the toolbox icon near the center of the toolbar. Then select your chart and look at the chart formatting section. SignatureBob Greenblatt [MVP], Macintosh bobgreenblattATmsnDOTcom Thank you all for this information. I have a very unique spreadsheet, however, and I cannot rearange it in any way that I can see to be put into a chart series as described above because 9 times out of 10 I need to designate my x-axis values. So my only hope is that the patch or fix for this will happen soon. Does anyone have any idea as to when this problem is going to be fixed? I have been using Excel (MAC) since it's inception in 1986. Charts were always a no-brainer; very intuitive. Today I tried to do the simplest of charts and encountered this same idiotic issue of having the x-axis points not be data but merely a count of the data points (1,2,3,...). I was going to upgrade but what would be the point if the software is less useful? On 4/16/08 12:25 PM, in article ee895fb.28@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw, "David Hartzok" <david@planetcable.net> wrote: > I have been using Excel (MAC) since it's inception in 1986. Charts were always > a no-brainer; very intuitive. Today I tried to do the simplest of charts and > encountered this same idiotic issue of having the x-axis points not be data > but merely a count of the data points (1,2,3,...). I was going to upgrade but > what would be the point if the software is less useful? You can fix this pretty easily. Build the chart. Select the chart, and then click on a data point so the series formula shows in the formula bar. Then edit the formula by typing the range of the x axis values between the double commas in the formula. SignatureBob Greenblatt [MVP], Macintosh bobgreenblattATmsnDOTcom > On 4/16/08 12:25 PM, in article ee895fb.28@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw, "David > Hartzok" wrote: [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Bob Greenblatt [MVP], Macintosh > bobgreenblattATmsnDOTcom I add date-related data to my chart at irregular intervals. Which is why I need to be able to specify and respecify the column that contains the dates (x-axis) corresponding to the data. The best fix is for MS to fix what is an obvious bug. For now, I am able to use the scattershot form, which works correctly, because it can be made to look like lines. Thanks to all you fellow users of the 2008 Excel product for helping me understand (i) I'm not a total idiot for being unable to generate the category values I want on a bar graph, and (ii) sollutions for this problem. Yes, I can do it. But why, why, why, is such a user-unfriendly 'feature' even in it? And, is it others' perception too that, as the product gets more difficult to use, the Help function gets less helpful? >Thanks to all you fellow users of the 2008 Excel product for helping me understand (i) I'm not a total idiot for being unable to generate the category values I want on a bar graph, and (ii) sollutions for this problem. Yes, I can do it. But why, why, why, is such a user-unfriendly 'feature' even in it? And, is it others' perception too that, as the product gets more difficult to use, the Help function gets less helpful? Try running the latest update from MS. I struggled with the same problem for a few days, found this thread, inserted my category labels between the commas (it worked!), then finally ran an overdue update. Charts now have a category label field when you go to "Select Data", just like the old days. Thanks for the explination everyone! I just wasted 1 hour trying to figure this out. I must admit I wasted my money purchasing Office for the mac. I would have NEVER found it. The help menu was useless. I just opened up OpenOffice and created the identical graph on my other computer, and it even prompted me for the labels. Done in less than 30 seconds. Going to remove Office 2008 and replace it with Open Office 3.0. A superior product at an affordable price (free). Why did I pay 200 bucks? I guess the aggravation cost extra. Thanks for the explination everyone! I just wasted 1 hour trying to figure this out. I must admit I wasted my money purchasing Office for the mac. I would have NEVER found it. The help menu was useless. I just opened up OpenOffice and created the identical graph on my other computer, and it even prompted me for the labels. Done in less than 30 seconds. Going to remove Office 2008 and replace it with Open Office 3.0. A superior product at an affordable price (free). Why did I pay 200 bucks? I guess the aggravation cost extra. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2010 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.