So far in this chapter, you have worked with standard charts. You can also create and work with custom charts. Here are the basic differences between the two:
• Standard Chart Type: Standard charts include standard, simple formatting and chart options. You must add additional formatting and chart options, such as data labels and colours you want to appear in your chart. You can’t save your own standard chart types. • Custom Chart Type: A Custom chart is similar to a template or style, and contains
additional formatting and chart options, such as a legend, gridlines, data labels, colours, and patterns for various chart items. You can save custom charts, so you can create new charts based on a custom chart’s formatting and options, saving a lot of time.
This lesson will give you practice creating and saving a custom chart type.
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If necessary, open the workbook named Lesson 4D and save it asSurvey Results.
Figure 4-27
The Custom Types tab of the Chart Type dialog box
Figure 4-28
The Patterns tab of the Format Chart Area dialog box
Figure 4-29
The reformatted chart
Figure 4-30
The Add Custom Chart Type dialog box
Figure 4-27
Figure 4-28
Figure 4-29 Figure 4-30
Use the settings from the selected chart as the default settings for new charts
Chapter Four: Creating and Working with Charts
153
Quick Reference
To Create a Custom Chart: 1. Either create or open a
chart that is formatted and customized the way you want.
2. Select the chart, select
Chart → Chart Type
from the menu, and click
the Custom tab.
3. Click the User-defined
option and click Add to create a custom chart based on the current chart.
4. Enter a name and
description for the custom chart and click OK.
To Change the Default Chart Type:
1. Either create or open a
chart that is formatted and customized the way you want.
2. Select the chart, select
Chart → Chart Type
from the menu, and click
the Set as default chart
button.
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Make sure the chart is selected, then select Chart→ Chart Type from the menu and then click the Custom Types tab.The Custom Types tab of the Chart Type dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 4-27.
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Scroll down the Chart types list and select Outdoor Bars, as shown in Figure 4-27 and click OK.The chart is updated with the Outdoor Bars custom chart settings. The green colour of the chart is difficult to read, so you decide to change it.
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Click the Chart Objects List Arrow on the Chart toolbar and select theChart Area.
Now you can format the chart area.
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Click the Format Chart Area button on the Chart toolbar. Select thelight yellow colour from the Area section of the Patterns tab, as shown
in Figure 4-28, and click OK.
The chart area is reformatted with the light yellow colour you selected. Next, remove the green colouring from the chart’s legend.
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Double-click the chart’slegend.7
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Select None from the Area section of the Patterns tab, and click OK.The green fill colour for the legend disappears.
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Click the Chart Objects List Arrow on the Chart toolbar, select theChart Area, and click the Format Chart Area button on the Chart
toolbar.
You can also double-click the chart area to format it, it’s sometimes tricky to know where exactly to double-click for some chart objects.
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Click the Font tab, make sure Regular is selected from the Font style list and click OK.The bold font formatting disappears from the chart title. Compare your chart with the one in Figure 4-29. You can save the current chart as a custom chart type, so you can quickly apply the formatting and options used in the current chart to other charts.
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Select Chart→ Chart Type from the menu, click the Custom Types tab, click the User-defined option under the Select from section, and click Add.The Add Custom Chart Type dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 4-30. You must give your custom chart type a name, and if you want, a description.
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In the Name textbox, type Modified Outdoor Bars and click OK.The formatting and options for the current chart have been saved as a user-defined custom chart named Modified Outdoor Bars. You can format a chart using the Modified Outdoor Bars settings by: (1) Selecting Chart → Chart Type from the menu. (2) Clicking the Custom Types tab and selecting the User-defined option under the Select from section. (3) Clicking the Modified Outdoors Bars. (4) Clicking OK.
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Click OK.The Chart Type dialog box closes. You can delete any custom charts don’t need.
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Select Chart→ Chart Type from the menu, click the Custom Types tab, click the User-defined option under the Select from section.1
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Select the Modified Outdoor Bars custom chart, click Delete, and clickOK to confirm the deletion. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
To change the default chart type, select the chart you want to use as the default chart, select
Chart Objects list
Format Chart button