A106 Step-by-step: Charts

Microsoft Excel 4.0 for Macintosh

Numbers are great when you want details, but when you want to look at a bunch of data, there's nothing like a chart. Excel can build some informative and/or beautiful charts for you. Like formulas, charts are automatically updated if you change your numbers.

To create a chart

1. Enter your data

While you can get away with a few other arrangements, it's probably easiest to arrange your data in columns. For example, if you want to see how your weight has changed over the years, you might have a table with two columns: 
+------+--------+
| Year | Weight |
+------+--------+
| 1980 |   150  |
+------+--------+
| 1981 |   154  |
+------+--------+
| 1982 |   153  |
+------+--------+

2. Select your table

Naturally, you use the white + for this. This time, though, you do want to include any column or row headers.

3. Press the ChartWizard button

This button is located near the upper right of the screen; the picture is supposed to be a magic wand waving over a chart.

You will not get a dialog box immediately, but three things will happen:

4. Indicated where you want your chart

Do this by dragging with the black plus, to make a rectangle where you want the chart. This should be in some blank part of the spreadsheet.

Don't worry if you don't get it exactly right; you can change the size and location of a chart after it's finished. Also, don't be alarmed when you let go of the mouse, the rectangle vanishes, and a dialog box appears.

5. Follow the ChartWizard steps

  1. Make sure you have the right data highlighted

    If not, it's probably easiest to hit Cancel and start over from step 2 above. Otherwise, hit Next >.

  2. Pick the type of chart you want

    There are different charts for different purposes, and some of these are more flashy than informative. After making your selection, click on Next >.

  3. Pick which format you want

    This is just like the last one, only in more detail.

  4. Decide how you want your data interpreted

    The ChartWizard assumes your data is set up in a certain way. If you've done something else, you'll have to play with these buttons until the chart looks right.

    Often, you can either ignore this dialog box, or just click on Category (X) Axis Labels.

  5. Get the legend and labels straightened out.

    (A legend is a little box in the chart showing what each line or color means. If you only have one line, there's no reason to keep it.)

    This is the place to remember your high school science teachers and label your axes. Are those days, minutes, or what? Is that temperature Fahrenheit or centigrade?

    When you're done, click OK, sit back, and admire your new chart.