Repositioning Chart Elements with the Mouse
Formatting Data Series and Markers
Modifying the Data Source for Your Chart
Adding Moving Averages and Other Trendlines
Adding High-Low Lines and Up and Down Bars
THE ribbon-based user interface in Microsoft Excel 2010 provides quick access to a wonderful assortment of chart types, layouts, and styles. With these tools (see Chapter 19) and a few mouse clicks, you can knock out a knockout chart in record time. Chances are, though, that before long you are going to need some of the additional formatting features that are not directly accessible on the ribbon. You’ll learn about these features in this chapter.
Just as creating a chart begins with selecting data, applying advanced formatting begins with selecting a chart element—the title, series, area, legend, or whatever you want to format.
When you rest your pointer on a chart element, a ScreenTip appears telling you which item you’re about to select. After you select an element, handles appear to confirm the selection—although in some cases these handles might be difficult to see. If you’re not sure what you selected, or if you just want to see what elements are available for formatting, you can open the Chart Objects list. This drop-down list enumerates most of the elements of the current chart that you can format. You can select a chart element directly from the list or simply use the list as a guide. Figure 21-1 shows the Chart Objects list for a three-dimensional column chart.
To open the Chart Objects list, first select any part of a chart. Then click either the Chart Tools Layout tab or the Chart Tools Format tab on the ribbon. The Chart Objects list now appears under the File tab in the upper-left corner of the Excel window. Initially you see the name of the object you selected—Chart Area or Plot Area, for example. To see the entire list of available objects, click the drop-down arrow. As Figure 21-1 shows, the list is tailored to the current chart. Data series within the chart are identified by name.
Figure 21-1. The Chart Objects list enumerates the elements of the current chart that you can format.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Double-Click to Format
The quickest route to a chart element’s formatting dialog box is a double-click. For example, to format a chart’s horizontal axis, double-click that axis, and the dialog box appears. This behavior, which had been around from very early versions of Excel, disappeared in Excel 2007. It’s back in Excel 2010. There are other ways to get to the dialog box, of course. Usually you can right-click a chart element and choose a Format command from the shortcut menu. Or you can select an element and then click Format Selection in the Current Selection group on the Layout tab.