Bar chart - horizontal bars

[Unhappy]

All Excel versions I know are very good at making bar charts (I mean those
charts in which the bars are horizontal). But the problem is that the X-axis
is at the bottom, and items for the Y-axis are placed in reverse order as
desirable (for example, first item in the series is placed at the bottom
-close to the X-axis, last item in the series is placed first from the top
-far from the X-axis). I don't know if I'm making myself clear, posting a
picture would be more easier but it's impossible. Anyway, my question: Is
there any way to:

1-Place the X-axis at the top.
2- Avoid Excel to invert the order of items (ideal order would be: first
item at the top, last item at the bottom).
Thanks.

 

[Andy Pope]

Hi,

Double click the category axis (Y) and on the scale tab check the option,
Categories in reverse order. This will both place the value axis (X) at the
top and make the first category appear at the top.

Cheers
Andy

 

[Unhappy]

Hey Andy, you're a genius. Thanks man. It works wonderfully, both in Excel
2003 and 2007. I would never have guessed that by myself, since the name
"category" doesn't really mean much to me when referring to the AXES.

The more I navigate through different programs (not only Microsoft's),
including Adobe Illustrator, the more I notice the non-functionality of some
newer features. For example in Adobe Illustrator the ROTATION tool is a whole
new redefinition of Euclidian geometry. If I want to rotate my object 90
degrees clockwise (right angle in XY plane), it rotates it in a mirror (it's
rotated 180 degrees in the Z-axis). So I still haven't figured out their
geometry. Thus, making a simple plot it takes days instead of minutes. Enough
complaints. Thanks Andy. Cheers.

 

[Jon Peltier]

Note: the X axis refers to the independent variable, which in a horizontal
bar chart is the vertical axis. The Y axis is the horizontal axis. When you
understand this you will have a better understanding of charts, especially
Excel charts.

Also note that items are listed in order starting at the origin. If your
categories are A, B, C, then they are listed A, B, C in order from the
intersection of the X and Y axes. Since the Y axis is at the bottom, it
seems upside down, but there is a logic to their order. When this logic is
understood, the behavior is no longer strange.

- Jon

 

[Unhappy]

Thanks Jon. With Andy's tip, I could easily plot my data. I understand the
X-axis is the independent variable. What's causing difficulty is the
phrasing. For example, the feature called "Catergories in Reverse Order"
should be be called "Rotate axes". Remember that if an axis is truly an axis,
it will pull everything attached to it in the same orientation. Naming things
the way people know them adds to functionality. Thanks.

 

[Jon Peltier]

What's so hard about "Categories in reverse order"? If you know what the
categories are, this is self-evident.

If it said "Rotate axes", won't most people think that it would switch X and
Y, or rotate the entire chart 90 degrees?

And I don't understand "[an axis] will pull everything attached to it in the
same orientation".

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
Peltier Technical Services, Inc. - http://PeltierTech.com
_______

Thanks Jon. With Andy's tip, I could easily plot my data. I understand the
X-axis is the independent variable. What's causing difficulty is the
phrasing. For example, the feature called "Catergories in Reverse Order"
should be be called "Rotate axes". Remember that if an axis is truly an
axis,
it will pull everything attached to it in the same orientation. Naming
things
the way people know them adds to functionality. Thanks.

 

[Unhappy]

Well, Jon, this discussion is only interesting if any of us is involved in
software development, so that anything useful we point out here will become
helpful for the next generation of users. In response to your comment:

And I don't understand "[an axis] will pull everything attached to it in the
same orientation".

What I meant is:

If what we call an AXIS can live up to its name, then all the items or
categories (as Excel calls it) attached to it, should keep their relationship
to the axis regardless of what happens to it. If you turn the axis upside
down, items attached to it should turn upside down too. Just imagine the
front axis of a car and the items attached to it: tires, power steering,
brakes, transmission, etc. If the car gets into an accident and lands on the
pavement upside down, all those mechanical parts should keep their
orientation to the front axis, unless is so terrible an accident that
everything falls apart (lol). This concept is so basic that I'm sure most
human beings have absolutely no problem understanding it and evoking it
whenever the proper clue is provided. Hence my remark about proper phrasing.
Regarding "categories in reverse order", well I don't know. I certainly don't
expect the tires to be right-side- up while the car is upsidedown. If we had
to choose a better name, probably it would be "pivot chart" or "pivot plot",
especially if there pivot tables have already been invented.

I don't know if there are studies on human perception as people navigate
through software. But based on my own experience, I speculate that navigation
through certain software features occurs in the millisecond range (just like
reading headlines in a newspaper). If something doesn't make sense right of
the bat, I won't troubleshoot it, unless it's a feature that I absolutely
need, or that I'm sure it should be there. But if trying to find, after 10-15
seconds I begin to get upset. For example, do you know how many people really
read the License Agreements that appear at the beginning of software
installation packages? AND ESPECIALLY IF SUCH LICENSE AGREEMENT ARE WRITTEN
IN CAPITAL LETTERS WHICH IS EQUIVALENT AS SCREAMING?
Certainly, people might react emotionally to things.
P.S.: I'm not involved in software development.

What's so hard about "Categories in reverse order"? If you know what the
categories are, this is self-evident.

If it said "Rotate axes", won't most people think that it would switch X and
Y, or rotate the entire chart 90 degrees?

And I don't understand "[an axis] will pull everything attached to it in the
same orientation".

- Jon

 

[Jon Peltier]

Well, Jon, this discussion is only interesting if any of us is involved in
software development, so that anything useful we point out here will
become
helpful for the next generation of users.

I try to be helpful to non-developers who are using the applications now.

In response to your comment:

And I don't understand "[an axis] will pull everything attached to it in
the
same orientation".

What I meant is:

If what we call an AXIS can live up to its name, then all the items or
categories (as Excel calls it) attached to it, should keep their
relationship
to the axis regardless of what happens to it. If you turn the axis upside
down, items attached to it should turn upside down too. Just imagine the
front axis of a car and the items attached to it: tires, power steering,
brakes, transmission, etc. If the car gets into an accident and lands on
the
pavement upside down, all those mechanical parts should keep their
orientation to the front axis, unless is so terrible an accident that
everything falls apart (lol). This concept is so basic that I'm sure most
human beings have absolutely no problem understanding it and evoking it
whenever the proper clue is provided. Hence my remark about proper
phrasing.
Regarding "categories in reverse order", well I don't know. I certainly
don't
expect the tires to be right-side- up while the car is upsidedown. If we
had
to choose a better name, probably it would be "pivot chart" or "pivot
plot",
especially if there pivot tables have already been invented.

Okay, an axis in Excel has a scale. This scale includes min, max, order to
display, and where the corresponding orthogonal axis crosses. If I have a
category axis, and the categories start at the crossing axis with A then
continue to B and C, I can reverse the order of the axis, and now it starts
at the other end with the crossing axis, and A, B, C in the opposite order.

I don't see how this varies from your description of a car's axle when you
roll into the ditch. Granted, some of the terminology in the dialogs is not
100% clear; they tried improving it in 2007, and some improved and others
regressed. The nice thing with software like Excel, is that you can look at
something, say "I wonder what that does", and try it. If it does something
you like, you have a good chance of remembering at least that you can do
something cool, and maybe even remembering how. If it doesn't do something
you like, you can undo it.

- Jon