Graph does not appear in Powerpoint exported froom Mac to a PC

[Mike Hall]

Hi,

When I create a graph entirely within Powerpoint (Office for OSX) on a
Mac - from data input to graph creation - and it appears OK on
Powerpoiont as it should. When I simply transport the file to a PC all
slides come through OK except for those graphs created - the only
thing that shows up is a big fat red cross. Double clicking doesn't
help.

Not impressed with the 'total compatibility between platforms" claim
as one would have thought a graph created entirely within a Microscoft
Product on a Mac and sent across to a PC platform within the same
Microsoft product on a PC would automatically do so with full
replication without a lot of stuffing around.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

[Alfredo M. Saavedra]

Mike,

This is one of the curses of having to work both platforms, you have to
tweak a lot of the graphic elements (data-driven charts, Word-based tables,
misc. images, etc.) to find out the right mix of techniques that you need to
use to successfully go back and forth between the Mac and the PC.

However, my experience has been that the dreaded big red X appears only when
you create or edit a PP presentation on the PC, then open it on the Mac and
then open it again on the PC. Most of the time, at one point an event
happened on the PC side that corrupted the image (the PC crashed at one
point, for example, even if it successfully saved the PP file, or an XL
chart was inserted via OEL and rendered the presentation unstable, etc.) in
a way that only shows up once you open it on the Mac side, edit it, and then
open it again on the PC side. Sometimes the big red cross appears even when
you don't open it on the Mac.

I have seen more giant Xs than I care to remember, and almost invariably
I've had to recreate the offending graph, or reinsert the picture.

My bubble burst a long time ago regarding the "compatibility between
platforms" when time and again I've had to recreate tens of different tables
and graphs at four in the morning, or when a client complained that all the
letters that were supposed to be accented had become symbols, or that they
simply looked "funny ", or that several tables were distorted...

What do you use on the PC side? On the Mac? Anything particular about the
offending tables or graphs?

Anyhow, here's my advice: make sure to QUIT Powerpoint before sending the
file to, or opening it in the "other" platform. Powerpoint --and all MS
Office applications, really, on both platforms-- creates very buggy temp
files. By closing the application you ensure that there is a clean break
between the file and the temp file which it maintains while you are working
on it. Also, it's best NOT TO USE OLE files.

Good luck.

-- Alfred

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi Mike,

What steps did you take in the creation of the graph? For example, did I you
use Insert > Object or maybe double-clicked on a template or perhaps some
other way. What kind of graph was it (bar, stacked, etc)

Graphs are displayed by another application - either Excel or Microsoft
Graph. If the windows user does not have whichever application that you used
installed on their computer they won't see the graph.

-Jim