Help with bar charts!

[Noel Bailey]

I'm trying to create a straightforward bar chart in Excel 2004 (to show
which questions in a science test produced the most wrong answers!)

I've got the question numbers in one row and the number of wrong answers in
the second row.

Using the Chart Wizard, if I select both rows, produces a very strange
chart, with the data from the question numbers row forming the title and a y
axis with values from 0.1 to 1.0. and the x axis consisting of just one bar
labelled with the data from just one cell.

If I select just the row with the number of wrong answers (ie ignore the
question numbers row) it works, but then I don't get the question numbers,
which should be along the x axis; I get 'series 1', 'series 2' etc along the
x axis.

I've tried creating a bar chart with the data in columns and have no
problem. But I don't want to have to manually transfer my rows data into
columns - there's rather a lot of 'question numbers'

This seems such an easy thing to want to achieve, I'm embarrassed that I'm
having trouble! I've looked at the help sample files, but it doesn't help -
just says 'follow the instructions in the chart wizard' !

Any ideas?


Noel Bailey

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Noel -

The problem is that XL is interpreting what you intend to be labels as
values - even if the cells are formatted as text.

Select just the plot data, then click the Wizard button. In Step #2 go to
the Series page, click in the Category (X) Axis labels box, then select the
cells that contain the test numbers.

Alternatively you could add a character to each test number (such as #1
rather than just 1). Then select both rows & generate the chart.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[PhilD]

I've tried creating a bar chart with the data in columns and have no
problem. But I don't want to have to manually transfer my rows data into
columns - there's rather a lot of 'question numbers'

In addition to what CyberTaz says,

If you REALLY, REALLY need to recreate your data as columns rather
than rows, there is an easy way to do it. Copy, then paste, then in
the little menu thing that sits next to the pasted cells select
Transpose.

PhilD

 

[PhilD]

If you REALLY, REALLY need to recreate your data as columns rather
than rows, there is an easy way to do it. Copy, then paste, then in
the little menu thing that sits next to the pasted cells select
Transpose.

Actually, I got it wrong <blames memory>, it's under Edit -> paste
special.

PhilD