Using years as text in a bar chart

[Paul1705]

I have a simple two column sheet with with a series of years (1988-2003)
in one column and amounts in the second column. I've formatting the
cells in the years column as text. Yet when I attempt to create a bar
chart, the chart still treats the years as numbers, i.e, 1988 as if it
were the number 1,988. If I put in the names of something in that
column (say car models as an experiment - all letters, no numerals),
the chart comes out as intended.

I must be missing something simple here when formatting the cells, but
I haven't found it yet.

Thanks!

PD

 

[Andy Pope]

Hi Paul,

Give your second column a heading, as this will help excel treat the
first column as labels rather than a data set.

I have a simple two column sheet with with a series of years (1988-2003)
in one column and amounts in the second column. I've formatting the
cells in the years column as text. Yet when I attempt to create a bar
chart, the chart still treats the years as numbers, i.e, 1988 as if it
were the number 1,988. If I put in the names of something in that
column (say car models as an experiment - all letters, no numerals),
the chart comes out as intended.

I must be missing something simple here when formatting the cells, but
I haven't found it yet.

Thanks!

PD

--

Cheers
Andy

http://www.andypope.info