Vertical axis crosses at....

[Unique_Identifier]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel I have a line graph which I would like to show the axes crossing at their mutual zero points. When I try to format the scale of the x axis to set the option "Vertical (value axis) crosses at category number:", it keeps resetting to 1. If I understand this right, "category number" means that zero occurs as the 21st item in my list of x values, but I can't find any number other than 1 that works. How can I fix this?

 

[Mike Middleton]

Unique_Identifier -

I suggest using an XY (Scatter) chart type instead of a Line chart type.

You have much more control of the axis display when you use an XY (Scatter) chart type.

And, the data series of an XY (Scatter) chart can be formatted to display lines between markers.

- Mike
http://www.MikeMiddleton.com


Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel I have a line graph which I would like to show the axes crossing at their mutual zero points. When I try to format the scale of the x axis to set the option "Vertical (value axis) crosses at category number:", it keeps resetting to 1. If I understand this right, "category number" means that zero occurs as the 21st item in my list of x values, but I can't find any number other than 1 that works. How can I fix this?

 

[Unique_Identifier]

That sounds like a great suggestion; unfortunately, it's not the appropriate solution this time. For reasons I won't go into, I have to use the line graph. My real concern is that a function of the program which should work doesn't. In the windows version, I can do exactly what is described above. In the Mac version, the option is there, but non-functional. Thank you very much for your input. I will keep it in mind for future projects.

 

[Carl Witthoft]

That sounds like a great suggestion; unfortunately, it's not the appropriate
solution this time. For reasons I won't go into, I have to use the line
graph. My real concern is that a function of the program which should work
doesn't. In the windows version, I can do exactly what is described above.
In the Mac version, the option is there, but non-functional. Thank you very
much for your input. I will keep it in mind for future projects.

Ummm.... there is absolutely no reason to use a line graph (other than
that you work for a PHB who's being tyrannical).

With a line graph, you can never AFAIK force the y-axis to cross at any
value other than one of the x-categories. Remember, in a line graph,
you are not plotting x as values, simply as labels.