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Harvard Graphics Chart XL Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I add a second Y-Axis to a chart?
A: This technote explains how to add a second
Y axis to a chart in Harvard ChartXL:
- Select the graph.
- Select Add Data from the Graph menu.
- In the Add Data dialog box, select the graph type that you want
your data to appear as.
- Click OK.
- In the Select Spreadsheet Resource box, select the spreadsheet that
contains the data you want to graph on the second Y axis.
- Select the graph.
- Select Add Axis from the Graph menu, choose Y Axis, and click OK.
- Select the data set that you want to graph on the second Y-axis.
- Click your right mouse button, or select Style from the Format menu,
to open the Style dialog box.
- Select Axis assigns, change Y-Axis to 2 and click OK.
Your data is now graphed on the Y2 axis.
Q:
How do I change the axis limits on and add a break point to a graph?
A:
You can add interest to your Harvard ChartXL graph by changing the axis limits or adding a break point.
For example, if you want to draw attention to all companies with quarterly sales between $400,000
and $1,000,000, you can change the axis limits to display plots within that range of numbers.
If your range of values includes very high numbers and very low numbers, and you want to show
appropriate increments for the high values and the low values on the same Y Axis, you may want
to include a breakpoint.
To change the limits on your graph:
- Select the axis with the values you want to emphasize.
- Select the chart, then sub-select the X, Y or Z axis that you want to emphasize.
- Click the right mouse button and choose Axis Style. (Or, you can choose Style from the Format menu.)
- Select Limits and type new values for the Minimum and Maximum Linear Limits. These values
can be any number, but should fall within the range that you want to emphasize. Notice that
Autoscale turns off automatically. Select OK to return to your chart. The new limits display
on the appropriate axis, and your data plots according to your new limits.
To Add a Breakpoint to the Y-Axis:
- Select the axis with the values you want to emphasize.
- Click the right mouse button and choose Axis Style. (or, you can choose Style from the Format menu.)
- Click Limits and select Breakpoint. For the Lower breakpoint, choose a value that is slightly higher
than the highest lower value. For the Upper breakpoint, choose the value that is slightly lower than the higher value.
- You may need to change the axis limits. The Major ticks must be a value that appropriately displays
the tickmarks between both ranges of values.
- Select OK to return to your chart. The new limits and a breakpoint are displayed on the chart.
Q:
How do I change the ranges in a Pre-Processed Error-Bar Plot?
A:
By default, in a pre-processed Error-Bar Plot, column A is X-position, and all remaining data
is the Y-position. The Range Highlighter is not available on the input spreadsheet when data
is pre-processed. The processing provides you with the minimum and maximum values and the mean
for each row of Y-data and your standard deviation or standard error. If you have more than
one column of X axis data, you want to also get the minimum and maximum and mean for your X-data,
and the standard deviation or standard error of each row of X-data. This technote explains how to
edit ranges so that you can see the X-axis error as well as the Y-axis error.
Add an Error-bar plot from the Statistical Category:
- Create a new spreadsheet. Place your X-data in three or more columns, and place your
Y-data in the next columns. You may want to label the columns, X1, X2, X3, Y1, Y2, Y3, and so on.
- Click OK to process the data.
- To change the ranges, select your data set, and select Edit Processing from the Graph menu.
You can change your X data range and your Y-data range in the Error-Bar Statistics dialog box.
You can also select whether to show Standard error or Standard deviation.
- Choose Style from the Format menu, then select Show x-error. The error bars now display.
Q:
How do I create stack bars with labels on stacks and show cumulative labels?
A:
You can create bar and column charts in Harvard ChartXL. The bar groupings can be adjacent,
overlapping, or stacked. You can also label individual bars, or the individual sections that
make up the stack. This technote shows you how to place labels on each section of the stack bar,
and how to get a total of the stack on each of the stack bar.
Displaying labels:
- First create a spreadsheet. This example uses 5 bars, each with 3 different stacks.
Be sure to use the Range Highlighter to indicate which cells you want to be your X-axis labels,
and which cells you want as bars. Once you mark the appropriate cells, click OK to view the column chart.
- Select the bars, and click with your right mouse button.
- Select Style and set Bar Grouping to Stack. Click OK.
- To show the values of each stack, select a data set, and click with the right mouse button.
- Select Data Labels from the menu. Choose Values as the Display. You can then select the location
of the labels. You might want to show the labels in the center of each stacked bar.
Displaying the sum of each stacked bar:
- Select the bars, and select Add Data from the Graph menu. This option allows you to add new bars to the graph.
- Select Vertical columns from the Add Data menu. Select the same spreadsheet.
- You need use a formula to calculate the sum of each row of data. This is the cumulative value of the stack bar. For this particular example, click in cell E2 and place the formula =Sum(B2:D2). Copy this formula to the Clipboard, and paste it in cells E3:E6. Use the Range Highlighter to set A2:A6 as your axis label, and E2:E6 as your bar values.
- When you click OK on the spreadsheet form, the new column covers the stack bar.
- Click the bar, and click with the right mouse button.
- Select Data Labels from the menu. Choose Values as the Display, and Above as the Location.
- You can make this bar invisible, by clicking the paint can to change the Fill to None.
- Now the stacks bars show with the labels on each stack, and the cumulative values for each bar show above the bars.
Q:
How do I fill bars and columns with images?
A:
You can add interest to your 2-D graph by filling selective bars or columns with graphics images.
To fill a bar on a column chart with a graphic:
- Select the bar you want to fill with an image (select the chart, then sub-select the data sets until one or more of the bars is selected).
- Click your right mouse button and choose Fill. (Or, you can choose Fill from the Format menu.)
- In the Object Fill Dialog Box, choose Picture from the Fill Type section.
- Click Import.
- Choose the file type from List Files of Type list. Harvard ChartXL imports BMP, CGM, DRW DFX, GIF, CH3, SY3, HGL, PCX, AI, EPS, TIF, and WMF formats.
- Choose the graphic image you want to include in your graph, and click OK. The graphic appears in the Object Fill dialog box.
- Click Picture Fit and choose the appropriate options for your image in the Picture Fit dialog box.
- For example, if your image is very wide or tall, choose Fit Image Height or Fit Image Width as appropriate.
Fit Tightest Dimension allows Harvard ChartXL to fit the graphic to the bar as tightly as possible, based on the bar's dimensions.
- Click OK to return to the Object Fill dialog box.
- Click OK again to return to your chart. Your bar is now filled with an image.
Q:
How do I fill the area between two lines?
A:
An area chart is simply a filled line chart. There may be occasions when you want, or need, to
fill only the area between two lines. This technote explains how.
Create an area chart with multiple areas:
- Make sure you select the Fill tool so that the chart is filled. The Fill tool overrides the Style, Area fill option.
- Select a filled area under the line, and click with the right mouse button to get to the Color option.
- Change the fill and line color of the area to white.
- Select the area above the lines you which to fill. Click with the right mouse button, select Color, and change the Fill and Line color to white.
- If you have multiple areas, it might be easier to select all the areas at once, and change the
fill and line color to white. The entire graph is now white. You can use the Tab key to go to all parts
of the chart. Notice all the handles on all the lines. If you continue to press Tab, you see the individual
lines. Tab to the line you want to fill and change the fill color to any color but white.
For a uniform looking graph, be sure to select the Overlay grid option (select Style from the Format menu).
Or you can select each axis, and right click to get the Axis dialog box. Select Grid Lines and deselect
Show major grid and Show minor grid lines.
Q:
How can I sort data in a chart?
A:
To sort data entered in Harvard ChartXL and generate a new chart from the newly sorted data, you can use
the sort function that is built in automatic processing Pareto Charts. You need to enter the category
labels in column A, beginning in row 2. You need to enter the data to be sorted in column B, beginning
in row 2. For this example, use the Pie Chart from the Gallery.
- Select Add Graph from the Graph menu and choose Gallery. Then select the Pie Chart (Business Category).
- With the spreadsheet containing the sample pie chart data on the screen, select Add Graph from the
Graph menu and select Pareto Chart (Statistical Category). Do not select Pareto Chart (no processing).
- This creates a new spreadsheet called Sorted_Data1 which contains the newly sorted sample data.
- Click OK to close out of the Sorted_Data1 spreadsheet.
- This displays the data as a Pareto Chart.
- With the arrow tool, click the Pareto Chart to select it, then choose Change Graph from the Chart menu.
- Select Pie chart (Business Category).
- This displays the newly sorted data as a Pie Chart.
Q:
How do I use the range highlighter?
A:
Harvard ChartXL uses data in pre-defined rows and columns of the spreadsheet to create each
chart type. If you're typing data for a chart, use the Range Highlighter to guide you in entering the data.
- To display the Range Highlighter, select Range Highlighter from the View menu in the Data view.
- Click a chart range in the Range Highlighter.
- Click in the first highlighted cell.
- Type the appropriate data in the highlighted cells.
- Continue to click chart ranges and type data until you've entered all required data in the spreadsheet.
Q:
How do I resolve a "DOS 21 Error" while installing Win32s?
A:
The DOS 21 error is usually reported on a Windows 3.1 system when SHARE.EXE has not been loaded. Win32s
needs SHARE to be resident. To automatically load SHARE each time you start your computer, simply add
the following line to your Autoexec.bat file: C:\Share.exe. Reboot your computer and reinstall Win32s.
Q:
How do I create a decimal tab?
A:
There are times when you don't need a table chart, but you do need to align decimals where data consists
of numbers which include decimals. Good style usually dictates that these decimals line up, especially
if there are disparate decimal values. This technote explains how to create decimals tabs in an annotated text block.
- Click the Text tool.
- Type your values, one value on each line, pressing Enter between each line, for example,
- 123.34
- 3.65
- 2234.55
- 43.6
- 23.456
- After entering your last value of that set, click the Cursor tool or press Esc once.
- Select the newly created text block and press the right mouse button to display the style and format menu.
- Select Edit and position your cursor at the beginning of the first line.
- Highlight the whole text block (click and hold the left mouse button and drag the mouse over the text).
- Select Text Ruler from the View menu.
- The decimal tab is the rightmost icon on the ruler bar (the up arrow with a decimal).
- Click the decimal tab and position your pointer anywhere along the ruler you wish to have a decimal tab.
- Click the shaded area just below the ruler to set the tab.
- Click the beginning of the first line of your data and press the Tab key.
- The value should move and align the decimal with the decimal tab. You can have as many decimal tabs within that text block as you need.
- To remove a decimal tab, select it and drag it off the ruler bar.
- Press Esc, or click the Cursor tool to end the editing and return to Ready mode.
Q:
How do I embed Harvard ChartXL charts into Harvard Graphics 3.0 for Windows?
A:
These instructions explain how to insert an existing Harvard ChartXL chart into Harvard Graphics 3.0 for Windows.
- Choose Insert embedded object from the Edit menu in Harvard Graphics.
- Choose Harvard ChartXL Page in the Insert Embedded Object dialog box.
- Harvard ChartXL opens. Note, the active Window is Objects in Harvard Graphics.
- Open the file you want to embed in Harvard Graphics.
- Select Tile from the Window menu. The Objects in Harvard Graphics window and the file
with the graph you'd like to embed are now tiled on the screen.
- Click the mouse in the window with the graph to be embedded and select the graph. Choose Copy from the Edit menu.
- Click the mouse in the Objects in Harvard Graphics window. Choose Paste from the Edit menu.
The graph now appears in the Objects in Harvard Graphics window.
- Exit Harvard ChartXL. A dialog box appears asking you if you would like to update your Harvard Graphics chart before proceeding. Click Yes.
- Your chart is now embedded in Harvard Graphics.
These instructions explain how to insert a Harvard ChartXL chart that has not been created into Harvard Graphics 3.0 Windows.
- In Harvard Graphic, choose Insert embedded object from the Edit menu.
- Choose Harvard ChartXL Page from Insert Embedded Object dialog box.
- Harvard ChartXL opens. Now you can create the new Harvard ChartXL Chart.
- It is a good idea to save the chart in ChartXL before you embed it in Harvard Graphics. Choose Save
Copy As from the File menu. Give the file a name and click OK.
- Now close Harvard ChartXL. A dialog box appears asking you if you want to update your Harvard Graphics chart before proceeding. Click Yes.
- Your Harvard ChartXL chart is now in embedded in Harvard Graphics. To make changes/updates
to your data, double click the graph. This returns you to Harvard ChartXL.
Q:
How do I import graphic files into Harvard ChartXL?
A:
Harvard ChartXL allows you to import and export data and graphics using a variety of file types.
If you prefer, you can simply copy and paste using the Windows Clipboard. You can achieve the best
import/export results using Object Linking and Embedding (OLE). OLE maintains the link between Harvard
ChartXL and the application you linked with.
What follows are instructions on how to do a cut and paste to the Windows Clipboard, and a list
of the graphics file formats Harvard ChartXL imports and exports.
Copy and paste:
- To copy and paste your Harvard ChartXL graph to another document:
- Select of the entire graph by positioning your mouse at the top left corner of the screen.
Hold down the left mouse button and dragging a box around the entire chart (this is called a marquis select).
Or select different parts of the chart by pressing the Shift key and clicking the parts of the chart you
want to copy. You will see handles on the selected areas of the chart.
- Choose Copy from the Edit menu.
- Switch the application where you want the chart and paste the item (you may need to consult the
application's documentation for instructions on pasting).
Q:
How do I import text?
A:
You can import .TXT or .DIF files into Harvard ChartXL 2.0.
- In the Data view, choose Import text on the Data menu.
- In the Open dialog box, select the text file you'd like to import and click Open or OK.
- You can maintain a link to the file by clicking Yes when Harvard ChartXL asks if you wish to maintain a permanent link to the file.
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