Chapter 19: Learning Advanced Charting
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Note
When a single data point is selected, the Chart Element control will display the name of the selected element
even though it’s not actually available for selection from the drop-down list. n
Tip
If you do a lot of work with charts, you may want to add the Chart Element control to your Quick Access tool-
bar. That way, it will always be visible regardless of which Ribbon tab is showing. To add the control to your
Quick Access toolbar, right-click the down arrow in the control and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar. n
User Interface Choices for Modifying
Chart Elements
You have three main ways of working with chart elements: the Format dialog box, the Ribbon, and
the Mini toolbar.Using the Format dialog box
When a chart element is selected, use the element’s Format dialog box to format or set options for
the element. Each chart element has a unique Format dialog box that contains controls specific to
the element (although many Format dialog boxes have controls in common). To access the Format
dialog box, use any of these methods:l (^) Double-click the chart element.
l Right-click the chart element and then choose Format xxxx from the shortcut menu
(where xxxx is the name of the element).
l Select a chart element and then choose Chart Tools ➪ Format ➪ Current Selection ➪
Format Selection.
l Select a chart element and press Ctrl+1.
Any of these actions displays a tabbed Format dialog box from which you can make many changes
to the selected chart element. For example, Figure 19.3 shows the dialog box that appears when a
chart’s legend is selected.
Tip
The Format dialog box is a modeless dialog box, so you can leave it open while you’re working on a chart. If
you select a different chart element, the Format dialog box changes to display the options appropriate for the
new element. n