Creating a Chart


You can create a chart in one of two ways in Quattro Pro:

  • You can use the Chart Expert, a wizard that walks you through the process.

  • You can draw the chart and then modify it as needed.

Creating a Chart Using the Chart Expert

Creating a chart using the Chart Expert wizard is easy; follow these steps to create a chart and place it in a separate chart window:

1.

Select any cell in the range of data you want to chart.

Tip

I include the cells containing labels in the selection so that Quattro Pro automatically labels information in the chart.

2.

Open the Insert menu and click Chart to start the Chart Expert wizard. Quattro Pro displays the first step of the Chart Expert (see Figure 11.6).

Figure 11.6. In the Chart Expert, you start by selecting the data that you want to chart.


3.

Click the Range Picker button to collapse the Chart Expert to just a title bar.

4.

Select the data that Quattro Pro should chart (see Figure 11.7). Remember, select data appropriate for the type of chart you want to create. In this example, I want to create a bar chart that compares sales by region for all three products, so I select cells A3.D6.

Figure 11.7. Select the cells containing the data you want to chart.


5.

Click the Maximize button to redisplay the first step of the Chart Expert.

6.

Click the Chart Window option to tell Quattro Pro to display the chart in its own window.

7.

Click Next to select a chart type (see Figure 11.9). For this chart, I clicked the first available chart type. I also clicked the Add Depth box to make the visual appearance of the bars two-dimensional and more interesting.

Tip

If you compare Figure 11.8 with Figure 11.6, you'll notice that the sample chart in the Expert dialog box makes more sense after you select the correct data than it did when the Chart Expert first opened.

Figure 11.8. After you select the correct range, the sample in the Expert dialog box makes more sense.


Figure 11.9. Select a chart type.


All the charts displayed in this chapter up to this point have appeared on the spreadsheet with the data.


8.

Click Next to set up explanatory text for the chart (see Figure 11.10). Although you don't need to fill out all the boxes, some are rather valuable. For example, the Title tells your readers what they're viewing. The X-Axis label appears along the bottom of a bar chart; in this example, I used the label "Product," because product names appear along the bottom of the chart. The Y-Axis label appears along the left edge of the chart and, in a bar chart, describes the units being displayedin this example, dollars.

Figure 11.10. Use these boxes to describe the information on the chart.


Tip

If you're unsure of the type of chart to produce, click the Advisor's Choice button, and Quattro Pro will suggest a chart type. Remember, though, that it may not be appropriate for what you want to show.

9.

Click Next to select a color scheme for the chart (see Figure 11.11). A color scheme is most useful if you can print in color or if you intend to create color slides of the chart.

Figure 11.11. You can select a color scheme for a chart.


Click the chart window's close button to redisplay the spreadsheet.


10.

Click Finish, and Quattro Pro displays the chart in a separate window from the data (see Figure 11.12).

Figure 11.12. A chart in a separate chart window.


Drawing a Chart

If you opt to place a chart in the current sheet in step 6 above, Quattro Pro lets you draw the boundaries of the chart in the spreadsheet. You also can insert a chart without using the Chart Expert by drawing the chart. When you draw a chart, Quattro Pro makes its best guess for the chart type, and you then use formatting options described later in this chapter to add other information to the chart.

To draw a chart, follow these steps:

1.

Select the data you want to chart.

2.

Click the Chart button on the Notebook toolbar. The mouse pointer changes to look like a chart (see Figure 11.13).

Figure 11.13. Select the data that you want to chart.


3.

Drag from the upper-left corner to the lower-right corner of the location where you want the chart to appear (see Figure 11.14).

Figure 11.14. Drag to insert a chart in a spreadsheet.


4.

When you release the mouse button, Quattro Pro inserts the chart (see Figure 11.15).

Figure 11.15. Quattro Pro inserts a chart like this one when you draw a chart.


Formatting a Chart

Suppose that you want to change the chart type for an existing chart. No problem; follow these steps:

1.

Click in a blank area of the chart to select the chartyou'll see either small black handles surrounding the chart as appeared in Figure 11.15, or you'll see a hatched border surrounding the chart, as shown in Figure 11.16.

Figure 11.16. Right-click a blank area of a chart to display a menu.


2.

Right-click a blank area of the chart.

3.

Select Gallery from the menu that appears. Quattro Pro displays the Chart Type Gallery dialog box, which closely resembles the first dialog box that appears when you use the Chart Expert to insert a chart (see Figure 11.17).

Figure 11.17. Use the Chart Type Gallery to change the chart type after creating a chart.


Tip

If Quattro Pro displays placeholders for a title and subtitle, you can double-click the placeholder, remove the placeholder word"Title" or "Subtitle," and so ontype the text you want, and press Enter on the keyboard.

4.

Select a new chart type and click OK. Quattro Pro changes the chart type to match your selection.

If you want to add titles to a chart, follow steps 14 above, selecting Titles instead of Gallery from the menu in step 3. If you want to add a legend to a chart, follow the steps 14, selecting Source Data instead of Gallery from the menu in step 3.




Absolute Beginner's Guide to Quattro Pro X3
Absolute Beginners Guide to Quattro Pro X3
ISBN: 0789734265
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 128
Authors: Elaine Marmel

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