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Making sure you've got the right chart for the data you're displaying is key to communicating your point most effectively. Some charts, such as the bar and column charts, are best for comparing data items—for example, tracking the sales of apples compared to oranges. Other charts are better for showing the relation of individual items to a whole—such as the sales of apples and oranges as they compare to total produce sold in May 2001.
Tip - Create your own custom chart types
You can also create your own custom chart types with Microsoft Graph. When there's a specific type of chart you want, or a mix of chart types, you can create your own specifications and save them with the current document. To find out more about creating a custom chart type, see "Creating Your Own Chart Types," later in this chapter.
Microsoft Graph makes it simple for you to select and change chart types. Start by creating a new chart or by displaying the chart you've already created. Double-click the chart, if necessary, so that the Microsoft Graph additions to the Standard toolbar are displayed. Then choose Chart, Chart Type. The Chart Type dialog box appears and contains all the different charts—both Standard and Custom—that are available to you (see Figure 19-3).
Figure 19-3. The Chart Type dialog box includes over 30 different chart types you can use to illustrate your data.
Tip - Change chart types—the fast way
If you've used the Chart Type dialog box before, Microsoft Graph will have placed its button on the Standard toolbar. To change a chart type quickly, simply click the Chart Type button's down arrow and select the chart you want from the drop-down menu. The selected chart is automatically replaced with the new chart type you select.
The Standard Types tab in the Chart Type dialog box is the first to be displayed. The type of chart selected in the Chart Type list (and in the Chart Sub-Type section) depends on the type of chart selected in your document.
To choose another chart type, simply scroll through the Chart Type list and select the one you want. The examples in the Chart Sub-Type section change to reflect your new choice. Select the sub-type you want by clicking it as well. When you click OK, you are returned to Microsoft Graph, and your chart is updated to show the new chart type.
Tip - Test your choice
If you're not sure how your choice will look and want to test it out before you make the change, select the type and the sub-type and then click the Press And Hold To View Sample button On the Standard Types tab in the Chart Type dialog box. Microsoft Graph gives you a preview of your chart, redrawn in the new type. If you like what you see, click OK, and the chart is replaced in your document.
If you don't see what you want on the Standard Types tab of the Chart Type dialog box, you can try the Custom Types tab. Click that tab and scroll through the list of Custom Chart Types. You'll see many different styles of all kinds and colors. (See Figure 19-4.) When you find the one you want, select it in the Chart Type list and click OK. You are returned to your document and the chart change is made.
Figure 19-4. The Chart Type Custom Types tab gives you additional choices for more specialized graphs.
If you really like the chart type you've selected, you can make it the default chart Microsoft Graph automatically uses when you create a new chart. Double-click the chart in your document and choose Chart, Chart Type. Click the Set As Default Chart button to store this chart type as the type Microsoft Graph uses when you create a new chart.
If you just can't find the exact chart you want, or if your data needs are specialized for a particular document type, you can create a custom chart type to handle your unique situation. Similar to the way in which you create styles, you base the creation of a custom chart style on an existing style. You can tailor the existing style by changing colors, bar type, 3-D or 2-D effects, background, titles and labels, and more.
To create your own custom chart type, follow these steps:
Figure 19-5. When you create a custom chart type, you name the type and add a description in the Add Custom Chart Type dialog box.
Tip - Use your own chart types
When you want to use one of your own custom-designed chart types in a document, choose Insert, Picture, Chart, click the Custom Types tab in the Chart Type dialog box, and click the User-Defined option. Select the chart you want to use from the Chart Types list, and click OK. Microsoft Graph inserts the custom chart in your document.