Excel® 2007 Charts

Chapter 7. Creating Interactive Charts

In This Chapter

• Introducing the concept of interactive charts

• Creating a self–expanding chart — a chart that updates automatically when data is added or deleted

• Using a scroll bar to specify the data in a series

• Using a drop–down list to choose a beginning point and an end point for a series

• Plotting the last n data points in a series

• Plotting every nth data point in a series

• Using a check box or a drop–down list to select a series to plot

The term interactive chart, as used in this book, refers to a chart that changes automatically, based on the worksheet environment. In a sense, all charts are interactive because chart series are linked to ranges, and the chart updates automatically when the data is changed. This is not the type of interactivity covered in this chapter.

Introducing Interactive Charts

If you create spreadsheets that are used by others, you'll probably find several useful techniquesin this chapter. Many of these examples have a single goal: to make it easier for users (especially novice users) to deal with a workbook that contains charts.

A few examples of interactive charts include the following:

• A chart that updates itself to use data added to the end of the series

• A chart that updates itself when data is deleted

• A chart that limits the amount of data displayed in a series (for example, only the last 12 data points)

• A chart that displays a series based on a value entered into a cell or an item chosenfrom a drop–down list.

This chapter provides ...