Charts in Excel

Tom Kelliher, CS 102

Dec. 10, 2003

Administrivia

Announcements

Course evaluation.

Web sites due Friday @ 12:30 PM.

Remember, extra credit project due Monday @ 2:00 PM. Late projects will be discarded.

Assignment

From Last Time

Excel II lab.

Outline

1. Loan payments in Excel.

2. Charts in Excel.

3. Exercise.

Coming Up

Charts

1. ``A picture is worth 1,000 words.''

   What is the purpose of a chart?

2. Types of charts: bar, column, pie, line.

   Variants: ``graduated'' bar chart.

   How do you decide what chart to use?

   Examples from the budget spreadsheet.

3. Demonstration: Chart Wizard.

   Outline of steps:

   1. Select ranges: numbers/formulas and labels.

   2. Click Chart Wizard button (looks like a column chart).

   3. Choose chart type.

   4. Add title, legends, other info.

   5. Insert into spreadsheet as object. Adjust position and size as necessary.

4. Selecting disjoint ranges.

Inserting a ``Live'' Chart into a Document

The ``big'' picture:

What if the numbers change? Will we have to re-insert the updated chart?

Not if we've inserted a link! Steps:

1. To begin with, start with a chart that's embedded on a spreadsheet page --- not a ``separate sheet'' chart.

2. In Excel: Select chart, open Edit menu, and choose Copy.

3. In Word: Position insertion point in document where you want chart to appear, open Edit menu, and choose Paste Special. Select radio buttons for Paste Link.

4. Adjust positioning and size of chart as necessary.

Demonstrate with class, using budget.xls.

Excel Exercise

Follow the lab. Also, practice creating a chart or two.