Charts > Editing charts > Changing chart properties via the dialog box

The previous sections discussed how to edit the properties of specific chart elements. This section discusses the properties of the chart itself.

To change the properties of a chart, click to select the chart and right-click to open the context menu. Select the entry Chart: Properties.

Tip: Alternatively, you can open the dialog box by clicking on the group arrow in the bottom right corner of any command group of the ribbon tab Chart.

The following settings can be made in this dialog box:

Layout tab

On the Layout tab, you can change the chart's wrap margins. For chart frames, you can also change the position and the text wrapping.

For more information, see Object properties, Layout tab.

Format tab

You can use this tab to change the size of the chart.

For more information, see Object properties, Format tab.

Properties tab

Here, you can change the general settings of the chart.

For more information, see Object properties, Properties tab.

Chart type tab

Here, you can change the chart type:

First, select the desired Chart type on the left and then the desired Subtype on the right. For more information on the available chart types, see Changing the chart type.

Color palette: You can change the color scheme of the chart here.

Reset all settings in chart: This option restores any changes you made to the properties of the chart back to their original state.

On the right side of the dialog box, a Preview shows the result of your customizations. If necessary, use the button to open the preview.

Series tab

Data series are the most important chart elements. They represent the data to be evaluated – in the form of columns, bars, lines, etc., depending on the chart type selected.

The Series tab allows you to make settings for each data series of a chart. Here, you can also enter and change the numeric values that you want to display in the chart (via the Edit button).

In the Series list, select the series you want to change. Then make the desired settings:

▪Series

The Series list contains a list of all data series currently included in the chart.

You can use the arrow buttons to the right of the list to change the order of the data series.

Use the Add and Delete buttons to add or remove data series.

The Edit button can be used to edit the numeric values contained in the selected data series. For more information, see also Entering/editing the data of a chart.

▪Data sources section

Here, you can specify which data should represent the selected data series.

The fields in this section are filled in automatically, and there is usually no need to change them.

Note: Do not manually edit the fields in this section. Use the Edit button instead (located below the Series list). It opens a dialog box where you can enter/edit these values in a more convenient manner. For more information on this dialog box, see Entering/editing the data of a chart.

The following fields can be found here:

Name: The name of the data series. This field can also be left empty, whereupon the data series receives an automatically generated name (for example, "Series 1", "Series 2", etc.).

Y values: The Y values for each data point of the data series. To edit these values, it is best to use the Edit button (located below the Series list).

Explanation: For most chart types, the Y values are the values that should be displayed in the chart. For example, the Y values determine the height of the columns in a column chart.

X values: The X values of the data series. To edit these values, also use the Edit button (located below the Series list).

Explanation: For most chart types, the X values are irrelevant and are set to "Auto" (i.e. automatic) because they are only used to label the category axis (X axis). XY scatter charts and bubble charts are the exception, however, as the X and Y values determine the coordinates of the data points in these charts.

Bubble sizes: For bubble charts, there is a third parameter in addition to X and Y values: the size of the bubbles for each data point. You should use the Edit button to edit the values here also.

▪Display this series as section

Here, you can specify how the selected data series is displayed in the chart. If, for example, you have selected a column chart as the chart type, but want a particular series to appear as a line chart, you select the option Lines for this data series.

▪Use secondary axis for this series

If you enable this option, a secondary value axis (Y axis) will be added to the chart for this data series. Secondary value axes can have a different scale to primary value axes.

Explanation: It is useful to represent specific data series on a secondary axis if these data series require an axis with a completely different scale because they contain significantly larger values than the other data series.

Elements tab

On the Elements tab, you can show/hide and label the various chart elements:

▪Chart title

Here, you can enter a title for the chart. The title will then be displayed above the chart.

▪Primary axes section

Here, you can make settings for the primary axes:

You can use the checkbox in front of each axis to enable/disable the display of this axis.

To the right of the checkbox, you can give the axis a name. This will then be displayed below/next to the axis as an axis title.

The Major grid and Minor grid options determine whether gridlines should be displayed in the background of the chart. These grids make it easier to read the values.

▪Secondary axes section

If the chart has secondary axes, you can configure them here, similar to the primary axes (see above).

▪Legend

Here, you can specify the position of the legend. A legend is a small box that shows which data series are displayed in which color/pattern.

3D view tab

Note: This tab is only available for three-dimensional chart types.

On the 3D view tab, you can change the 3D effect for the chart (for three-dimensional chart types).

▪Rotation angle and Elevation angle

Here, you can set the viewing angle (in degrees) from which the viewer sees the chart. Rotation angle rotates the chart around the vertical axis, while Elevation angle rotates the chart around the horizontal axis.

▪Perspective

If this option is enabled, the chart will be distorted in perspective. You can also specify the amount of distortion (from 0 to 100%).

▪Height and Depth

Here, you can change the height and depth of the chart (as a percentage of its original size).

Radar tab

Note: This tab is only available for radar charts.

On the Radar tab, you can make additional settings for displaying the chart (for radar charts).

▪Starting angle

This option allows you to rotate the chart by the specified angle.

▪Orientation

This option specifies whether the values should be arranged clockwise or counterclockwise.

▪Round radar chart

If this option is enabled, pie segments are drawn between the axes instead of lines.

▪Polar coordinates

If this option is enabled, polar coordinates are used instead of Cartesian coordinates. The polar coordinates are only available if Round radar chart is enabled.

If Angle between axes is set to x, an axis will be plotted every x degrees.

If Angle between axis descriptions is set to x, an axis label will be plotted every x degrees.

▪Limit plot area to radar

If this option is enabled, only the area inside the radar will be filled. If it is disabled, the entire rectangle surrounding the radar will also be filled.