Line charting problem - value against time

  • Thread starter Thread starter Trevor
  • Start date Start date
T

Trevor

Hello

I have a series of observations in one column, with the date and time of the
observation in another two columns, i.e.
Date Time Value
8/7/04 09:45 5.2
8/7/04 13:25 7.1
and so on.

I am trying to plot these so that my Y values are the Values, and the spread
of the X values reflects the time of the observation. Ideally I will have
several series, one per day.

The problem I am having is that if I plot these as a "line" chart then Excel
assumes that I want the readings evenly spread, regardless of the actual
date/time of the observation, i.e. the second observation of each day lines
up vertically regardless of the actual times involved.

I can get points appearing where I want if I graph them as a "scatter"
chart - but then I can't "connect the dots" to compare profiles.

I'm sure this is just a "novice" problem, but I'm finding the help screens
less than helpful in this matter. Can anyone help - or point me to some
useful doco?

Thanks in advance
Trevor
 
Set up your data with the times in column A, and dates in row 1. For
example:

8/7 8/8
09:45 5.2 9.1
13:25 7.1 8.2

Create an XY Scatter chart from the data
If there are blank cells in the data, you can set the options so the
lines are unbroken:

Select the chart
Choose Tools>Options
 
Hi

Thanks for such a quick reply!
Unfortunately... observations are not made at the same times every day :-(
(These are blood test results - there are 3-10 obs per day, but the time at
which they are made varies freely.)

Trevor
 
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