Text annotations on Excel chart

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Is there an easy way of putting text annotations, arrows, dividing lines etc
on Excel charts?

Maybe a 'transparency panel' over the chart that accepts graphics
characters, clipart etc?
This way you could annotate, label and generally move things about to your
heart's content.

I have been making the chart into a .gif and writing on them in a graphics
program but this is time consuming, unweildy and not editable and they
distort and look ugly if you want to change the chart size.

I would have though this would have been a fairly basic requirement of
business charts and wonder why Microsoft hasn't thought of it before?

I am using 'Office 2003' and 'Office X for Mac'.
 
You can add text easily, either as data labels on data points or as textboxes. The
easiest way to add a textbox is to select the chart and start typing, and the
textbox will appear when you press Enter.

You can place text exactly if you create a helper series with hidden points, and put
labels on these points. The labels move to keep up with axis scale changes. You can
locate graphic objects exactly the same way by using them as custom markers in
another helper series:

http://peltiertech.com/Excel/ChartsHowTo/CustomSeriesFormatting.html

You can easily add lines on the chart using helper series:

http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/AddLine.html

If you select the chart and then choose one of the Autoshape tools, the autoshape
will be created within the chart, in a drawing layer that floats above the chart
elements (the textboxes created above are also in this drawing layer).

You should add these objects with the chart already at its ultimate size, because
they don't usually resize elegantly with the rest of the chart.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Peltier Technical Services
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
http://PeltierTech.com/
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