How to mark key dates on chart?

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Huck Rorick - 12 Sep 2007 16:30 GMT

I have a chart that shows change in blood pressure over time. I would like
to mark on the graph certain key dates (x values), for example where diet
changes. Can I do that with excel charts?

Also, I would like to highlight a band of y values (e.g. blood pressure
between 120-140). Can I do that?

Thanks for any help,

Huck

Reply to this Message

David Biddulph - 12 Sep 2007 16:47 GMT

>I have a chart that shows change in blood pressure over time. I would like
>to mark on the graph certain key dates (x values), for example where diet
>changes. Can I do that with excel charts?

Format/ Data points/ Data labels/ X value

> Also, I would like to highlight a band of y values (e.g. blood pressure
> between 120-140). Can I do that?

Add a couple of extra series Xmin and Xmax, Y values for both 120, similarly
Xmin Xmax, Y values for both 140. Add these series to your chart.

Signature

David Biddulph

Reply to this Message

Huck Rorick - 12 Sep 2007 19:52 GMT

Hi David,

I tried your suggestions but had a few problems. I am using Excel 2002.

The "Format" menu didn't have anything on Data points/ Data labels/ X value.

If I right click on the chart and select "chart options" there is a "Data
Labels" tab. However, checking "X Value" puts the X value at every data
point. I only want to highlight a particular spot on the chart.

Is there any way to add a text note to a chart?

I'm not sure I understood your second suggestion

Add a couple of extra series Xmin and Xmax, Y values for both 120, similarly
Xmin Xmax, Y values for both 140. Add these series to your chart

I probably should have mentioned that this is a scatter chart. If I add
another series it will put in a series of points, which wouldn't look too
good. Did you mean to add a series of data points? If it were a line chart
then that would probably get pretty close to what I want, but on the scatter
chart I can't see that it would work.

Any clarification or other idea?

Thanks,

Huck

>>I have a chart that shows change in blood pressure over time. I would
>>like to mark on the graph certain key dates (x values), for example where
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> similarly Xmin Xmax, Y values for both 140. Add these series to your
> chart.

Reply to this Message

Kelly O'Day - 12 Sep 2007 20:05 GMT

Huck:

This link shows how to add comments to a trend chart.

http://processtrends.com/pg_charts_trend_with_events.htm

Kelly O'Day

> Hi David,
>
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
>> similarly Xmin Xmax, Y values for both 140. Add these series to your
>> chart.

Reply to this Message

David Biddulph - 12 Sep 2007 20:45 GMT

> Hi David,
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Labels" tab. However, checking "X Value" puts the X value at every data
> point. I only want to highlight a particular spot on the chart.

If you click once on a series in the chart, then either right-click or the
format menu will give you Format Data Series. If you click twice, then
instead of Format Data Series you'll get Format Data Points.

> Is there any way to add a text note to a chart?
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> similarly
> Xmin Xmax, Y values for both 140. Add these series to your chart

Put in a column firstly your minimum X value then your maximum X value. In
the adjacent column put 120 then 120. In the next column put 140 then 140.
Select this range (2 rows by 3 column), copy, then select your chart, go to
the Edit menu, find Paste Special. Select the options for "new series",
data in "columns", X values in 1st column. This should give you one
horizontal line at 120 and another at 140. You can label the lines with
series names if you want to.

> I probably should have mentioned that this is a scatter chart. If I add
> another series it will put in a series of points, which wouldn't look too
> good. Did you mean to add a series of data points? If it were a line
> chart then that would probably get pretty close to what I want, but on the
> scatter chart I can't see that it would work.

You obviously haven't realised that a scatter chart isn't limited to
isolated points. The "scatter" title obviously confuses some people, but
most of us use that type of chart and include lines between the points. If
you go to Chart Type and look at the sub-type options, you'll see the
options include either point symbols with lines between them or lines
without point symbols. You can also play around with individual data series
(or even individual data points) and add, remove, or change the lines and/or
point symbols.

> Any clarification or other idea?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Huck

Signature

David Biddulph

Reply to this Message

Huck Rorick - 14 Sep 2007 10:08 GMT

Thanks for all the help. I'm back to the drawing board.

Huck

>> Hi David,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 47 lines]
>>
>> Huck

Reply to this Message