Adding Text to Charts

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Roy - 19 Aug 2004 04:58 GMT

I have created a chart in Excel that tracks one of the
stock indexes. I have been able to point arrows to
specific days and add text so I know what was the reason
the stock index was up or down on that day.

However, as my chart expands the arrows and text are no
longer associated with those day I initially intended it for.

Is there any way in Excel to associate text with specific
day and have it attached so that if the chart grows or
shrinks it will always be associated with that particular day.

Thanks

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Bernard Liengme - 19 Aug 2004 13:59 GMT

Hi Roy,
The trick is to group the graphic element and the chart. When adding a
graphic element begin by click on the chart to activate it; now use the
Drawing tool.
To fix existing charts you need to select both chart and object and use the
Group command. Click the object, hold CTRL and click the chart; right click
and use Group from popup menu

best wishes

Bernard

> I have created a chart in Excel that tracks one of the
> stock indexes. I have been able to point arrows to
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Thanks

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- 24 Aug 2004 13:01 GMT

I did use the drawing tool to draw a box add text to it
and then drew the pointer.
When I click the object, hold CTRL key, and then click
the Chart the object is deselected. I can click on the
box (i.e. object), hold the CTRL key, and click on the
pointer, then right click and choose Group. That works,
but that does not seem like it will stay with the
specific data point. It seems like the box and the
pointer will be grouped. I need the box, the pointer,
and the specific data point all to be grouped.

Did I do something wrong that it did not work out the way
you said it should?

Thanks for all your help

>-----Original Message-----
>Hi Roy,
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>
>.

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Jon Peltier - 24 Aug 2004 17:43 GMT

If the chart was selected when you clicked on the drawing tool button,
the drawing object is created as an object in the chart. In this case it
is not meaningful to try to group the chart and the drawing object. Can
you drag the object off the chart?

As I stated in the other branch of this thread, you can group together
drawing objects within a chart, but you cannot group drawing objects
with data labels or with plotted points.

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

> I did use the drawing tool to draw a box add text to it
> and then drew the pointer.
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>>
>>.

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Tushar Mehta - 19 Aug 2004 14:35 GMT

Use a datalabel. Click the series to select it. Pause and click a
point to select just the point. Double-click it to access the Format
Data Point dialog box. Select the Datalabel tab. Select any option.
OK and close all dialog boxes. Click the datalabel. Pause and click
the text in the label. Edit the text as desired.

If you have event descriptions in worksheet cells, you can link the
datalabel to a cell. Instead of clicking to select the text in the
label, click the border of the label. Then type the equal key and
click in the cell that contains the event description. Finally, use
the ENTER key to complete building the link. For a step by step
description see
Dynamic Chart Title
http://www.tushar-
mehta.com/excel/newsgroups/dynamic_chart_title/index.html
[The same method that applies to the chart title applies to a datalabel
and even a textbox in a chart.]

Signature

Regards,

Tushar Mehta
www.tushar-mehta.com
Excel, PowerPoint, and VBA add-ins, tutorials
Custom MS Office productivity solutions

> I have created a chart in Excel that tracks one of the
> stock indexes. I have been able to point arrows to
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Thanks

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- 24 Aug 2004 13:08 GMT

Hello Mehta,

The Data Labels works great. I did as you instructed and
got the text. However, since I am graphing the stock
market index, the line are very close to one another. My
data labels cannot always be next to the associated data
value.

If I use an arrow from the drawing tool, how do I group
the arrow with the data label. I tried clicking on the
data label, hold the CTRL key, and clicked on the arrow;
but either the arrow got selected or the data label got
selected, but not both.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

>-----Original Message-----
>Use a datalabel. Click the series to select it. Pause and click a
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>>
>.

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Jon Peltier - 24 Aug 2004 17:40 GMT

Unfortunately, datalabels cannot be grouped with drawing objects. Data
labels stay with the points they are associated with, but only pie
charts allow leader lines from the label to the data point. Drawing
objects (such as your arrow) often stay at the same spatial position
within the chart, but never stay at a X,Y position when axis scales change.

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

> Hello Mehta,
>
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>>
>>.

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Roy - 27 Aug 2004 18:03 GMT

Hello Jon,

If I am understanding your comments correctly, there is no
way to attach text to specific data points in a chart-type
of stocks.

My text comments cannot always be right near the data
point. Often they are scattered on the graph, finding
place wherever I can.

Just want to ensure that I am understanding you correctly.

Thanks,

Roy.

>-----Original Message-----
>Unfortunately, datalabels cannot be grouped with drawing objects. Data
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>
>.

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Jon Peltier - 27 Aug 2004 22:30 GMT

Roy -

That's not quite what I said. You can attach text to data points in the
form of data labels. If you use a standard position for the labels
(e.g., above the point, right of the point), the label will always stay
in the same position relative to the point no matter how changing axes
cause the point to move around.

You can group together drawing objects (text boxes, lines, arrows, and
other shapes), but these cannot be grouped with or attached to a data point.

In your case, you cannot use standard data labels, so you have to rely
on text boxes, with lines or arrows connecting the text box to the
point. The text box and arrow can be grouped, but they cannot be forced
to keep pointing to the same point.

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

> Hello Jon,
>
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>>
>>.

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