I hope I’m not breaking some sort of protocol by asking you lot this question, instead of Clippie, who has never been remotely helpful to me, and I can’t seem to phrase the question properly this time !
I’m creating a document in which I keep track of weekly data. Every week I download something and paste the data from it into my spreadsheet, which turns it into a line graph. So every week, when I add new data, I have to go to the chart and extend the data series that it is made from, in order to make the latest data show up on the line graph.
Is there any way I can make it so that it updates the line graph automatically, once I’ve put in the data? This would save me worlds of trouble …
When you select the data to graph, select a bunch of extra rows below your data that are now just empty cells. Run the Chart Wizard, select ‘XY (Scatter)’ under Chart Type, select the chart sub-type that shows the points with the line connecting them. Then format the chart as you normally would.
Now, as you add your data each week, your chart should update automatically.
A series can be extended by simple dragging the cells containing the new data onto the chart.
When you create your chart, include one blank row. New data can be pasted using the menu option “Insert/Copied Cells” at that point with the option “Shift cells down”.
I am going to print out Victor’s instructions and have a go. Man, if it works, I’ll throw a party ! (Not a big one, mind you: Excel graphing parties aren’t usually all that fun.)
Surreal, doesn’t that leave a point on your graph that doesn’t represent anything? I’m trying to avoid that.
K: That’s what I want to try to avoid having to do every week.
It shouldn’t plot any extra points on the graph, as long as you leave the unused cells you’re going to add the data to blank.
The only problem you might have is that the graph will become too scrunched up, with the x-axis containing a bunch of values for which there are no data. You’d have to periodically right-click the x-axis, hit ‘Format Axis’, then adjust the ‘Maximum’ under the ‘Scale’ tab.