The following is the list of queries addressed in this article:
- How to customize the formatting options in the chart?
- How to save the chart as a template and re-use it in any other Excel file?
- How to change the format of the date in the X axis?
How to customize the formatting options in the chart?
How to save the chart as a template and re-use it in any other Excel file?
1. Right-click on the chart and select "Save as Template"
This opens a dialog box, assign a name to your chart template, and click "Save". This saves the chart in a .crtx format
2. From our Instant Chart Maker file, Copy the data table (CTRL+C) and paste it (CTRL+V) into your chosen Excel file.
3. Enter your information in the data table. Add or remove rows as needed.
4. Select the columns required to build the chart, for this - both the category and the measure (numeric value) column in that order.
5. Go to Insert and choose to see All Recommended Charts
This opens up a dialog box, go to All Charts and click on the Templates folder. Here, you'll find all the charts you have saved in step 1, choose the one that is relevant to the data and click "Ok".
6. That's it, your chart gets populated with the data from your Excel file and is totally independent of the Instant Chart Maker template file.
- Chart title and Axis titles: Using a saved template to build your chart does not usually bring the Chart title and axis titles. Read this article to add these elements to your chart.
How to change the format of the date on the X-axis?
By default, the X-Axis format for the Simple column chart by date is "M-12"
This can be easily changed by following the steps shown below:
1. Right-click on the X-axis and go to Format Axis:
2. In the format pane, in Axis Options, under Number, you can choose the date format that works for your data from the multiple options as shown below:
