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 add more series?
- How do I reduce clutter if I have too many series?
- How to format color for each of the series?
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 own 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 multiple measure series (numeric value) columns 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 fully 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 do I add more series?
By default, the multiple series column chart in the Instant Chart Maker template has two series. If you wish to add more series to your data, follow the steps here:
Note: If you plan to save this chart as a template, make the necessary changes in the Instant Chart Maker template file and then follow the steps on "how to save this as a template?".
1. Right-click on any cell in the last series of the current data in the template file. i.e. the 2022 series. Click on Insert , then on Table Column to the Right
2. This inserts a column to the right side of the existing series, add the necessary data as needed.
3. With this, the chart should automatically add the third series of data to the chart, as shown below:
Apply the same steps for any number of columns, keep in mind that too many series in a multiple-series chart will render the chart cluttered.
This brings us to the next key question,
How do I reduce clutter if I have too many series?
To avoid a crowded chart that is hard to read and analyze, a recommended option would be to group a certain number series or columns as "OTHERS".
We have a dedicated blog post explaining how this can be achieved, give it a read here: https://indzara.com/create-column-chart-with-dynamic-columns/
How to format color for each of the series?
1. Click on the chart and press CTRL+1 to open the format pane.
2. From the drop-down here, choose the series for which you'd like to change the color.
3. In the Fill & Line option, choose a color that suits your need:
4. Repeat the same steps, if needed, for other series too. With this your chart is ready!
