Thread: X axis label problem

I created two line charts in Excel 2002 (Office XP, WinXP). Each x axis
shows a year range from 1990 - 2010 in 2 year increments; i.e. 1990, 1992,
1994 etc.

On one chart, the years are horizontal. On the other chart, they are at a
diagonal. The charts appear to be the same size. The fonts are the same. I
have checked the settings, and I am pretty sure everything is the same.
Alignment is set to automatic, and everything else on that tab is the same.

The chart with the diagonal labels has a legend at the bottom, but when I
get rid of the legend, the labels stay diagonal.

I would prefer the horizontal layout, but at this point I would take either
if I could just make it consistent!

Thanks,
Carol

I figured this out - for the chart with the diagonal text - on the alignment
tab - had to move the text orientation "line" up to diagonal even though the
text was already displaying as diagonal. Then reset to horizontal. This
seems like a bug.

Carol

"Carol" wrote:

> I created two line charts in Excel 2002 (Office XP, WinXP). Each x axis
> shows a year range from 1990 - 2010 in 2 year increments; i.e. 1990, 1992,
> 1994 etc.
>
> On one chart, the years are horizontal. On the other chart, they are at a
> diagonal. The charts appear to be the same size. The fonts are the same. I
> have checked the settings, and I am pretty sure everything is the same.
> Alignment is set to automatic, and everything else on that tab is the same.
>
> The chart with the diagonal labels has a legend at the bottom, but when I
> get rid of the legend, the labels stay diagonal.
>
> I would prefer the horizontal layout, but at this point I would take either
> if I could just make it consistent!
>
> Thanks,
> Carol

Carol -

There might be a very slight difference in sizes, or another minor
configuration difference. Excel decided it couldn't fit the years
horizontally on one of your charts, and you'd allowed Excel to do what
it wanted by leaving it on Automatic. (Don't automatic pilots fly into
hillsides?) I'm glad you discovered how to take control over the label
orientation.

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


Carol wrote:

> I figured this out - for the chart with the diagonal text - on the alignment
> tab - had to move the text orientation "line" up to diagonal even though the
> text was already displaying as diagonal. Then reset to horizontal. This
> seems like a bug.
>
> Carol
>
> "Carol" wrote:
>
>
>>I created two line charts in Excel 2002 (Office XP, WinXP). Each x axis
>>shows a year range from 1990 - 2010 in 2 year increments; i.e. 1990, 1992,
>>1994 etc.
>>
>>On one chart, the years are horizontal. On the other chart, they are at a
>>diagonal. The charts appear to be the same size. The fonts are the same. I
>>have checked the settings, and I am pretty sure everything is the same.
>>Alignment is set to automatic, and everything else on that tab is the same.
>>
>>The chart with the diagonal labels has a legend at the bottom, but when I
>>get rid of the legend, the labels stay diagonal.
>>
>>I would prefer the horizontal layout, but at this point I would take either
>>if I could just make it consistent!
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Carol