Help on Complex Graph

That should be possible using an additional series. Hard to comment further without a sample workbook...

Further to attaching a workbook: unfortunately the attachment icon doesn't work at the moment, so to attach an Excel file you have to do the following: just before posting, scroll down to Go Advanced and then scroll down to Manage Attachments. Now follow the instructions at the top of that screen.

Yes, a mocked up example, please, not the whole kerboodle!!!

1. Make sure that your sample data are REPRESENTATIVE of your real data. The use of unrepresentative data is very frustrating and can lead to long delays in reaching a solution.

2. Make sure that your desired results are also shown (mock up the results manually).

3. Make sure that all confidential data is removed or replaced with dummy data first (e.g. names, addresses, E-mails, etc.).

4. Try to avoid using merged cells as they cause lots of problems.

Your chart looks like a pretty basic clustered column + line combination chart. You might review this tutorial: https://www.excel-easy.com/examples/...ion-chart.html which shows how to create a clustered column + line combination chart. The tutorial shows two data series with one of the series on the secondary axis. In your case, you have 5 data series (3 clustered column and 2 line) and all series are plotted on the primary axis.

You also don't include your Excel version in your profile. I would note that these instructions apply to the newest version of Excel. It is still possible in older versions, but the locations of the different commands are different.

So, where is the workbook? Go Advanced should not take you to the forum rules!

Well thanks for offering to have a look
I (will hopefully) attach a small sample spreadsheet with graph that replicates what I have at the moment

So there is a Main value and 3 sub values all of which have an actual and an expected value
(THe main value already has a comparison - the other line which is main_expected value)

The objective is to provide a comparison for the actual values of Sub 1, 2 and 3. The relevant values are held in Sun 1_EV, Sub 2_EV and Sun 3_EV

Best visual approach seems to me to have a line in the middle of the corresponding bar that represents the expected value. But of you have a better / easier idea, I am all ears !!

You did it - well done!

So, is it the expected values (see below) that you want to show?

Excel 2016 (Windows) 32 bit

	C	D	E	F	G	H
19	Sub 1_EV	0.94	1.11	1.45	1.87	2.65
20	Sub 2_EV	0.46	0.63	0.95	1.46	2.56
21	Sub 3_EV	0.49	0.68	1.05	1.57	2.61

Sheet: Sheet1

You could do something like this, with the Expected values plotted as columns on a secondary axis, with no fill, but a border.

I am sorry you are having such issues with the forum. We haven't had any other reports of the problems you are experiencing, so I fear it must be an issue with your browser. I hope you will find it works better for you next time.

Originally Posted by RincewindWIZZ

What determines which bar gets plotted on top of another bar?

The series on the secondary axis are plotted in front of the ones on the primary axis.

Well I've had a play and, although I can make something work it does not really do 'what it says on the tin'!

So I set the 'Actual' to a yellow bar. Just fine
I set 'Expected' to a blue bar on a second axis and it appears in front. OK

I want a thin vertical black bar for 'Expected' to I set
Border to 4pt red (to see what is happening)
Fill to solid black
That is fine.
Then I set border to transparent (100%) but all I see is the black fill.

I would expect to see a border with 4 pt of "what ever was underneath the secondary axis bar" showing and the fill as a thinner black bar in the middle!

I can see how the implementation might make it work like this but I don't think

• it really accords with the description of 'transparent border' and
• its very helpful - at least not as helpful as narrowing the fill to fit within the transparent border

Disappointing and not very helpful

Unless, of course, I have misunderstood - he said hopefully?

Then I set border to transparent (100%) but all I see is the black fill.

You set the border's (not the fill's) transparency to 100%? I would not expect the border's transparency to have any effect on the fill's transparency or the fill's size.
If I understand what you are trying to do, when I have seen someone try to use the column border in this way, it is to apply the thick border to the "underneath" (primary axis, 'actual' yellow bar). This causes the underneath column to appear thicker than the column on top.

I think what you have misunderstood (if there is enough documentation out there to misunderstand) is that the border appears to "add" to the outside of the column. The border does not "cut into" the fill space. This is why I think others have used the border on the underneath column to make it appear wider.

I don't know if this will create confusion -- ignore if you would prefer to pursue the current approach. If I were doing this, I think I would use a column + XY scatter (rather than column + line) chart to create a "clustered columns and lines" chart. (two approaches in this tutorial: https://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts...olAndLine.html ). The Main, and Main_EV series would be formatted to have lines without markers and would be centered over the clustered columns. The individual Sub n_EV series would be formatted to have markers without lines and positioned over the appropriate column. If I really wanted a horizontal bar effect, I would add horizontal error bars to the Sub_EV series, and maybe get rid of the marker.