move bar chart axis to center of chart with labels to left

Hi,

So I am creating a variance analysis chart. Obviously a variance can either be positive or negative. I would like like to set the axes to the center of the graph to represent 0, and the further left or right indicates the degree or positive/negative variance.

Currently, my axes is on the left and is the bars are crashing into the labels.

Thanks in advance!

Originally Posted by MrShorty

I'm not sure I understand your question -- perhaps because it seems simple and obvious to me, so I wonder if I am missing something. I also cannot be sure without more description of your chart exactly how you have the chart formatted. What do you mean by the axis is on the left and the bars are crashing into the labels?

If I start with a blank worksheet and build a simple bar chart with positive and negative values, Excel automatically places the axis at the 0 mark of the horizontal axis. The only thing that I need to do is format the vertical axis and tell it to move the axis labels to "low" instead of the default "next to axis".

Without seeing your chart, I can only make the following recommendations:
1) Select the horizontal axis and make sure that the "vertical category axis crosses at" is set to 0 or automatic.
2) Select the horizontal axis and make sure that the min and max values are either set to automatic are are fixed at reasonable values.
3) Select the vertical axis and make sure that the axis labels position is set to low.

Does one of those fix the issue, or is there more to the question?

thank you very much for your response.

It isn't quite that simple to explain. I will try to upload something tomorrow if we can't get it resolved tonight. I'll give the explanation another shot:

Visually, generally a bar chart's axes look like the letter "L". The data labels would then be to the left side of the "L".

I want the chart to look more like an upside down "T". And then I would want the data labels as far away from the center axes (which represents 0) as possible.

i have attached an image of how I want the bar chart to be represented by default. I want it to always be presented this way regardless of what the variance values are in either direction.

Originally Posted by MrShorty

I guess I am still confused, because that is what my bar charts looked like -- an inverted T. If you go through the formats that I described (horizontal axis max and min at reasonable values, horizontal axis formatted so vertical axis crosses at 0, vertical axis formatted so axis labels are "low"), do you get something other than the inverted T you show in your picture?

Thank you very much for your assistance.

After some fiddling around I think I've got a solution. It is not EXACTLY fit for purpose but seems to work (as always until a new variable botches it all)

What I did was: Right-Click on the data labels>Format Axis > Labels Group > Label Position > *Set this to Low*