Chart Legend Items: hide/show

[Richard Ahlvin]

How do I hide/show a series on a chart legend (scatter plot.)
I tried a null string (""), but the trace still shows. I also tried #N/A.
But it then shows "#N/A"; the same with function: NA(). What I am trying to
do is to have a control button to show or hide a series from the chart. I
can set all the series values to #N/A which hides it, but I am having
trouble trying to hide the legend for the series. I also tried an "if"
function in the chart->series dialog, but It evidently will only accept a
cell pointer.

[Jon Peltier]

You can manually hide a legend entry by selecting it (select the legend
first, then the entry, using two single clicks) and pressing Delete. To
get it back you have to delete the entire legend and then add it back.

You can't automatically adjust the legend based on a formula. You can
filter the data, and any hidden data isn't plotted, either as a series
or as a legend entry. But this isn't automatic either.

You could write a macro which hides and restores the legend based on the
visibility of the series.

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


Richard Ahlvin wrote:

> How do I hide/show a series on a chart legend (scatter plot.)
> I tried a null string (""), but the trace still shows. I also tried #N/A.
> But it then shows "#N/A"; the same with function: NA(). What I am trying to
> do is to have a control button to show or hide a series from the chart. I
> can set all the series values to #N/A which hides it, but I am having
> trouble trying to hide the legend for the series. I also tried an "if"
> function in the chart->series dialog, but It evidently will only accept a
> cell pointer.
>
>

[Richard Ahlvin]

"Jon Peltier" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> You can manually hide a legend entry by selecting it (select the legend
> first, then the entry, using two single clicks) and pressing Delete. To
> get it back you have to delete the entire legend and then add it back.
>
I have done this for the series I want to always appear. (I have data points
series with legend entrys and an associated line series with no legend
entry; I dynamically change these A-OK.)
>
> You can't automatically adjust the legend based on a formula. You can
> filter the data, and any hidden data isn't plotted, either as a series
> or as a legend entry. But this isn't automatic either.
>
This is a viable approach; I have x-y (scatter) plots of some series. I have
been setting the y's to #N/A which makes the series disappear on the plot
but not its legend entry.
Also I can make the legend text disappear by setting its cell null (i.e. "")
but that does not remove the entry, it just removes the text.
>
> You could write a macro which hides and restores the legend based on the
> visibility of the series.
>
This is an approach I could try; But I have not found the chart object; it
appears to be a script and not a VBA object. I think I could figgure it out
in VBA, but I'm not familiar with the scripting (which I thought was
obsolete!) I have been able to copy a complicated chart and change its
source data by making the chart a separate sheet, going to the script, then
using find/replace to change the data sheet name, then move the chart back
to the desired location.
>
> - Jon
> -------
> Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
> Peltier Technical Services
> Tutorials and Custom Solutions
> http://PeltierTech.com/
> _______
>
>
> Richard Ahlvin wrote:
>
> > How do I hide/show a series on a chart legend (scatter plot.)
> > I tried a null string (""), but the trace still shows. I also tried
#N/A.
> > But it then shows "#N/A"; the same with function: NA(). What I am
trying to
> > do is to have a control button to show or hide a series from the chart.
I
> > can set all the series values to #N/A which hides it, but I am having
> > trouble trying to hide the legend for the series. I also tried an "if"
> > function in the chart->series dialog, but It evidently will only accept
a
> > cell pointer.
> >
> >

[Jon Peltier]

Richard Ahlvin wrote:

>>You could write a macro which hides and restores the legend based on the
>>visibility of the series.
>
> This is an approach I could try; But I have not found the chart object; it
> appears to be a script and not a VBA object. I think I could figgure it out
> in VBA, but I'm not familiar with the scripting (which I thought was
> obsolete!) I have been able to copy a complicated chart and change its
> source data by making the chart a separate sheet, going to the script, then
> using find/replace to change the data sheet name, then move the chart back
> to the desired location.

Richard -

What do you mean by "scripting"? Are you referring to the SERIES formula
in the formula bar, when the series is selected?

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

[Richard Ahlvin]

I go to: Tools->Macro->Microsoft Script Editor
I see a window with a list of the various sheets on the right.
The main window appears to have something that looks like HTML or maybe XML.
I assume this is a script that is creating the chart. I have successfully
edited that text to change the reference sheet name. (My design is a
worksheet with all the data, text, legends, control references, etc. on it,
and another sheet containing the actual chart and the control graphics.) To
make another chart, I copy the chart to a new sheet, so I now have 2 charts
but referencing the same data. I make up another sheet with the new data
and then go into this script editor and change all of the sheet names from
the first to the new sheet. This has successfully created a second chart
using data from the new sheet. I don't know any other way to do this
quickly. The other method I know is to access each series on the new chart
(which is still referencing the old data sheet) and re-do the label,
x-data, and the y-data for maybe 10 or 12 series; this is very laborious and
time consuming.

If I go to the VBA editor: Tools->Macro->Visual Basic Editor
I see the sheet objects, but none of them have any code, and I don't see the
chart objects...(Perhaps I just don't know where to look.)
I would like to "go-in" and change the code/script/whatever to manipulate
the legend slightly differently than is being done by default.

"Jon Peltier" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Richard Ahlvin wrote:
>
> >>You could write a macro which hides and restores the legend based on the
> >>visibility of the series.
> >
> > This is an approach I could try; But I have not found the chart object;
it
> > appears to be a script and not a VBA object. I think I could figgure it
out
> > in VBA, but I'm not familiar with the scripting (which I thought was
> > obsolete!) I have been able to copy a complicated chart and change its
> > source data by making the chart a separate sheet, going to the script,
then
> > using find/replace to change the data sheet name, then move the chart
back
> > to the desired location.
>
> Richard -
>
> What do you mean by "scripting"? Are you referring to the SERIES formula
> in the formula bar, when the series is selected?
>
> - Jon

[Jon Peltier]

Richard -

Very interesting. You've discovered the XML code for the worksheet and
its embedded charts. I haven't considered editing this script to change
charts, but now I'm going to have to play with it.

I've written a simple utility to change parts of the series formula
(such as address strings or sheet names):

http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/ChgSrsFmla.html

This might help you to change the sheet names. You can change all
formulas in the active chart, or in all charts on the active sheet.

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


Richard Ahlvin wrote:

> I go to: Tools->Macro->Microsoft Script Editor
> I see a window with a list of the various sheets on the right.
> The main window appears to have something that looks like HTML or maybe XML.
> I assume this is a script that is creating the chart. I have successfully
> edited that text to change the reference sheet name. (My design is a
> worksheet with all the data, text, legends, control references, etc. on it,
> and another sheet containing the actual chart and the control graphics.) To
> make another chart, I copy the chart to a new sheet, so I now have 2 charts
> but referencing the same data. I make up another sheet with the new data
> and then go into this script editor and change all of the sheet names from
> the first to the new sheet. This has successfully created a second chart
> using data from the new sheet. I don't know any other way to do this
> quickly. The other method I know is to access each series on the new chart
> (which is still referencing the old data sheet) and re-do the label,
> x-data, and the y-data for maybe 10 or 12 series; this is very laborious and
> time consuming.
>
> If I go to the VBA editor: Tools->Macro->Visual Basic Editor
> I see the sheet objects, but none of them have any code, and I don't see the
> chart objects...(Perhaps I just don't know where to look.)
> I would like to "go-in" and change the code/script/whatever to manipulate
> the legend slightly differently than is being done by default.
>
> "Jon Peltier" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>
>>Richard Ahlvin wrote:
>>
>>
>>>>You could write a macro which hides and restores the legend based on the
>>>>visibility of the series.
>>>
>>>This is an approach I could try; But I have not found the chart object;
>
> it
>
>>>appears to be a script and not a VBA object. I think I could figgure it
>
> out
>
>>>in VBA, but I'm not familiar with the scripting (which I thought was
>>>obsolete!) I have been able to copy a complicated chart and change its
>>>source data by making the chart a separate sheet, going to the script,
>
> then
>
>>>using find/replace to change the data sheet name, then move the chart
>
> back
>
>>>to the desired location.
>>
>>Richard -
>>
>>What do you mean by "scripting"? Are you referring to the SERIES formula
>>in the formula bar, when the series is selected?
>>
>>- Jon
>
>
>