Microsoft KB Archive/60118

{| = Excel: Creating an Analog Step Chart =
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Last reviewed: November 2, 1994

Article ID: Q60118

SUMMARY
To create an analog step chart in Microsoft Excel, do the following:


 * 1) Enter the data for the first series in a column.
 * 2) In the next column to the right, put .1 into all the rows that are to be plotted.
 * 3) With both columns selected, choose New from the File menu and select Chart.
 * 4) From the Format menu, choose Main Chart. Set % Overlap to 100, set % Cluster Spacing to 0, and select the Stacked and Overlapped check boxes. Click OK.
 * 5) Click the first series of the chart so that the lower areas of the graph are selected.
 * 6) From the Format menu, choose Pattern. Make the area and border invisible.

This creates a chart with a series of horizontal lines. Adding the .1 to the adjacent column and formatting it as a stacked chart creates the thin horizontal line. This thin line (the second series) is then made visible when the much larger first series is made invisible. Numbers smaller than .1 can be used for the second series, but they do not display on screen, although they print out on a LaserWriter.
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