Excel 4.x AppNote: Most Frequently Asked Questions Part 2 of 2 |
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0
- Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 2.2, 3.0, 4.0
SUMMARY
The Application Note "Most Frequently Asked Questions" (XE0800) is now available. This Application Note provides detailed responses to some of the most frequently asked questions about Microsoft Excel version 4.0. The questions, which were derived from polling members of the Microsoft Excel technical support staff, are broken into eight functional categories. These categories include, tips and tricks, printing, working with text files, formulas and functions, macros, workbooks, and working with other programs.
You can download a Microsoft Word formatted version of this document. The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center. Click the file name below to download the file:
For more information about how to download files from the Microsoft Download Center, please visit the Download Center at the following Web address
and then click How to use the Microsoft Download Center.
MORE INFORMATION
The following is part 2 of 2 of this Application Note.
For additional information, please click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q104035 "Excel AppNote: Most Frequently Asked Questions Part 1 of 2"
The Text of XE0800
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Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
XE0800: MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Revision Date: 7/93
16 Pages, No Disk
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WORKBOOKS
=========
DISPLAYING WORKBOOK FILES
=========================
How can I see all the files I have in my workbook?
To arrange your workbook documents so you can see more than one
document on your screen at a time, open each document in a window
separate from the Workbook Contents screen:
1. Switch to the Workbook Contents window by clicking the Workbook
Contents icon in the lower-right corner of the document.
2. To open a document in a separate window, hold down the CTRL key if
you are using Microsoft Excel for Windows or the COMMAND key if you
are using Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, and double-click the
document in the Workbook Contents window. Repeat this step for each
document you want to view.
3. From the Window menu, choose Arrange. Enable the Windows Of Active
Workbook option and choose OK.
Each of the documents you selected will be arranged on your screen so
that you can view them all at once.
COPYING WORKBOOK FILES
======================
How can I make a copy of a file in my workbook?
You can copy or move a workbook document from one workbook to another
using the drag and drop method or the Copy and Paste commands. To copy
a workbook document into a sheet that is not part of a workbook:
1. From the Workbook Contents window, double-click the document name
to activate the document you want to copy.
2. Choose the Select All button to the left of the column headings.
3. From the Edit menu, choose Copy.
4. From the File menu, choose New. Select Worksheet and choose OK.
5. From the Edit menu, choose Paste. You will now have a separate copy
of the workbook document, which you can save.
For information on moving and copying documents between workbooks, see
pages 75-76 of "User's Guide 1."
CHARTING
========
ADDING NEW SERIES INFORMATION
=============================
When I add additional data to my spreadsheet, can I update my chart
without re-creating it?
To update a chart when you add additional data to an existing series
or when you want to add a new series, use the ChartWizard. For
example, if you present the following data in a chart,
| A | B | C
----|-------------|-----------|---------
1 | | 1990 | 1991
----|-------------|-----------|---------
2 | Productx | $100 | $350
----|-------------|-----------|---------
3 | Producty | $200 | $500
----|-------------|-----------|---------
4 | Productz | $300 | $700
the sales data for 1990 and 1991 are displayed as the series and the
products are displayed as the categories. If you add a new product to
the table with sales data for 1990 and 1991, you are adding data to
existing series. If, instead, you add sales figures for 1992 for each
of the three products, you would create a new series. In either case,
the easiest way to add information to a chart is to use the
ChartWizard:
1. If your chart is a chart object, select the chart by clicking it
once. If your chart is a separate chart window, activate it.
2. Choose the ChartWizard button on the Chart toolbar.
3. In the ChartWizard Step 1 Of 2 dialog box, change the Range to
include the data you added. Using the sample data, if you add data
to the existing series (1990 and 1991), you would enlarge the range
from $A$1:$C$4 to $A$1:$C$5 to include the new row. If you add a
new series, enlarge the range from $A$1:$C$4 to $A$1:$D$4, so that
it includes the new column.
NOTE: When your new data is entered in cells that are not adjacent
to the range of cells your chart is linked to, separate the data
ranges with a comma when you update the chart. For example, if you
want to add a new series to your chart and you've entered the data
in cells E1:E4, in the Range box in the ChartWizard dialog box,
change your reference to $A$1:$C$4,$E$1:$E$4.
For more information on adding information to charts, see pages 437-
438 in "User's Guide 1."
TIP: You can use defined names in place of actual cell ranges. This
option enables you to update the chart by redefining the named range
to include the new data.
For more information on naming a cell or range of cells on a
worksheet, see pages 263-268 of the "User's Guide 1."
CHANGING THE PLOTTING ORDER
===========================
Microsoft Excel plotted my chart backwards. The information in the y-
axis should be in the x-axis and vice versa. How can I change this?
Microsoft Excel uses the shape of the worksheet selection to determine
whether rows or columns form the data series. Microsoft Excel assumes
you want fewer series than categories. So, if the worksheet selection
has more rows than columns, Microsoft Excel plots each column as a
separate data series and plots each row as a separate category.
Similarly, if the worksheet selection has more columns than rows,
Microsoft Excel plots each row as a separate data series and each
column as a separate category.
To reverse Microsoft Excel's default plotting assumptions, use the
ChartWizard to create the chart, or, if you have already created the
chart, use the ChartWizard to change the defaults:
1. If you have not yet created your chart, select the data on the
worksheet that you want your chart to be based on.
-or-
If your chart is already created and your chart is a chart object,
select the chart by clicking it once. If your chart is a separate
chart window, activate it.
2. Select the ChartWizard tool.
3. When you reach step 4 of 5 (new chart) or step 2 of 2 (edited
chart), select either columns or rows. On the left, a sample of
what your chart will look like is displayed. If you want the axes
reversed, select the alternate option under Data Series In. For
example, if Microsoft Excel has defaulted to rows, select columns.
Verify that your chart is displayed correctly and choose the OK
button.
For more information on controlling how Microsoft Excel plots your
chart data series, see pages 423-427 in "User's Guide 1."
ADDING A SECOND Y-AXIS
======================
The information my data series is based on refers to two different
kinds of numbers. As a result, my columns are large for one data
series and very small for the other data series. Is it possible to
have a second y-axis with a different scale?
In Microsoft Excel, you can use an overlay chart to plot different
types of data on the same chart. An overlay chart is a second chart
plotted on top of the main chart in the same chart window. The overlay
can be a different chart type or have a different scale or both. For
example, if you have one data series that consists of numbers of units
sold and a second data series that consists of revenues, the values
representing units sold and those representing revenues are different
types of information. When you plot these two types of data on the
same chart, if you use only one y-axis, the data markers may be skewed
if the revenues are in a significantly higher range of values than the
units sold. Instead, to meaningfully represent the different types of
information, add an overlay chart with a second y-axis.
To add an overlay chart, do one of the following:
- If you've just created a new chart and haven't yet customized it,
use the Combination command on the Gallery menu. Select one of the
combined chart options and choose OK.
-or-
- If you've already customized the chart and want to preserve the
formatting, use the Add Overlay command on the Chart menu.
Using either method, Microsoft Excel automatically divides your chart
data series between the main chart and the overlay chart. If you have
multiple data series and you want to plot specific data series in the
overlay chart that were omitted when you added the overlay, use the
Overlay command on the Format menu. Under Series Distribution, select
the First Overlay In Series option and specify the plot number of the
first chart data series you want plotted in the overlay chart. All
data series with a greater plot number will also be plotted in the
overlay chart. (To determine the plot number for each data series,
choose Edit Series from the Chart menu and, with a specific series
selected from the Series list, look at the value in the Plot Order
box.)
NOTE: If you are working with a chart object on your worksheet and
you want to add or edit an overlay chart, you must open the chart in
its own window by double-clicking it.
For additional information on adding and deleting overlay charts, see
pages 429-431 of "User's Guide 1."
USING MICROSOFT EXCEL WITH OTHER APPLICATIONS
==============================================
MICROSOFT WORD
==============
I want to copy a chart I created in Microsoft Excel and paste it into
Microsoft Word so that it will be updated when I change it in
Microsoft Excel. What is the best way to do this?
You can use the Paste Link feature available both in Microsoft Excel
and Microsoft Word to link a Microsoft Excel object to a Microsoft
Word document. To link a Microsoft Excel object to a Microsoft Word
document, use the appropriate procedure below for your version of
Microsoft Word.
Microsoft Word Version 2.0 for Windows
--------------------------------------
To paste a chart in a Microsoft Word version 2.0 for Windows document
so that it will be updated when you change the original chart in
Microsoft Excel:
1. In Microsoft Excel, if your chart is a chart object on your
worksheet, select it by clicking it once. From the Edit menu,
choose Copy. (If your chart is a separate chart document, activate
it. From the Chart menu, choose Select Chart and choose Copy from
the Edit menu.)
2. Start Word.
3. In the Word document, position the cursor where you want to paste
the chart.
4. From the Edit menu, choose Paste Special. This will display the
Paste Special dialog box.
5. Under Data Type, select Picture and choose Paste Link.
If the chart you copy in Microsoft Excel is a separate chart document,
you will have the option in Word of pasting the chart as a picture or
as a bitmap; if your chart is a chart object on your worksheet, you
will only have the option of pasting the chart as a picture. You'll
get the best results, both on screen and in your printed output, if
you paste the chart as a picture.
When you use the Paste Link command to paste a chart as a bitmap, the
text may appear distorted--particularly if you resize the image. When
you use the Paste Link command to link a chart as a picture, printer and
font information is pasted with it. As a result, the image will be
displayed and printed as it is in Microsoft Excel.
Microsoft Word Versions 4.0, 5.0, and 5.1 for the Macintosh
-----------------------------------------------------------
You can copy a chart in Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh and link it
to a Word for the Macintosh document. The method for copying the chart
in Microsoft Excel is the same regardless of your version of Word or
your version of the Macintosh system software.
To copy the chart in Microsoft Excel:
1. If you want the chart to be pasted in color in Word, choose Print
from the File menu and select the Print Using Color and Print
Preview options and choose Print. When the Print Preview window is
displayed, choose Close.
2. If you're copying a chart object on your worksheet, double-click it
to open it in its own window (a chart object cannot be linked when
pasted in Word). From the Chart menu, choose Select Chart. (If your
chart is already a separate chart document, activate it, and choose
Select Chart from the Chart menu.)
3. Hold down the SHIFT key and choose the Copy Picture command from
the Edit menu. Under Appearance, select the As Shown On Screen
option. Under Size, select the option you want and choose OK.
4. Switch to Word and position your insertion point where you want the
chart.
The way you link and update the chart will depend on your version of
Word and your version of the Macintosh system software. To link the
chart in Word, follow the appropriate procedure below for your version
of Word:
For Word version Follow this procedure
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4.0 From the Edit menu, choose Paste Link.
5.0 or 5.1 From the Edit menu, choose Paste Special. Select
Picture and choose Paste Link.
To update the chart in Word, follow the appropriate procedure for your
version of the Macintosh system software and your version of Word:
- If you are using Macintosh system software version 6.x, the link
between the chart in Word and the original chart in Microsoft Excel
is not dynamic; that is, it will not be updated automatically after
the chart is changed in Microsoft Excel. To manually update the
chart:
For Word version Follow this procedure
----------------------------------------------------------------------
4.0 From the Edit menu, choose Update Links.
5.0 or 5.1 From the Edit menu, choose Link Options and choose
Update Now.
- If you are using Macintosh system software version 7 or 7.0.1, the
link between the chart picture in Word versions 5.0 or 5.1 and
Microsoft Excel is dynamic; it will be updated automatically after
the chart is changed in Microsoft Excel as long as Automatically is
selected in the Link Options dialog box in Word. Dynamic linking is
not supported in Word 4.0 using System 7.0 AppleEvents; to update
your chart in Word 4.0, choose Update Links from the Edit menu.
DATABASE APPLICATIONS
=====================
I need to extract data from an external database. Can I do this with
Microsoft Excel?
Microsoft Excel for Windows provides a database front-end application,
Q+E(R), along with supporting add-in macros, that allows you to
manipulate, update, and extract information from a variety of database
systems. These include dBASE(R), Microsoft SQL Server, ORACLE(R),
OS/2(R) Extended Edition Database, and DEC(R) RDB files.
For additional information on setting up and using Q+E, see the "Q+E
for Microsoft Excel User's Guide."
Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh ships with an add-in macro called
the Data Access macro. This macro allows Microsoft Excel to use the
Data Access Language (DAL) extension created by Apple Computer, Inc.
You can use this macro to access data from external databases and
transfer query results to Microsoft Excel worksheets or to separate
files. To use the Data Access Macro, you need the DAL system extension
and the Data Access software, both available from Apple Computer, as
well as network connections from your Macintosh to the external
database server.
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Additional query words: 4.00a
Keywords : kbappnote kbfile
Version : MACINTOSH:2.2,3.0,4.0; WINDOWS:2.x,3.0,4.0
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo
Technology :
Last Reviewed: December 4, 1999 |
