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From: pfr654@csc.anu.oz.au
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Excel charting question
Message-ID: <1990Nov29.083617.3620@csc.anu.oz.au>
Date: 28 Nov 90 22:36:16 GMT
References: <47510@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Organization: Computer Services, Australian National University
Lines: 34

In article <47510@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>, v132gcnx@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (John A Feinberg) writes:
> I'm learning how to use Excel 2.2, and I've run across what I consider to be
> a rather major problem.  I would like to use Excel to make numerical graphs.
> From what I see, what would be the x-axis in a graph is the 'category' axis in
> an Excel chart.  The category axis consists of just that; categories.  If I have
> three sets of points (0,0), (1,1), and (3,3), the three on the x-axis will be
> the same distance from the 1 as the 1 is from the zero.  As far as I'm concer-
> ned, that makes the chart useless!  What I would like is for Excel to 'know'
> that the values on both the x and y axes are values, and not categories, and
> to graph them properly.  Is there any way to do this?  Otherwise I'll be stuck
> with an antiquated graphing program!
> 
> John Feinberg

Firstly, RTFM! (i.e. read the manual)

Secondly, if you had read the manual, you would have found that the entry 
bar description of the plot shown has the following form:

series(a,b,c,d)

a: the title for the graph
b: the x-axis vector (eg. column a, rows 1 to 200)
c: the y-axis vector
d: the line type

Thirdly: excel is not the best program to do plots in - I should know, since I 
have been using it for 6 months now (to do scientific x versus y plots). 
Instead, use Kaleidagraph or Igor or even Cricket Graph or Trapeze.
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Phil Ryan                                         
ANU Department of Physics and Theoretical Physics 
Canberra, Australia                               
pfr654@csc.anu.oz.au   phone:(61 6) 249 4678   fax:(61 6) 249 0741