[libreoffice-users] calc chart problems

Ahoy all:

My apologies if this turns out to be a redundancy, but I originally 
submitted it some 4 hours ago and it hasn't shown up yet.

Some 20 years ago, I frequently received questions such as those I pose 
below, and was able to easily answer them for others.

By now, I seem to have aged out, and am flummoxed by difficulties that 
should be rudimentary.

So, should any reader deign to attack my elementary problems, please 
keep it simple (& simpleminded) so that I have a chance of understanding.

I am using 4.4.7.2, under Windows (or, as we call it, /Curtains/) 7, 
because it seems more than adequate for my purposes, and I am somewhat 
dismayed by the number of regressions noted for later versions in the 
comments here.

Calc chart legends. What could be simpler, yet more impossible? I have 
cracked this at sometime in the past, as I have just one spreadsheet 
with my own chart legend text in my choice of fonts, but can see no way 
of regaining that control for other charts in my armamentarium.

If I right-click a chart, I am presented with 15 options. One is marked 
“Text”, which seems promising, but apparently deals with *positioning*, 
not content. The thing which it definitely lacks is any ability to 
control the legend text contents, or font.

If I double left-click and then right-click, I now have 9 options, 
including one which will delete a legend, (leaving me unsure of what 
happens if the chart has more than one legend). But, in any case, no 
control, beyond excision, over the legend text or its font.

When I double left-click, I get an interesting collection of 
mostly-graphic symbols at the bottom of my screen, where the “Find” box 
normally lives. One of these is a capital T in a dotted-line box, which, 
when hovered-over, reads: “Text Box”. Sounds promising, but what does it 
do, and how does one invoke whatever its action may be?

None of these symbols can be dragged onto the chart, and clicking them – 
single or double, left or right – produces no obvious result of any 
kind. They have interesting titles, and, if they did anything, might be 
quite useful.

My first question, then, is: /how do I gain control over chart legend 
text & font?/ And a subsidiary wonderment: /why is it so hard to find 
this answer?/

Further routes to failure on this question:

From the on-line manual:

https://help.libreoffice.org/6.1/en-US/text/shared/guide/chart_legend.html?DbPAR=SHARED 
<https://help.libreoffice.org/6.1/en-US/text/shared/guide/chart_legend.html?DbPAR=SHARED>

we have, (appreciating that this is targeted at 6.1; probably an 
irrelevant distinction):


 Editing Chart Legends

To edit a chart legend:

1.

   Double-click on the chart.

   A gray border appears around the chart and the menu bar now contains
   commands for editing the objects in the chart.

2.

   Choose Format - Legend or double-click on the legend. This opens the
   Legend dialog.

3.

   Choose from the available tabs to make modifications, then click OK.

This is no help, as the “available tabs” do *not* allow editing the text 
or font.

From the on-line edition of the 4.1 Calc Guide we have, at ppg 88-89:

*Adding or removing chart elements*

/*Legends*/

To add a legend to your chart:

1.

   Select the chart by double-clicking on it to enter edit mode. The
   chart should now be surrounded by a gray border.

2.

   Go to*Insert****>****Legend*onthe main menu bar to open the Legend
   dialog. This dialog is similar to the *Display legend*section on the
   Chart Wizard dialogshown in Error: Reference source not foundon page
   Error: Reference source not found.

3.

   Select the *Display legend* checkbox and where you want the legend
   displayed on your chart – *Left*, *Right*, *Top* or *Bottom*.

4.

   Click *OK*to close the dialog.

5.

   Alternatively,right-click inthe chart area and select*Insert
   **Legend*from the context menu to insert a legend in the default
   position on the right side of the chart.

6.

   Click outside the chart to leave edit mode.

To remove a legend from your chart:

1.

   Select the chart by double-clicking on it to enter edit mode. The
   chart should now be surrounded by a gray border.

2.

   Go to*Insert****>****Legend*onthe main menu bar to open the Legend
   dialog.

3.

   Deselect the *Display legend* checkbox.

4.

   Click *OK* to close the dialog.

5.

   Alternatively,right-click inthe chart area and
   select*Delete****L**egend*from the context menu.

6.

   Click outside the chart to leave edit mode.

Again, the user can add or remove, but not edit.

Another dead-end source illuminates another Calc problem:

https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/44705/making-a-double-line-graph-with-proper-data-in-libre-office-calc/ 
<https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/44705/making-a-double-line-graph-with-proper-data-in-libre-office-calc/>

This question is “closed” because it was allegedly answered, whilst in 
fact no answer of any kind was provided to the basic question “How 
*exactly* can I add a 2^nd Y axis and assign different scale to it?”.

Following the given instruction to “Douible /[sic]/ click on the chart, 
and then Menu/Insert/Axis, or right-click insert/delete axes” leads to a 
menu which allows up to 2 each Y, and 2 each X, axes, but shows no way 
to associate a set of figures with the added axes. It must also be 
possible to associate colours with the various traces, but how to do 
that remains equally a mystery.

Also noteworthy: the OP asked for 2 axes, yet 3 are shewn here, without 
instruction as to how to go beyond 2. (The upper illustration raises 
more questions, not to be considered here.) One would like to think that 
there is no limit to the number of Y axes assignable, but so far only 1 
is usable.

Note that only the yellow trace uses the right vertical axis, the other 
two use the left. How does one assign any of these traces to a 
particular axis, and keep them straight? (Here the unfulfilled “Callout” 
icons might be useful, if understood.)

mk



--
To unsubscribe e-mail to: users+unsubscribe@global.libreoffice.org
Problems? https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/
Posting guidelines + more: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
List archive: https://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/
Privacy Policy: https://www.documentfoundation.org/privacy