XL98: Chart Display Options Change According to Page Setup (184837)

SUMMARY

When you create a chart as a new sheet in Microsoft Excel 98, the appearance of the chart is similar to the appearance of the chart in print preview. This view shows how the layout of the chart and all of its elements will look when you print it. In this view, you can size, move, and format the plot area (the region bounded by the axes) and chart items, such as graphic objects, titles, text boxes, and the legend.

This article discusses how options in Page Setup affect what you can move and size in this view, and how to change the view so that the chart fills the window.

MORE INFORMATION

How Options in Page Setup Affect What

You Can Move and Size in the Chart Window

The way the chart window appears on your screen and when you print it depend on how you set options in the Page Setup dialog box (these options include paper size, orientation, and margin size). For example, if the page orientation is set to Landscape, the window appears wider than it is tall.

The option you select under Printed Chart Size on the Chart tab in the Page Setup dialog box affects how you can move and size the chart area, plot area, and the chart elements. When you select the Full Page option, you can size and move the plot area but not the chart area. When you select the Scale To Fit Page or Custom options, you can size both the plot area and the chart area. With either of these options selected, chart elements, such as titles, text boxes, and arrows, are moved relative to the chart area.

The following table lists the Printed Chart Size options that are located on the Chart tab, how they affect the way the chart is displayed and printed, and how they affect what you can move and size.

   With this
   option         The chart does this     Moving and sizing
   --------------------------------------------------------------

   Use Full       Fills the page within   The chart area cannot
   Page           the margin settings.    be sized. Chart items
                                          must be individually
                                          sized or moved.

   Scale To       Scales to fit the       The chart area can be
   Fit Page       page within the         sized either vertically
                  margin settings in      or horizontally but not
                  terms of width          both. Chart items move
                  or height               relative to the chart
                  (depending on the       area.
                  orientation of your
                  chart).

   Custom         Adjusts to any size     The chart area can be
                  or placement within     moved and sized
                  the margin settings.    vertically and
                                          horizontally. Chart
                                          items move relative to
                                          the chart area.

Changing the View So That the Chart Fills the Window

The chart window is zoomed to display your entire chart area. To view the chart in its full size on your screen, do either of the following:

On the View menu click Zoom, click 100% under Magnification, and then click OK. -or-
Click 100% in the Zoom box on the Standard toolbar.

To display the chart as it would appear in Microsoft Excel 4.0 (that is, with its size determined by the size of the window), click Sized With Window On the View menu or follow these steps:

On the Tools menu, click Preferences.
Click the Chart tab, and then click to select the "Chart sizes with window frame" check box.

Note that when you open a Microsoft Excel 4.0 chart in version 5.0, this check box is selected by default. To display the chart in page layout, clear this check box.