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Cyberdude
02-18-2010, 05:12 PM
I have a workbook with 16 charts on a single sheet that I’m trying to convert from Excel 2003 to Excel 2007. All charts are the XY type (scatter point??) that have two vertical axes i.e., there are two independent sets of data on one chart sharing a common horizontal axis. The horizontal axis is displayed at the top of the chart.

My problem is that I have to change the color of the data values on the horizontal axis, and I can’t figure out how to do it. I had no trouble changing the color on the vertical axes by right clicking on the axis and using the font option in the dialog box to specify a different color. Not so with the horizontal axis. There must be at least 3 maybe 4 different dialog boxes I could call up, and none of them (with one exception) had any effect on the horizontal axis.

To call up a “format axis” dialog box I would position the cursor very close to the common edge of the H axis and the plotting area, but somewhere in the axis data area. Curiously there is one of the 16 charts that responds to this technique and performs the color change that I need. Since I usually have the data for the H axis at the top of the plotting area, I moved it to the bottom, but it didn’t work.

Oddly, by moving the cursor just a small distance horizontally from one click position to another, I will trigger a dialog box that changes ALL text box areas in the plotting area. It has no indication that it will do that.
Anyone know what I’m doing wrong?
Sid

austenr
02-18-2010, 05:37 PM
Does this help?

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP051988031033.aspx

Paul_Hossler
02-18-2010, 07:22 PM
Is this what you want:

Select Chart
On the 'Chart Tools' context menu, click 'Format'
On the 'Current Selection' group (right below the round button at the top left), there's a drop down that initially says 'Chart Area'
Change that to 'Horizintial (Value) axis
Back to the Home tab, and Bold, Underline, Fill, font color, etc. are there with the X values (or what ever) selected)
Also, on the Current Selection group, there's 'Format Selection' that has more options, BUT NOT the font ones (BUI)

Paul

Cyberdude
02-19-2010, 11:05 AM
Gentlemen, you both gave me excellent instructions . . . but neither worked. They should have worked, but I suspect there's a bug or other flaw present. I noticed that I could change the size of the font, but not the color. All the tools needed seemed to be present . . . just not working. My problem is that the background is white and the font is yellow, which is essentially unreadable. I'll see if I can change the background to something that works well with yellow.
Thanks for your assist. :friends:
Sid

austenr
02-19-2010, 11:09 AM
No problem.

Bob Phillips
02-19-2010, 12:06 PM
Just select the axis and select a colour from the font dialog in the Home tab, Font group. No need to right-click anything.

Paul_Hossler
02-19-2010, 03:35 PM
Sid -- From post #3 --



Back to the Home tab, and Bold, Underline, Fill, font color, etc. are there with the X values (or what ever) selected)



Are you sure this didn't work?

It works for me

Paul