Gobe Productive User's Guide - Creating a Chart

- Working in the spreadsheet environment
- Formatting cells
- Row & column sizes
- Number formats
- Insert, Delete, Move & Go to Cells
- Locking cells
- Filling cells
- Sorting cells
- Calculating cells & Dependent cells
- Formulas & functions
- Function reference
- Creating a chart
- Working with charts
- Styles
- Named selections
- Display options
- Spell checking
- Writing tools
- Views & layers
- Working with spreadsheet frames

# Creating a Chart

To create a chart, you must enter some data to chart. Use a spreadsheet document or frame to enter the data. Within the spreadsheet you can also easily arrange and calculate the data until it is in the correct format. Once the data is entered, select the data and insert a chart frame. If you need to go back and change any of the data, make the change in the spreadsheet. The associated chart is automatically updated with the new data.

## Creating a Chart

1. Create the data. It does not matter if you create the source data in a spreadsheet frame or document.
   It is a good idea to label the data used for a chart. This ensures that when the chart is created, the data is labeled properly in the chart as well. Consider the following example.

> Not only is it a good idea to label each row and column, but the data range as well. The chart creation function automatically names the chart with whatever text is placed in the first cell of the data range. This is the yellow, Quarter 3 & 4 Sales cell in the example above.

2. Select the data you want to chart. Select the labels as well as the data. In the example above, cells A1 through E7 are selected for a chart.
3. Focus on the sheet or document where you wish to place the chart. You can place a chart within the same sheet as the data, a different sheet, or even a different document. One suggested arrangement is to use a spreadsheet sheet for the source data and a graphics sheet for the chart. Since the graphics environment is better suited to laying out items, such as charts, the separation between the two takes advantage of the integrated features of Gobe Productive. See the Sheets topic in the Basics section for more information about creating and managing sheets.

| NOTE: If you place the source data and chart in different document files, the association between the two is lost when the files are closed. Charts and source data within the same document file retain their association when saved and closed.

4. From the Frame menu, select Insert Frame, select Chart from the sub menu. You can also click the chart tool to insert a new chart frame.
   You can also use the frame tool located on the ToolBar. Select the Chart item from the tool and then draw the chart in the workspace.
5. The chart is created. You can copy the chart frame to another sheet within the document file or even another document. See the note above.

The next step is to format the chart. For more information about formatting the chart, see the next topic, Chart Formatting.

| Remember: A chart is basically a specialized graphic item. Like all other graphic items it can be rotated, filled with color, and enhanced with other graphic items and text. See the Graphics section for more information on working with graphic items.

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