Select Components and Elements of a Graph Object

To change the properties of a graph element such as a bar chart, you must first select the graph element. Similarly, to change the properties of a legend or an axis, you must first select the component.

For a description of the graph components, see Components of a Graph Object.

When you select a component in a graph object, the selected component is highlighted. The component is also displayed in the drop-down list at the top of the Properties tab. The available properties vary depending on the selected component.

The following display shows a highlighted bar chart. The Properties tab displays the properties for the bar chart, which is identified as Bar Chart 1.

Bar chart highlighted and displayed in list

Tip

You can click menu down arrow

beside the drop-down list on the Properties tab, and then select the component that you want to modify.

Here are some suggestions for selecting graph elements:

To select a line chart or a time series plot, click a data point on a line.
To select an axis, click directly on the axis.
To select the entire graph object, click above the graph element or cell area.
To select a cell in a multi-cell graph object, click the background area just above the graph element. The cell is highlighted, and a tab appears in the upper left corner of the cell. From the cell’s tab, you can delete and reorder graph elements. You can move graph elements to other cells.

In a multi-cell graph object, cells are identified by a combination of a letter and a number, such as A1, B1, A2, and so on. The letters identify columns and the numbers identify rows. The following table represents the labeling for a multi-cell graph object that contains three columns and three rows:

A1	B1	C1
A2	B2	C2
A3	B3	C3