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spluzer
Newbie
Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 2
Location: plattsburgh ny
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 Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 8:27 pm Post subject: making x vs y charts in open office calc |
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man this is kllling my time--- like im on the verge of tears
it is easier to make the graph by hand than to try to ferret out of cal help how to do this
i am trying to simply plot x vs y data in calc
and the darned program keeps running off and doing it the way it wants to
i just want to be able to specify a data column the be the horizontal axis values
and the next column to be the vertical axis
is there anyone out there that can tell me how to do this without just tossing out hints only?   |
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ken johnson
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Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 1844
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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Since the column with the x values is immediately to the left of the column with the y values Calc will automatically do most of the setting-up of the chart for you.
Just select to two columns then either click the chart button or go Insert|Chart... to bring up the "Chart Wizard" dialogue.
The only tricky thing is making sure you choose the correct chart type, which in your case is the X-Y (Scatter) type (a very common mistake is choosing the Line type).
As you work through the Chart Wizard everything else should be fairly straight forward.
Even if you do do something wrong you can double-click the chart then right-click it to bring up a menu with different option for making any changes.
Ken Johnson
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spluzer
Newbie
Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 2
Location: plattsburgh ny
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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useless answer ... totally
the charting function must have been written by the people who put up facebook
they are both totally out of control ...
i did not want a scatter chart
what i simply want is to enter x and y values and make a chart that makes the points with coordinates (x,y) and simply connects the dots.
how freaking hard is that? how run of the mill is that?
for some insane reason, the charting function only once in a while
with no addressable regularity or cause,
will only now and then actually give me an entry where i can load up the x values,
then load up the y values ...
but usually, it will only give me opportunity to load in the y values ...
there is no ryhme of reason when the opportunity to enter x values
will or will not be offered to me ...
this is just plain crazy ...
the instructions given did not alter in any way how crazy the charting function can be.
the data set i had were two columns that were not next to each other at all
and when i grabbed them before i conjured up the satanic charting function,
the crazy charting function made not one, but two line graphs ...
totally unlinked to each other, with no way to weave the two sets of data together
is it the crazy program or am i loosing my mind?
oh, well, what i am loosing is an outrageous amount of time beating this dead horse ... |
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ozzie
OOo Advocate
Joined: 29 Jul 2010
Posts: 316
Location: victoria
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ken johnson
Super User
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 1844
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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Perhaps another totally useless answer, however...
| spluzer wrote: | i did not want a scatter chart
what i simply want is to enter x and y values and make a chart that makes the points with coordinates (x,y) and simply connects the dots. |
You might not want a scatter chart, however, your description indicates you need a scatter chart.
| spluzer wrote: | the data set i had were two columns that were not next to each other at all and when i grabbed them before i conjured up the satanic charting function,
the crazy charting function made not one, but two line graphs ...
totally unlinked to each other, with no way to weave the two sets of data together
is it the crazy program or am i loosing my mind? |
Provided the x and y values occupy the same rows, the fact that the two columns of data are separated by one or more columns will not interfere with Calc's ability to correctly guess the way the X-Y (Scatter) chart should be set up.
If the x and y values do not occupy the same rows you will need to correct the ranges Calc uses for the x and y values at the third step of the Chart Wizard (3.Data Series).
Ken Johnson
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lucas77
Newbie
Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:51 am Post subject: This question has not been solved, |
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I think it is perhaps because the original questions has not been explained well.
But I understand because I want to make the same thing.
For example, here it's shown a scattered chart x vs y.
http://carlos9900.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/external-debt-happiness.jpg
How can I make one like this?
Please help. (I will not be rude if is a totally useless answer  (like the guy before) |
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jrkrideau
Super User
Joined: 08 Aug 2005
Posts: 6733
Location: Kingston ON Canada
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| Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 5:50 am Post subject: Re: This question has not been solved, |
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| lucas77 wrote: | I think it is perhaps because the original questions has not been explained well.
But I understand because I want to make the same thing.
For example, here it's shown a scattered chart x vs y.
http://carlos9900.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/external-debt-happiness.jpg
How can I make one like this?
Please help. (I will not be rude if is a totally useless answer (like the guy before) |
What is your OS and version of OOo/LO?
I'm using LibreOffice 3.5.4.2 and I'm having a terrible time trying to get a simple x-y graph using the data below.
| Code: | country debt something
Au 20 10
UK 30 14
DE 35 23
DK 11 11
RU 23 5
BL 14 17
CM 43 6
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LO insists on treating debt and something as different variables and I cannot seem to convince it that debt should be the x-axis. I wonder if we hit some kind of bug?
I don't use OOo or LO for graphing very often so I may just be doing something stupid but it seems weird.
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jrkrideau
Kingston ON Canada
Currently using Windows 7 & OOo 3.4.0 and Ubuntu 12.04 & LibreOffice 3.5.2.2 |
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ken johnson
Super User
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 1844
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 5:52 am Post subject: |
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Looks like an X-Y Scatter chart with labels from a column of country names and with a linear trend line.
The steps are too envolved to give a complete explanation.
http://www.mediafire.com/?4gdkjq88y220ol4
Ken Johnson
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jrkrideau
Super User
Joined: 08 Aug 2005
Posts: 6733
Location: Kingston ON Canada
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| Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 6:09 am Post subject: |
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| ken johnson wrote: | Looks like an X-Y Scatter chart with labels from a column of country names and with a linear trend line.
The steps are too envolved to give a complete explanation.
http://www.mediafire.com/?4gdkjq88y220ol4
Ken Johnson |
Okay, for the simplest of questions how did you get a simple x-y graph?
As I mentioned above, I cannot seem to get LO Calc to believe that I want x (my debt) to be the x-axis. I can even get an x-y graph but debt and something (your x, y) show up as different colours!
The rest seems fairly obvious to me though it's a pain to do. I begin to remember one of the reasons I don't use spreadsheets for graphs!
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jrkrideau
Kingston ON Canada
Currently using Windows 7 & OOo 3.4.0 and Ubuntu 12.04 & LibreOffice 3.5.2.2 |
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ken johnson
Super User
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 1844
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 7:08 am Post subject: |
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| jrkrideau wrote: | | Okay, for the simplest of questions how did you get a simple x-y graph? |
After selecting B1:C14 (ignoring the country names in column A) then clicking the Chart icon, I selected the X-Y (Scatter) chart type and all plotted points are blue.
Selecting A1:C14 then choosing line chart results in two colours. Is that what happened?
Ken Johnson
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jrkrideau
Super User
Joined: 08 Aug 2005
Posts: 6733
Location: Kingston ON Canada
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| Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 7:18 am Post subject: |
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| ken johnson wrote: | | jrkrideau wrote: | | Okay, for the simplest of questions how did you get a simple x-y graph? |
After selecting B1:C14 (ignoring the country names in column A) then clicking the Chart icon, I selected the X-Y (Scatter) chart type and all plotted points are blue.
Selecting A1:C14 then choosing line chart results in two colours. Is that what happened?
Ken Johnson |
Your approach worked but I had already tried it before! I had originally selected all three columns and LO was firmly refusing to reconsider.
I did a number of things in another open spreadsheet and when I went back after reading your note it was fine. I must have set some kind of flag and failed to clear it before trying it the first time.
Thanks.
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jrkrideau
Kingston ON Canada
Currently using Windows 7 & OOo 3.4.0 and Ubuntu 12.04 & LibreOffice 3.5.2.2 |
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lucas77
Newbie
Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 7:36 am Post subject: Ken thanks a lot |
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| You are the man |
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