Re: [libreoffice-users] calc chart problems

[Brian Barker]

At 19:18 18/01/2021 -0500, Marianne Keating wrote:
I am using 4.4.7.2, under Windows 7, because it 
seems more than adequate for my purposes, and I 
am somewhat dismayed by the number of 
regressions noted for later versions in the comments here.


It's probably unwise to use any out-of-date 
software, which will not have been patched for 
security flaws and so on. Try a later version, notwithstanding regressions.


Calc chart legends. What could be simpler, yet 
more impossible? I have cracked this at sometime 
in the past, as I have just one spreadsheet with 
my own chart legend text in my choice of fonts, 
but can see no way of regaining that control for 
other charts in my armamentarium. If I 
right-click a chart, I am presented with 15 options.


First, what you see in the context menu depends 
on the current state of selection of the chart. 
What you are describing is the context menu seen 
when the chart is simply selected - so that it 
shows the eight coloured handles.


One is marked “Text”, which seems promising, but 
apparently deals with *positioning*, not content.


That's right: this deals with positioning of items generally.

The thing which it definitely lacks is any 
ability to control the legend text contents, or font.


To do that, you need to select the chart first.


If I double left-click ...


And that's how you select the chart - so that it shows a grey border.

... and then right-click, I now have 9 options, 
including one which will delete a legend, 
(leaving me unsure of what happens if the chart has more than one legend).


No problem: the legend is what labels the various 
data ranges, so charts have only one legend.


But, in any case, no control, beyond excision, 
over the legend text or its font.


To format the legend, first select the legend - 
so that *it* shows the eight coloured handles - 
and then use Format Legend... from the context menu.


When I double left-click, I get an interesting 
collection of mostly-graphic symbols at the bottom of my screen, ...


That's the Drawing toolbar.

One of these is a capital T in a dotted-line 
box, which, when hovered-over, reads: “Text 
Box”. Sounds promising, but what does it do, ...


It creates a (by default invisible) rectangular box to contain text.


... and how does one invoke whatever its action may be?


Click the "T" ("A" in the more recent version you 
should be using!). Note that the cursor (when in 
the chart) changes appearance. Drag the cursor to define the desired box.


None of these symbols can be dragged onto the 
chart, and clicking them – single or double, 
left or right – produces no obvious result of any kind.


First click; then drag in (not into) the chart.

They have interesting titles, and, if they did 
anything, might be quite useful.


You give the distinct impression that you have 
not read any of the documentation. Everything is 
in "Adding drawing objects to charts" in Chapter 
3, "Creating Charts and Graphs" of the Calc Guide.


My first question, then, is: /how do I gain 
control over chart legend text & font?/


See above. (Though I think you may be asking not 
about the chart legend but instead axis titles, or even a chart title.)



And a subsidiary wonderment: /why is it so hard to find this answer?/


It's not. Again it's all in "Legends" and 
"Titles, subtitles, and axis names" in Chapter 3, 
"Creating Charts and Graphs", of the Calc Guide.



From the on-line manual:


Two points here:
o I find it easier not to use on-line facilities 
but instead to download the guides. If you choose 
the PDF versions, you can display them locally 
and easily search for what you require.
o I'm not at all sure why you choose to copy lots 
of material from documentation in your message. 
Surely this is what *you* should be reading, not anyone offering to help you?



To edit a chart legend:
1. Double-click on the chart. A gray border 
appears around the chart and the menu bar now 
contains commands for editing the objects in the chart.
2. Choose Format - Legend or double-click on the 
legend. This opens the Legend dialog.

3. Choose from the available tabs to make modifications, then click OK.
This is no help, as the “available tabs” do 
*not* allow editing the text or font.


You can change the font on the Font tab. You can 
change the text by changing the contents of the 
spreadsheet cells that you originally included 
for this purpose. Alternatively you can use Data 
Ranges... from the context menu to allow you to 
change which cells are referenced.



From the on-line edition of the 4.1 Calc Guide we have, at ppg 88-89:
To add a legend to your chart:
[...]
To remove a legend from your chart:
[...]
Again, the user can add or remove, but not edit.


Well, just as advertised, then?!


Another dead-end source illuminates another Calc problem:
https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/...


There is no guarantee that answers on any forum - 
or indeed here on the Users mailing list - will be valuable or 

Re: [libreoffice-users] calc chart problems

[Remy Gauthier]

Greetings Marianne,Things have changed a lot since the version you are
using, and it may be difficult to provide the information you are
looking for. I did a bit of digging, and I managed to find this
document:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/images/b/bb/CG3403-ChartsAndGraphs.pdf
which comes from this location:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications/3.x
It is for CALC 3.4, but in looking at the release notes (
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes) between that version
and yours, there does not seem to be any changes to the way to manage
graphs in 3.4 and your version (except for a new chart type), so you
should be able to find the information you are looking for.
I hope this helps,Rémy.
Le lundi 18 janvier 2021 à 19:18 -0500, marianne-x a écrit :
> Ahoy all:
> My apologies if this turns out to be a redundancy, but I originally
> submitted it some 4 hours ago and it hasn't shown up yet.
> Some 20 years ago, I frequently received questions such as those I
> pose below, and was able to easily answer them for others.
> By now, I seem to have aged out, and am flummoxed by difficulties
> that should be rudimentary.
> So, should any reader deign to attack my elementary problems, please
> keep it simple (& simpleminded) so that I have a chance of
> understanding.
> I am using 4.4.7.2, under Windows (or, as we call it, /Curtains/) 7,
> because it seems more than adequate for my purposes, and I am
> somewhat dismayed by the number of regressions noted for later
> versions in the comments here.
> Calc chart legends. What could be simpler, yet more impossible? I
> have cracked this at sometime in the past, as I have just one
> spreadsheet with my own chart legend text in my choice of fonts, but
> can see no way of regaining that control for other charts in my
> armamentarium.
> If I right-click a chart, I am presented with 15 options. One is
> marked “Text”, which seems promising, but apparently deals with
> *positioning*, not content. The thing which it definitely lacks is
> any ability to control the legend text contents, or font.
> If I double left-click and then right-click, I now have 9 options,
> including one which will delete a legend, (leaving me unsure of what
> happens if the chart has more than one legend). But, in any case, no
> control, beyond excision, over the legend text or its font.
> When I double left-click, I get an interesting collection of mostly-
> graphic symbols at the bottom of my screen, where the “Find” box
> normally lives. One of these is a capital T in a dotted-line box,
> which, when hovered-over, reads: “Text Box”. Sounds promising, but
> what does it do, and how does one invoke whatever its action may be?
> None of these symbols can be dragged onto the chart, and clicking
> them – single or double, left or right – produces no obvious result
> of any kind. They have interesting titles, and, if they did anything,
> might be quite useful.
> My first question, then, is: /how do I gain control over chart legend
> text & font?/ And a subsidiary wonderment: /why is it so hard to find
> this answer?/
> Further routes to failure on this question:
>  From the on-line manual:
> https://help.libreoffice.org/6.1/en-US/text/shared/guide/chart_legend.html?DbPAR=SHARED
>  US/text/shared/guide/chart_legend.html?DbPAR=SHARED>
> we have, (appreciating that this is targeted at 6.1; probably an
> irrelevant distinction):
> 
>   Editing Chart Legends
> To edit a chart legend:
>  1.
> Double-click on the chart.
> A gray border appears around the chart and the menu bar now
> containscommands for editing the objects in the chart.
>  2.
> Choose Format - Legend or double-click on the legend. This opens
> theLegend dialog.
>  3.
> Choose from the available tabs to make modifications, then click
> OK.
> This is no help, as the “available tabs” do *not* allow editing the
> text or font.
>  From the on-line edition of the 4.1 Calc Guide we have, at ppg 88-
> 89:
> *Adding or removing chart elements*
> /*Legends*/
> To add a legend to your chart:
>  1.
> Select the chart by double-clicking on it to enter edit mode.
> Thechart should now be surrounded by a gray border.
>  2.
> Go to*Insert>Legend*onthe main menu bar to open the
> Legenddialog. This dialog is similar to the *Display
> legend*section on theChart Wizard dialogshown in Error: Reference
> source not foundon pageError: Reference source not found.
>  3.
> Select the *Display legend* checkbox and where you want the
> legenddisplayed on your chart – *Left*, *Right*, *Top* or
> *Bottom*.
>  4.
> Click *OK*to close the dialog.
>  5.
> Alternatively,right-click inthe chart area and
> select*Insert**Legend*from the context menu to insert a legend in
> the defaultposition on the right side of the chart.
>  6.
> Click outside the chart to leave edit mode.
> To remove a legend from your chart:
>  1.
>  

[libreoffice-users] calc chart problems

[marianne-x]

Ahoy all:

My apologies if this turns out to be a redundancy, but I originally 
submitted it some 4 hours ago and it hasn't shown up yet.


Some 20 years ago, I frequently received questions such as those I pose 
below, and was able to easily answer them for others.


By now, I seem to have aged out, and am flummoxed by difficulties that 
should be rudimentary.


So, should any reader deign to attack my elementary problems, please 
keep it simple (& simpleminded) so that I have a chance of understanding.


I am using 4.4.7.2, under Windows (or, as we call it, /Curtains/) 7, 
because it seems more than adequate for my purposes, and I am somewhat 
dismayed by the number of regressions noted for later versions in the 
comments here.


Calc chart legends. What could be simpler, yet more impossible? I have 
cracked this at sometime in the past, as I have just one spreadsheet 
with my own chart legend text in my choice of fonts, but can see no way 
of regaining that control for other charts in my armamentarium.


If I right-click a chart, I am presented with 15 options. One is marked 
“Text”, which seems promising, but apparently deals with *positioning*, 
not content. The thing which it definitely lacks is any ability to 
control the legend text contents, or font.


If I double left-click and then right-click, I now have 9 options, 
including one which will delete a legend, (leaving me unsure of what 
happens if the chart has more than one legend). But, in any case, no 
control, beyond excision, over the legend text or its font.


When I double left-click, I get an interesting collection of 
mostly-graphic symbols at the bottom of my screen, where the “Find” box 
normally lives. One of these is a capital T in a dotted-line box, which, 
when hovered-over, reads: “Text Box”. Sounds promising, but what does it 
do, and how does one invoke whatever its action may be?


None of these symbols can be dragged onto the chart, and clicking them – 
single or double, left or right – produces no obvious result of any 
kind. They have interesting titles, and, if they did anything, might be 
quite useful.


My first question, then, is: /how do I gain control over chart legend 
text & font?/ And a subsidiary wonderment: /why is it so hard to find 
this answer?/


Further routes to failure on this question:

From the on-line manual:

https://help.libreoffice.org/6.1/en-US/text/shared/guide/chart_legend.html?DbPAR=SHARED 



we have, (appreciating that this is targeted at 6.1; probably an 
irrelevant distinction):



 Editing Chart Legends

To edit a chart legend:

1.

   Double-click on the chart.

   A gray border appears around the chart and the menu bar now contains
   commands for editing the objects in the chart.

2.

   Choose Format - Legend or double-click on the legend. This opens the
   Legend dialog.

3.

   Choose from the available tabs to make modifications, then click OK.

This is no help, as the “available tabs” do *not* allow editing the text 
or font.


From the on-line edition of the 4.1 Calc Guide we have, at ppg 88-89:

*Adding or removing chart elements*

/*Legends*/

To add a legend to your chart:

1.

   Select the chart by double-clicking on it to enter edit mode. The
   chart should now be surrounded by a gray border.

2.

   Go to*Insert>Legend*onthe main menu bar to open the Legend
   dialog. This dialog is similar to the *Display legend*section on the
   Chart Wizard dialogshown in Error: Reference source not foundon page
   Error: Reference source not found.

3.

   Select the *Display legend* checkbox and where you want the legend
   displayed on your chart – *Left*, *Right*, *Top* or *Bottom*.

4.

   Click *OK*to close the dialog.

5.

   Alternatively,right-click inthe chart area and select*Insert
   **Legend*from the context menu to insert a legend in the default
   position on the right side of the chart.

6.

   Click outside the chart to leave edit mode.

To remove a legend from your chart:

1.

   Select the chart by double-clicking on it to enter edit mode. The
   chart should now be surrounded by a gray border.

2.

   Go to*Insert>Legend*onthe main menu bar to open the Legend
   dialog.

3.

   Deselect the *Display legend* checkbox.

4.

   Click *OK* to close the dialog.

5.

   Alternatively,right-click inthe chart area and
   select*DeleteL**egend*from the context menu.

6.

   Click outside the chart to leave edit mode.

Again, the user can add or remove, but not edit.

Another dead-end source illuminates another Calc problem:

https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/44705/making-a-double-line-graph-with-proper-data-in-libre-office-calc/ 



This question is “closed” because it was allegedly answered, whilst in 
fact no answer of any kind was provided to the