How do I shade the area between two lines on a chart?

[Hart]

I created a simple chart with two data series - monthly budget vs. monthly
actual spending. On the chart I would like to shade the area between to the
two lines. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Barb Reinhardt]

This might help

http://www.peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/XYAreaChart.html

I think I might just use a bar or column chart to get to the same result.

 

[Andrea Jones]

Yes, plot both series selecting the Area chart type and using the first,
non-stacked sub-type. If you set the fill pattern for the lower of the two
lines to the same colour as the plot area and remove the gridlines then it
will look like two lines with the area in between shaded. You may have to
use the Format Data Series window and Series Order to make one series sit on
top of the other so you can see them both, otherwise the bigger one may mask
the smaller one. This method only works if one series is consistently above
the other, if a value dips below the smaller values it will be hidden
behind.

Andrea Jones
http://www.allaboutoffice.co.uk

 

[Jon Peltier]

I would use the stacked version of the area chart, and plot budget as one series and
the spending minus budget as the second. Then I'd format the first series to be
invisible. This way, if the lines cross, you'd still fill the area.

To clarify the chart further, I'd add two series, budget and spending (not spending
minus budget), and convert both to line series. This way, if the lines cross, you
can see which is higher at any given point.

- Jon
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Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Peltier Technical Services
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
http://PeltierTech.com/
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