B
Bryan Metz
Back in Excel 2003 it was very easy to create and edit charts, which is one
of the most important features for my useage.
Now in 2007, the chart wizard is no longer there, so you are forced to
create a chart, and then adjust the chart to the way you want it. This means
that if you know what you want the title and axis lables are, and if you know
that you want the chart located somewhere other than the default location
(the page with the data), you have to take time and do those things manually,
and one at a time, instead of all at once like you used to be able to do with
the wizard. It probably doesn't make a big difference for beginners, and in
fact is likely faster for beginners and easier to use (which, I suspect, is
what prompted the change). But for experts (I humbly sumbit myself to that
category), it is *significantly* slower. Having to spend extra time here and
there on a multi-graph project adds up.
An even larger time-consumer of building charts in 2007 is changing chart
properties. When before all you had to do was double click, you now have to
go through a series of menus that didn't exist before, and aren't easily
accessible. Let's say, for example, that I don't like the auto-scaling that
Excel picked for one axis. In Excel 2003 the steps were as follows:
* Double click on the axis
* Type the new min and max values for the axis
Now in 2007, I have two options, I can either:
* Right click on the chart
* Select "Format Axis..."
* Click the "Fixed" radio dial on min and max
* Type values
OR (Note that this method would be pretty hard for a new user to find other
than by blind luck):
* In the "Chart tools" ribbon, select "Format"
* In the "Current selection" group, select the axis you want (this involves
two clicks, and some scrolling, or if you have already selected the axis it
is the default)
* Select "Format Selection"
* Click the "Fixed" radio dial on min and max
* Type values
Both of these methods are noticebly and measurably slower than they used to
be. It now takes at least twice as many clicks to format any one attribute,
and countless more to even get the graph to its final, presentable state. It
would be one thing if double-clicking on the axis (the old method) had a new
function, but this function was just plain removed. Double-clicking no longer
does *anything*.
So, since this is a "suggestion" and not a "complaint" (well, at least,
that's the goal ;-) ), Here are my suggestions (in rough order of importance):
1) Bring back the chart wizard!
2) Make a double-click on a chart object open up the properties tag
associated with the object
3) Make the text boxes in the properties dialogue editable *before* you
choose the "fixed" radio button, and have the button change automatically
(much like the check box in Office '03)
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...54f498031a&dg=microsoft.public.excel.charting
of the most important features for my useage.
Now in 2007, the chart wizard is no longer there, so you are forced to
create a chart, and then adjust the chart to the way you want it. This means
that if you know what you want the title and axis lables are, and if you know
that you want the chart located somewhere other than the default location
(the page with the data), you have to take time and do those things manually,
and one at a time, instead of all at once like you used to be able to do with
the wizard. It probably doesn't make a big difference for beginners, and in
fact is likely faster for beginners and easier to use (which, I suspect, is
what prompted the change). But for experts (I humbly sumbit myself to that
category), it is *significantly* slower. Having to spend extra time here and
there on a multi-graph project adds up.
An even larger time-consumer of building charts in 2007 is changing chart
properties. When before all you had to do was double click, you now have to
go through a series of menus that didn't exist before, and aren't easily
accessible. Let's say, for example, that I don't like the auto-scaling that
Excel picked for one axis. In Excel 2003 the steps were as follows:
* Double click on the axis
* Type the new min and max values for the axis
Now in 2007, I have two options, I can either:
* Right click on the chart
* Select "Format Axis..."
* Click the "Fixed" radio dial on min and max
* Type values
OR (Note that this method would be pretty hard for a new user to find other
than by blind luck):
* In the "Chart tools" ribbon, select "Format"
* In the "Current selection" group, select the axis you want (this involves
two clicks, and some scrolling, or if you have already selected the axis it
is the default)
* Select "Format Selection"
* Click the "Fixed" radio dial on min and max
* Type values
Both of these methods are noticebly and measurably slower than they used to
be. It now takes at least twice as many clicks to format any one attribute,
and countless more to even get the graph to its final, presentable state. It
would be one thing if double-clicking on the axis (the old method) had a new
function, but this function was just plain removed. Double-clicking no longer
does *anything*.
So, since this is a "suggestion" and not a "complaint" (well, at least,
that's the goal ;-) ), Here are my suggestions (in rough order of importance):
1) Bring back the chart wizard!
2) Make a double-click on a chart object open up the properties tag
associated with the object
3) Make the text boxes in the properties dialogue editable *before* you
choose the "fixed" radio button, and have the button change automatically
(much like the check box in Office '03)
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...54f498031a&dg=microsoft.public.excel.charting