Mysteriously Shifting Lines and Text Boxes

[Wendy F]

I need to call out only certain points on my charts and so I have been using
the Arrow and Text Box tool from the Drawing toolbar. If I open the file
later, I sometimes find some of the lines and boxes have shifted. But it
doesn't occur on all graphs.

I have done a search already but it doesn't quite do what I'm looking for.
I need a means to enter my own comment/label and point to the datapoint. XY
Chart Label makes a label but doesn't create an arrow to correspond. With
the amount of the datapoints I have, I would have to create an arrow which
could easily shift as it is happening now.

What I need is something like the Comment tool in the spreadsheets
themselves but permanently visible, even when printing. Any suggestions on
how to accomplish this?

 

[Jon Peltier]

No drawing object or shape that you can add to the chart will be in any way
linked to the coordinate axes of the chart. If you want a line in the chart
that sticks to the axis value you want, try this:

http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/AddLine.html

If you want to circle a point, add a new series with a data point at the
same coordinates, and format the marker as an unfilled circle of an
appropriate border (foreground) color.

If you want some kind of arrow, it's tricky but definitely possible. First
imagine a shape consisting of a circle (or rectangle), with an arrow
pointing from the edge of this circle (but entirely contained within it) to
the exact center of the circle. Orient the arrow around the circumference as
fits the data. Align the arrow and circle, make the circle invisible (no
border, no fill), and group them together. Now make a new series with a
point at the same coords as the one you want to point at. Copy the
arrow/circle group, select this new point that you've added*, and paste. The
shape is now used as a custom marker for this added point, and because the
arrowhead ends at the center of the circle, it continuously points at the
indicated data point.

*If you select the series, every point acquires this custom marker. If you
select one point, which takes another single click after selecting the
series, then just the selected point gets the custom marker.

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