Why is Excel not sorting the X axis
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I have a number of points where the X value is a number. Excel sees it as a number. But when displaying the chart, it does not sort the X axis.
Why?
microsoft-excel charts
asked Nov 18 at 14:33
David Thielen
1609
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
I have a number of points where the X value is a number. Excel sees it as a number. But when displaying the chart, it does not sort the X axis.
Why?
microsoft-excel charts
asked Nov 18 at 14:33
David Thielen
1609
1
Excel treates X-values as category names, not numbers. Build scatter chart. Article.
– Akina
Nov 18 at 14:34
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
I have a number of points where the X value is a number. Excel sees it as a number. But when displaying the chart, it does not sort the X axis.
Why?
microsoft-excel charts
asked Nov 18 at 14:33
David Thielen
1609
I have a number of points where the X value is a number. Excel sees it as a number. But when displaying the chart, it does not sort the X axis.
Why?
microsoft-excel charts
microsoft-excel charts
asked Nov 18 at 14:33
David Thielen
1609
asked Nov 18 at 14:33
David Thielen
1609
asked Nov 18 at 14:33
David Thielen
1609
asked Nov 18 at 14:33
David Thielen
1609
asked Nov 18 at 14:33
David Thielen
1609
1609
1
Excel treates X-values as category names, not numbers. Build scatter chart. Article.
– Akina
Nov 18 at 14:34
add a comment |
1
Excel treates X-values as category names, not numbers. Build scatter chart. Article.
– Akina
Nov 18 at 14:34
1
1
Excel treates X-values as category names, not numbers. Build scatter chart. Article.
– Akina
Nov 18 at 14:34
Excel treates X-values as category names, not numbers. Build scatter chart. Article.
– Akina
Nov 18 at 14:34
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
Odds are you have created a Line Chart. In a line chart, the x axis is equally spaced and points are plotted from left to right in the order the appear the list of data. The line chart will ignore their actual value and relative distance between x values.
In order for the chart to plot the x position according to the X values, you need to use a scatter plot, and the x values must all be numerical values and not strings. If for some reason you had a bunch of numbers that were formatted as strings, excel will treat the chart as a line chart until all x values are corrected to numerical values.
To convert your chart to a scatter chart, right click on the chart and select Change Chart Type...
From the chart type window that appears, first select X Y (Scatter) on the left and then the appropriate style from top on the right, and finally the appropriate option from the bottom right area.
Or alternatively you can simply re-select your data and insert a new scatter chart.
edited Nov 18 at 18:21
fixer1234
17.3k144281
answered Nov 18 at 18:02
Forward Ed
415213
thank you - it's counter intuitive (to me at least) that a line chart with numbers on the X is not a numeric axis.
– David Thielen
Nov 18 at 20:10
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
Odds are you have created a Line Chart. In a line chart, the x axis is equally spaced and points are plotted from left to right in the order the appear the list of data. The line chart will ignore their actual value and relative distance between x values.
In order for the chart to plot the x position according to the X values, you need to use a scatter plot, and the x values must all be numerical values and not strings. If for some reason you had a bunch of numbers that were formatted as strings, excel will treat the chart as a line chart until all x values are corrected to numerical values.
To convert your chart to a scatter chart, right click on the chart and select Change Chart Type...
From the chart type window that appears, first select X Y (Scatter) on the left and then the appropriate style from top on the right, and finally the appropriate option from the bottom right area.
Or alternatively you can simply re-select your data and insert a new scatter chart.
edited Nov 18 at 18:21
fixer1234
17.3k144281
answered Nov 18 at 18:02
Forward Ed
415213
thank you - it's counter intuitive (to me at least) that a line chart with numbers on the X is not a numeric axis.
– David Thielen
Nov 18 at 20:10
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
Odds are you have created a Line Chart. In a line chart, the x axis is equally spaced and points are plotted from left to right in the order the appear the list of data. The line chart will ignore their actual value and relative distance between x values.
In order for the chart to plot the x position according to the X values, you need to use a scatter plot, and the x values must all be numerical values and not strings. If for some reason you had a bunch of numbers that were formatted as strings, excel will treat the chart as a line chart until all x values are corrected to numerical values.
To convert your chart to a scatter chart, right click on the chart and select Change Chart Type...
From the chart type window that appears, first select X Y (Scatter) on the left and then the appropriate style from top on the right, and finally the appropriate option from the bottom right area.
Or alternatively you can simply re-select your data and insert a new scatter chart.
edited Nov 18 at 18:21
fixer1234
17.3k144281
answered Nov 18 at 18:02
Forward Ed
415213
thank you - it's counter intuitive (to me at least) that a line chart with numbers on the X is not a numeric axis.
– David Thielen
Nov 18 at 20:10
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
Odds are you have created a Line Chart. In a line chart, the x axis is equally spaced and points are plotted from left to right in the order the appear the list of data. The line chart will ignore their actual value and relative distance between x values.
In order for the chart to plot the x position according to the X values, you need to use a scatter plot, and the x values must all be numerical values and not strings. If for some reason you had a bunch of numbers that were formatted as strings, excel will treat the chart as a line chart until all x values are corrected to numerical values.
To convert your chart to a scatter chart, right click on the chart and select Change Chart Type...
From the chart type window that appears, first select X Y (Scatter) on the left and then the appropriate style from top on the right, and finally the appropriate option from the bottom right area.
Or alternatively you can simply re-select your data and insert a new scatter chart.
edited Nov 18 at 18:21
fixer1234
17.3k144281
answered Nov 18 at 18:02
Forward Ed
415213
Odds are you have created a Line Chart. In a line chart, the x axis is equally spaced and points are plotted from left to right in the order the appear the list of data. The line chart will ignore their actual value and relative distance between x values.
In order for the chart to plot the x position according to the X values, you need to use a scatter plot, and the x values must all be numerical values and not strings. If for some reason you had a bunch of numbers that were formatted as strings, excel will treat the chart as a line chart until all x values are corrected to numerical values.
To convert your chart to a scatter chart, right click on the chart and select Change Chart Type...
From the chart type window that appears, first select X Y (Scatter) on the left and then the appropriate style from top on the right, and finally the appropriate option from the bottom right area.
Or alternatively you can simply re-select your data and insert a new scatter chart.
edited Nov 18 at 18:21
fixer1234
17.3k144281
answered Nov 18 at 18:02
Forward Ed
415213
edited Nov 18 at 18:21
fixer1234
17.3k144281
edited Nov 18 at 18:21
fixer1234
17.3k144281
edited Nov 18 at 18:21
fixer1234
17.3k144281
17.3k144281
answered Nov 18 at 18:02
Forward Ed
415213
answered Nov 18 at 18:02
Forward Ed
415213
answered Nov 18 at 18:02
Forward Ed
415213
415213
thank you - it's counter intuitive (to me at least) that a line chart with numbers on the X is not a numeric axis.
– David Thielen
Nov 18 at 20:10
add a comment |
thank you - it's counter intuitive (to me at least) that a line chart with numbers on the X is not a numeric axis.
– David Thielen
Nov 18 at 20:10
thank you - it's counter intuitive (to me at least) that a line chart with numbers on the X is not a numeric axis.
– David Thielen
Nov 18 at 20:10
thank you - it's counter intuitive (to me at least) that a line chart with numbers on the X is not a numeric axis.
– David Thielen
Nov 18 at 20:10
add a comment |
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1
Excel treates X-values as category names, not numbers. Build scatter chart. Article.
– Akina
Nov 18 at 14:34