Adding labels/info to a pie chart? Excel help needed..

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 Timmd 14 Oct 2020

I have just bought the latest version of Excel, how do I create a pie chart to represent 2 sources of information, assuming that nothing automatic happens when I click on the pie chart icon beyond a blank rectangle appearing (since I've not yet selected anything to add it it)?

How do I go from this, to clicking on the categories (to the left of what pops up), and then on the numbers to the right, so that what I end up with is a coloured pie chart with numbers around it, and the coloured key along the bottom showing which colour relates to which category?

For clarity, I have a page of information, and when I click on the pie chart icon, the 'thing' appears in front of the page of information from which I want to draw the information from.

Many thanks,

Tim

Post edited at 16:02
In reply to Timmd:

If I understand you correctly..

It's easier to highlight your data source first, then create your pie chart. For example, if your data is in four cells: vegetarian, 25%, carnivore, 75%, then highlight these four cells and hit the pie button. That will produce a pie chart with a coloured key. If you want to show the actual values on the chart then right click and select "add data labels".

OP Timmd 14 Oct 2020
In reply to Thugitty Jugitty:

What would I do, if the 2 columns of information aren't next to one another, but at different places in a table of information?

I basically have a type of litter on the left hand side - in a vertical list, and several columns along, I have a total for each kind also in a vertical column, and I'm wanting to have a coloured pie with numbers on them, and along the bottom the coloured key.

Many thanks.

Post edited at 16:11
In reply to Timmd:

Highlight the litter types, then also highlight the corresponding values as well, by holding ctrl whilst you highlight with the mouse. Then hit the pie button.

Anything trickier than this and you'll need to right click the chart and "select data..."

Your uni will probably run a short free course on Excel.

OP Timmd 14 Oct 2020
In reply to Thugitty Jugitty:

> Highlight the litter types, then also highlight the corresponding values as well, by holding ctrl whilst you highlight with the mouse. Then hit the pie button.

What about the columns between the two columns of information I need, will they not get caught up as well?

> Anything trickier than this and you'll need to right click the chart and "select data..."

> Your uni will probably run a short free course on Excel.

We got given a short video tutorial in which the select data thing comes up, but things don't follow the sequence shown in the video - due to customisation perhaps, or the teacher's excel being slightly different in format, which is what brought me here as one way of finding out. .

Post edited at 16:45
In reply to Timmd:

> What about the columns between the two columns of information I need, will they not get caught up as well?

Shouldn't do. Try it and see.

 chris_r 14 Oct 2020
In reply to Timmd:

> What about the columns between the two columns of information I need, will they not get caught up as well?

As Thugitty Jugitty said, hold Control key when you select the 2nd column of data, this will just select what you need. If you used Shift instead it would also select everything inbetween.

 Doug 14 Oct 2020

In order to learn how to produce pie charts (& other graphics) it might be worth copying the two columns of data to elsewhere on the sheet, or to a new sheet, where they can be side by side. Highlighting the two columns, then click creat graphic/pie chart (I've not used the latest version of Excel) & follow the instructions. Once you've got the basic graphic you can then edit it to add labels, values, change the colours, add a title etc.

Worth getting to know how it works as you'll probably produce quite a few graphics over the next couple of years, assumming you don't move to something like R for statistics at a later stage in your course.

edit to add: this sort of thing is much easier to demonstrate than to explain in text

Post edited at 16:57
OP Timmd 14 Oct 2020
In reply to chris_r:

I seem to have found a way, but I'm in that stage of learning where I haven't assimilated how yet. 

I clicked on the numbers, and then the chart, and then right clicked and went to select data, and legend before clicking on the litter type column - I think?

Thanks to both.

Edit to Doug: We've been told that replicating data isn't what we should be doing (in the current context), which is why I'd avoided doing that, but that is a good idea for learning about exploring how to alter things. I'd slightly got stuck on not doing that, which potentially stopped me from figuring out other helpful things. 

Post edited at 17:03
In reply to Timmd:

Good stuff. As Doug says, it'll be really worthwhile getting a proper grip of Excel.

 Doug 14 Oct 2020
In reply to Timmd:

Avoiding multiple copies of data is a good principle, but for learning by trial and error I think you could make an exception.

ps how are you coping with being a student again ?

 Rob Exile Ward 14 Oct 2020
In reply to Timmd:

This won't help, but 40 years ago a company called Lotus 1-2-3 had really good ways of creating and displaying graphs. Unfortunately Microsoft haven't quite caught up with them yet.

OP Timmd 14 Oct 2020
In reply to Doug:

> Avoiding multiple copies of data is a good principle, but for learning by trial and error I think you could make an exception.

> ps how are you coping with being a student again ?

There's been a certain process of realising how 'sub optimally' I've been functioning in the past, re sleep and general alertness, I think any problems I've had with organisation and stress levels and remembering things go back to that, it's only two and a half weeks in, and I think I'm getting a handle on how I need to be to succeed. Things worthwhile rarely come easily, so I'm fine with cracking on.

Post edited at 18:21
OP Timmd 14 Oct 2020
In reply to Doug: It's definitely been stressful, but I'm not going to quit.

In reply to Timmd:

Really great to hear you're progressing!

 lithos 14 Oct 2020
In reply to Timmd:

> Edit to Doug: We've been told that replicating data isn't what we should be doing (in the current context), which is why I'd avoided doing that, but that is a good idea for learning about exploring how to alter things. 

1)  if learning/exploring always play with a copy of the data 

2) when you are ok with the method here's that i taught...

create the table you want on a new sheet - so create a sheet called pie or chart or something

link the data in there via   A1=Sheet1!A1  and filling down for each column  As you will know this isn't replicating the data it's effectively filtering it (which is another approach!)

now plot your charts/graphs from that sheet and on that sheet, as it's arranged correctly, if you change the data in Sheet1 your graphs get updated automatically

all the selecting the correct columns works and is fine, but this encourages you to create a summary table first (which you should eyeball for senseibilty) and then chart that so its all clean and together....

and if you really want to learn some good stuff about excel watch this long entertaining video called "You Suck at Excel" from Joel Spolksy - an author of excel and UI writer   youtube.com/watch?v=0nbkaYsR94c&!

Post edited at 19:24
In reply to Timmd:

I hope you don't mind, here's a graphic I discovered recently that I like...



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