What types of charts are there in Numbers?
Using graphic elements is always very positive and will help users to understand in a much faster way the content of a table that contains a multitude of numbers, since as they say, an image is worth a thousand words, in this case, more than a thousand numbers. That is why it is very important to consider vitaminizing this type of document with graphics that help to understand it.
However, before going fully into explaining the process involved in inserting graphics into spreadsheets, we want to tell you what types of graphics are available in Numbers, so that you can be clear about what you have before making the decision to opt for one type or another.
In Numbers you have the possibility to enter up to 6 different types of graphs, but in addition, these 6 types of graphs can be displayed in up to 3 different ways. And that’s exactly why we’re going to start. The way of displaying the data is very important, therefore the choice has to be the right one to be able to convey what you want to convey with the graph. For this reason Apple offers the possibility of generating graphics in 2D, 3D, or interactive graphics. These are available for the following types of charts.
- Columns.
- Bars.
- Lines.
- Areas.
- Sectors.
- Rings
In addition, you will not only be able to choose the shape and type of graphic you want to show, but also the style of it you will be able to customize it to your liking. Initially Apple already provides you with a series of ideas so that you do not have to be thinking about what colors to use. However, if you want to go one step further, we will explain all the customization options that you can find.
Steps to follow to create a chart
Once you know the types of graphics that you can use and the ways in which you can display it, it’s time to get down to work and start introducing graphic elements into your spreadsheets to vitaminize them and fill them with life. There are two ways through which you can insert graphics into Numbers, both of which are explained below.
Do you already have the data?
Usually when the use of a graphic element is required in Numbers, it is to be able to show in a more visual way a series of data that you have previously entered in the application. That way you already have the necessary font to generate your graph or your graphs. To do this, you just have to follow the steps that we indicate below.
- Click on “Graph” in the toolbar and choose between 2D, 3D or Interactive graphs. You will also have to choose the style of it, to find the one you like the most you can move to the right and left using the arrows that are located on the sides of the floating window.
- Click on a graph and drag it to the sheet.
- If you have chosen a 3D graph you will see that you will have the possibility to drag and move the graph to choose the angle that best suits your needs.
- In case you add a ring and you want to change the size of the central hole, you just have to click on the “Segments” tab of the “Format” sidebar and in the “Internal radius” section drag the slider or write a specific value .
- Click on “Add graph data”, this button is located just below the graph that you have inserted in the sheet.
- Select the cells in the table that contain the data you want to add to your graph.
- To be able to change whether the rows or columns will be represented as data series, you just have to select an option from the drop-down menu in the bar at the bottom of the window.
- Click OK in the bar at the bottom of the window.
Choose first the graph and then the data
We now turn to the second option or the second casuistry that can be given when a user wants to show data in a visual and attractive way for anyone who will later view the spreadsheet in question. It is possible that the purpose for which you use Numbers is only to generate a graph, and therefore, you enter the graph first and then you have to generate the table with the data that will be used to generate the graph. If that is your case, the steps you have to follow are the following.
- Click on “Graph” in the toolbar and choose between 2D, 3D or Interactive graphs. You will also have to choose the style of it, to find the one you like the most you can move to the right and left using the arrows that are located on the sides of the floating window.
- Click on a graph and drag it to the sheet.
- If you have chosen a 3D graph you will see that you will have the possibility to drag and move the graph to choose the angle that best suits your needs.
- In case you add a ring and you want to change the size of the central hole, you just have to click on the “Segments” tab of the “Format” sidebar and in the “Internal radius” section drag the slider or write a specific value .
- Add a table to the spreadsheet.
- Enter in the table the data that you want the table to contain and that you will later use to enter the created graph.
- Click on “Add graph data”, this button is located just below the graph that you have inserted in the sheet.
- Select the cells in the table that contain the data you want to add to your graph.
- To be able to change whether the rows or columns will be represented as data series, you just have to select an option from the drop-down menu in the bar at the bottom of the window.
- Click OK in the bar at the bottom of the window.
Supported customization options
As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, the style of the graphs that you introduce in the spreadsheets created with Numbers is fully customizable. Initially, the Cupertino company itself provides you with a series of default colors that you can use if you don’t want to spend time customizing your graphics.
However, Numbers also has the possibility for you to customize the appearance of the graphics you insert to your liking and needs. To do this, all you have to do is click on the graph and look at the drop-down menu on the right where you can modify the following parameters.
- Graph
- Styles.
- Graph options where you can enter or not a title, border, hidden data, caption and legend.
- Font.
- Border and background style.
- Shadow.
- Chart type.
- Axis
- You can choose between the value or the category.
- Axle options.
- Axis scale,
- Values label.
- Show or not the minimum value.
- Angle label.
- Reference lines.
- Main grid.
- Secondary grid.
- Trademarks
- Series
- Data.
- Value labels.
- Data symbols.
- Trend lines.
- Error bars.
