Chart Text Box

[Brian Lynn]

I can't seem to be able to resize chart text boxes on PPT2007. I can resize
the text font itself, but I can't resize the box the text is in, which means
long company titles are wrapping funny and I have orphan letters...

How do I unlock this so I can resize the data labels manually?

 

[Brian Lynn]

Just so you know, I can see the bounding box for each individual data label,
and when I click them I can see the little round handles for resizing, but
when I try to resize it does nothing...

 

[Echo S]

I don't think you can resize data labels in PPT 2007 charts. Only thing I
know off-hand is to decrease the font size or add a manual textbox.
Hopefully one of the Excel MVPs will be along shortly to confirm or correct
and offer a workaround (since charting in 2007 is actually now Excel
charts).

 

[Brian Lynn]

problem with it in excel is you don't actually see the chart itself within
the excel window... so trying to setup things like text box size in
PowerPoint blind is not going to work well, and conceptually I don't see it
working at all. Not unless there is som way to unlock the edit-ability of the
text boxes from within excel chart, and then have the access you need to
resize in PowerPoint...

The old way was uglier, but at least it had the control you need. If I
shrink this text to make it fit the box that I'm forced into it will be super
micro font, and no one will be able to read it, even on a local high res
monitor.

Thanks for the response Echo!!

I don't think you can resize data labels in PPT 2007 charts. Only thing I
know off-hand is to decrease the font size or add a manual textbox.
Hopefully one of the Excel MVPs will be along shortly to confirm or correct
and offer a workaround (since charting in 2007 is actually now Excel
charts).

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Just so you know, I can see the bounding box for each individual data
label,
and when I click them I can see the little round handles for resizing, but
when I try to resize it does nothing...

 

[Brian Lynn]

Ugh... used to be so easy, just double click the chart, grab the text box and
edit! =(

TY Echo!

I don't think you can resize data labels in PPT 2007 charts. Only thing I
know off-hand is to decrease the font size or add a manual textbox.
Hopefully one of the Excel MVPs will be along shortly to confirm or correct
and offer a workaround (since charting in 2007 is actually now Excel
charts).

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Just so you know, I can see the bounding box for each individual data
label,
and when I click them I can see the little round handles for resizing, but
when I try to resize it does nothing...

 

[Andy Pope]

Hi,

The built-in text elements of chart are not sizeable. True for both new and
old versions.

In PPT2007 excel is used to store the data, so when editing the data the
chart could be obscured by the excel app.
But you can switch back to ppt and insert textboxes into the chart. These
can be sized and positioned.

Cheers
Andy

--

Andy Pope, Microsoft MVP - Excel
http://www.andypope.info

I don't think you can resize data labels in PPT 2007 charts. Only thing I
know off-hand is to decrease the font size or add a manual textbox.
Hopefully one of the Excel MVPs will be along shortly to confirm or correct
and offer a workaround (since charting in 2007 is actually now Excel
charts).

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Just so you know, I can see the bounding box for each individual data
label,
and when I click them I can see the little round handles for resizing,
but
when I try to resize it does nothing...

 

[Echo S]

Huh? Sure you do. How are you inserting the chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

problem with it in excel is you don't actually see the chart itself within
the excel window... so trying to setup things like text box size in
PowerPoint blind is not going to work well, and conceptually I don't see
it
working at all. Not unless there is som way to unlock the edit-ability of
the
text boxes from within excel chart, and then have the access you need to
resize in PowerPoint...

The old way was uglier, but at least it had the control you need. If I
shrink this text to make it fit the box that I'm forced into it will be
super
micro font, and no one will be able to read it, even on a local high res
monitor.

Thanks for the response Echo!!

I don't think you can resize data labels in PPT 2007 charts. Only thing I
know off-hand is to decrease the font size or add a manual textbox.
Hopefully one of the Excel MVPs will be along shortly to confirm or
correct
and offer a workaround (since charting in 2007 is actually now Excel
charts).

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Just so you know, I can see the bounding box for each individual data
label,
and when I click them I can see the little round handles for resizing,
but
when I try to resize it does nothing...

:

I can't seem to be able to resize chart text boxes on PPT2007. I can
resize
the text font itself, but I can't resize the box the text is in, which
means
long company titles are wrapping funny and I have orphan letters...

How do I unlock this so I can resize the data labels manually?

 

[Echo S]

Thanks for the confirmation, Andy. I was hoping they'd make everything
sizeable this time around, what with everything being a drawing object
now.... Wishful thinking, I guess.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Hi,

The built-in text elements of chart are not sizeable. True for both new
and old versions.

In PPT2007 excel is used to store the data, so when editing the data the
chart could be obscured by the excel app.
But you can switch back to ppt and insert textboxes into the chart. These
can be sized and positioned.

Cheers
Andy

--

Andy Pope, Microsoft MVP - Excel
http://www.andypope.info

I don't think you can resize data labels in PPT 2007 charts. Only thing I
know off-hand is to decrease the font size or add a manual textbox.
Hopefully one of the Excel MVPs will be along shortly to confirm or
correct and offer a workaround (since charting in 2007 is actually now
Excel charts).

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Just so you know, I can see the bounding box for each individual data
label,
and when I click them I can see the little round handles for resizing,
but
when I try to resize it does nothing...

:

I can't seem to be able to resize chart text boxes on PPT2007. I can
resize
the text font itself, but I can't resize the box the text is in, which
means
long company titles are wrapping funny and I have orphan letters...

How do I unlock this so I can resize the data labels manually?

 

[Echo S]

?? Apparently I don't understand, then, what you're doing, Brian. You
couldn't ever resize data labels in PPT 2003 and prior, either.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Ugh... used to be so easy, just double click the chart, grab the text box
and
edit! =(

TY Echo!

I don't think you can resize data labels in PPT 2007 charts. Only thing I
know off-hand is to decrease the font size or add a manual textbox.
Hopefully one of the Excel MVPs will be along shortly to confirm or
correct
and offer a workaround (since charting in 2007 is actually now Excel
charts).

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Just so you know, I can see the bounding box for each individual data
label,
and when I click them I can see the little round handles for resizing,
but
when I try to resize it does nothing...

:

I can't seem to be able to resize chart text boxes on PPT2007. I can
resize
the text font itself, but I can't resize the box the text is in, which
means
long company titles are wrapping funny and I have orphan letters...

How do I unlock this so I can resize the data labels manually?

 

[Andy Pope]

I know what you mean.
In some cases they made the new stuff mimic the old without appreciating the
old way was not the best.

Hopefully this, along with the other problems, will be fixed as some point.

Cheers
Andy
--

Andy Pope, Microsoft MVP - Excel
http://www.andypope.info

Thanks for the confirmation, Andy. I was hoping they'd make everything
sizeable this time around, what with everything being a drawing object
now.... Wishful thinking, I guess.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Hi,

The built-in text elements of chart are not sizeable. True for both new
and old versions.

In PPT2007 excel is used to store the data, so when editing the data the
chart could be obscured by the excel app.
But you can switch back to ppt and insert textboxes into the chart. These
can be sized and positioned.

Cheers
Andy

--

Andy Pope, Microsoft MVP - Excel
http://www.andypope.info

I don't think you can resize data labels in PPT 2007 charts. Only thing I
know off-hand is to decrease the font size or add a manual textbox.
Hopefully one of the Excel MVPs will be along shortly to confirm or
correct and offer a workaround (since charting in 2007 is actually now
Excel charts).

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


Just so you know, I can see the bounding box for each individual data
label,
and when I click them I can see the little round handles for resizing,
but
when I try to resize it does nothing...

:

I can't seem to be able to resize chart text boxes on PPT2007. I can
resize
the text font itself, but I can't resize the box the text is in, which
means
long company titles are wrapping funny and I have orphan letters...

How do I unlock this so I can resize the data labels manually?

 

[Brian Lynn]

Hmm... I must have been doing something different then, or my brain is ppt
overloaded after years and version changes. I could have sworn you used to be
able to pull apart an inserted chart into more peices and resize data labels
and other parts. I've gone to my 2003 laptop and sure enough, you are
correct, the control I thought I had is not there. But I believe I've not had
to redo an ugly chart since 97 or 2000... and those I'm not even sure I have
the disks to install any more. Thanks for the reply though...

Its interesting that you get the handles and it really looks like the
control to resize is there, but try to grab the corner and it laughs at you...

Thanks again for the response!

Anyone know why I get a "2" when I put a single space into Column1 header?
Still getting used to 2oo7 and didn't realize you had format options that
allow you to remove the title as easy as two clicks, so I was using spaces to
work around... Don't really care anymore, but it is strange that putting a
single space into the box results in a "2" instead of " ", or nothing visible.

Thanks!
B

I know what you mean.
In some cases they made the new stuff mimic the old without appreciating the
old way was not the best.

Hopefully this, along with the other problems, will be fixed as some point.

Cheers
Andy
--

Andy Pope, Microsoft MVP - Excel
http://www.andypope.info

Thanks for the confirmation, Andy. I was hoping they'd make everything
sizeable this time around, what with everything being a drawing object
now.... Wishful thinking, I guess.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx

Hi,

The built-in text elements of chart are not sizeable. True for both new
and old versions.

In PPT2007 excel is used to store the data, so when editing the data the
chart could be obscured by the excel app.
But you can switch back to ppt and insert textboxes into the chart. These
can be sized and positioned.

Cheers
Andy

--

Andy Pope, Microsoft MVP - Excel
http://www.andypope.info
I don't think you can resize data labels in PPT 2007 charts. Only thing I
know off-hand is to decrease the font size or add a manual textbox.
Hopefully one of the Excel MVPs will be along shortly to confirm or
correct and offer a workaround (since charting in 2007 is actually now
Excel charts).

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


Just so you know, I can see the bounding box for each individual data
label,
and when I click them I can see the little round handles for resizing,
but
when I try to resize it does nothing...

:

I can't seem to be able to resize chart text boxes on PPT2007. I can
resize
the text font itself, but I can't resize the box the text is in, which
means
long company titles are wrapping funny and I have orphan letters...

How do I unlock this so I can resize the data labels manually?

 

[Brian Reilly, MVP]

Brian,
The data label boxes are impossible to format but Andy Pope, an Excel
MVP, wrote a piece of VBA code for me recently that took the data
label values and turned them into real text boxes and realigned them.
It is very sweet code that handles something that can't be easily done
in the native interface.

If you are comfortable with some VBA code in your presentations (or in
your Excel workbook), you might want to chase Andy down in the Excel
charting newsgroup. Andy also shows up here from time to time.

Brian Reilly, MVP

 

[Brian Reilly, MVP]

Echo, You are correct. But Andy Pope, an Excel MVP, Andy shows up here
on occasion wrote a piece of code to automate the transfer of the data
label values, actually the x axis values to do this and repositon them
correctly as real textboxes which are fully editable/formattable since
it is a real textbox.

Brian Reilly, MVP

 

[Bengt]

Hi,

This piece of code would be very valuable to me....

Could you please post the essentials of this?

One of the major problems I am having with 2007 is the Autoresize / Resize
shape to fit text.
It seems to neglect alignments compared to 2003.

Bob

 

[Brian Reilly, MVP]

Please get the code from Andy Pope, Excel MVP. He was here in this
thread before and is also reachable on the Excel Charting newsgroup.

Brian Reilly, MVP

 

[Andy Pope]

Hi,

I will post the code Brian is referring to on my website.
Just need to find some time to tidy the code and check it works in xl2007.

The code is design to run from within excel. Any charts created could then
be imported/linked to Powerpoint.

Cheers
Andy

 

[Bengt]

Ahhhh,

2007 is where it becomes interesting!!!

I have found one bug and one nuisance:
- nuisance: the resize function "leftaligns" everything despite alignment
settings, i.e. the whole box is only changed on the right hand side!
- bug: can't seem to programatically insert boxes further to the right than
a certain point being approximately the plot area border when a legend is to
the right, independently of the actual plot area border (even if moved to
chartarea border) and if there is a legend or not. Same problem from the
bottom.

I ask a question again that must have been asked 100 times:
- is it 100% true that it is impossible to reach the embedded Charts (excel)
in PPT programatically. I.e. what whas done before by addressing the
Activechart of the OLEObject.
This is a nightmare for all code that I have developed that cleanses charts
pasted in PPT from Excel. I ca'nt understand whay this door has been closed?


Best regards,

Bob

 

[Jon Peltier]

I can't comment on the text box items, though I know I have already built
workarounds for some of the quirkiness of textboxes in 2007 and particularly
textboxes in charts in 2007.

As far as the second item, the charts which are made in PowerPoint (and
presumably Word) using the new Office-wide Excel charting capability are not
exposed to VBA. To me this removes any advantage of having an Office-wide
charting capability.

If you keep using the approaches that work in Office 2003 & earlier, that
is, you create the chart in Excel, then insert it into PowerPoint/Word as an
Excel chart object, the result is an OLE object which VBA can manipulate.

- Jon

 

[Jon Peltier]

In my last post, I said that Office-wide (Excel) charts built in PowerPoint
were not accessible to VBA, but that charts made in Excel and then inserted
into PowerPoint were accessible through the familiar OLE approach. This was
only partially true.

If an Excel 2007 chart is copied in Excel and Pasted into PowerPoint, it
behaves as one of the new Office-wide Excel charts. It is inaccessible to
VBA. You can access the shape itself, but there is no OLE Object in it which
you can hook into. They've even added a property, HasChart, to tell you that
the shape contains a chart, but there is no Chart object that you can hook
into. I don't know whether to blame it on a design error or on a lack of
time to implement, but it is a major shortcoming in Office 2007.

There is hope, however. You can insert the chart from a file. Make sure the
workbook is open but saved such that the chart is the active chart sheet,
then use code similar to this to insert it into PowerPoint (this is code
running in Excel VBA):

' insert from excel file
Set ppShape = ppSlide.Shapes.AddOLEObject _
(Left:=90#, Top:=240#, Width:=360#, Height:=240#, _
Filename:=ActiveWorkbook.FullName, Link:=msoFalse)
With ppShape
.Name = "xlInsertedSheet"
.Width = ActiveChart.ChartArea.Width
.Height = ActiveChart.ChartArea.Height
.Left = (ppPres.PageSetup.SlideWidth - .Width) / 2
.Top = (ppPres.PageSetup.SlideHeight - .Height) / 2
End With

Now you can manipulate the chart in the PowerPoint shape named
xlInsertedSheet, using OLE to hook into the chart.

- Jon

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

If you keep using the approaches that work in Office 2003 & earlier, that

is, you create the chart in Excel, then insert it into PowerPoint/Word as an
Excel chart object, the result is an OLE object which VBA can manipulate.

That provides some relief, but still leaves us out in the cold when presented
with already-created presentations (as I suspect Bengt is forced to work with).

Can you think of any way of converting an existing chart object to a file that
can be reinserted as you describe?