Increasing width of columns in column chart

[Shelly]

I have a column chart created and the columns are like pin stripes - I have
tried reducing the gap and so forth but can't find a way to make the columns
wide enough to be useful.

 

[Steve Mills]

I have a column chart created and the columns are like pin stripes - I have
tried reducing the gap and so forth but can't find a way to make the columns
wide enough to be useful.

Shelly, I ran into this very same thing on Monday. I found that the width of
the columns was being determined by the legend of the Y-axis. as an example:
I was graphing about 4-months of statistical data and grabbed the date column
for 4-months for the Y-axis. Since all the dates wouldn't show I found the
graph "auto-scrunching" my column graphs just to fit as many date labels in
as possible across the bottom. When I modified what and how the dates would
be displayed I found the columns returned to normal or expected size.
Note: I believe this is a new feature in Excel 2007 as I don't recall older
versions changing columns to pin-lines, they were reduced but not as bad.

Hope this helps


-Steve

 

[Jon Peltier]

Is the category axis showing dates? And is the data weekly, not daily? This
means you have six blanks dates for each date with a value, and therefore
the gaps are very wide. Change to a category scale axis. Excel 2003: Chart
menu > Chart Options > Axes tab, choose Category option for the Category
axis. Excel 2007: Format Axis, about midway down the first tab, choose Date
Axis.

- Jon