Live chart in a userform

[pinkfloydfan]

Hi there

Working with Excel 2003:

Am I correct in thinking that by adding to the userform controls
"Microsoft Office Chart 11.0" you can add a live chart to the
userform?

My immediate project is to create a userform that allows the user to
set the inputs for a class. As the inputs are changed (maybe with a
spinner) the chart on the userform changes to reflect the updated
class inputs. Thus, the user can adjust the inputs until they get the
shape they are looking for.

Am I heading in the right direction here?

Thanks
Lloyd

p.s. what does "modeless" mean?

 

[Guest]

Sorry I don't know about your primary question. However I do know what
modeless is. If a form is Modal, once it appears the user can't click on
another object until he closes the form. You'll often see this in forms that
pop up in your system. A Modeless form allows the user to click back on the
application with the form still open.

There's benefits to doing it either way, but in my opinion too many forms
tend to be modal.

 

[pinkfloydfan]

Thanks for answering the last question Art!

Happy Easter
Lloyd

 

[Jon Peltier]

I would suggest using something like these approaches:

http://www.j-walk.com/ss/excel/tips/tip66.htm
http://oaltd.co.uk/DLCount/DLCount.asp?file=PastePicture.zip

(the first is probably much easier) and have the chart put back on the form
whenever the worksheet data changes.

- Jon

 

[pinkfloydfan]

Interesting Jon

But to me those methods are just cheating. Also, I don't really want
to have the chart in a worksheet, just on the userform and controlled
purely by the inputs on the userform.

I wonder if anybody out there has done that?

I have a feeling that starting this thread on a Good Friday was not
such a great idea so if I don't see any more replies I'll repost on
Tuesday.

All the best
Lloyd

 

[Jon Peltier]

"Cheating"? Whatever happened to "Whatever works"? Either of the solutions
I've suggested will be far simpler than using a third party charting
control. The proposed solutions require distributing the workbook and
reminding the users to enable macros, while a third party control will need
to be deployed and registered on all target computers along with the
workbook.

Inputs to the form can be put into the worksheet where the chart data is
housed, and formulas linked to them. This sheet and the chart can be hidden
from the user.

What kind of inputs are required? Do you really need a userform? You could
put the chart and the inputs (via cells or via controls from either the
Forms toolbar or the Controls Toolbox) onto a worksheet that is specially
designed for this purpose.

- Jon

 

[pinkfloydfan]

Thanks for your help Jon

You make some very good points and have certainly on a number of
occasions significantly broadened my knowledge. If this was a single
job then I agree that just a well-designed spreadsheet would be
best...however, it is part of a much larger project where various set-
ups come together to ultimately produce the end result. Rather than
have a user have to go through each spreadsheet for each set-up
separately, now that I know each part works I wanted to create a chain
of userforms that the user could work through and then have the result
at the end.

I just thought this might be a nice part of it. Also, I assumed that
"Microsoft Office Chart 11.0" was included with Excel 2003 just not
something that all people were aware of; and certainly I did not think
it was a 3rd party charting control.

No problems, as you point out there is always another way.

Happy Easter
Lloyd