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Am looking for instructions on how to create a diverging stacked bar chart in Numbers. I can create this type of chart in Excel, but I want to provide the instructions to someone else who uses Numbers. For an example, see figure 3 on this page: http://realnumeracy.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/diverging-stacked-bar-charts/ Thank you in advance!
Create a table where the first row is a header and the first column is a header.
To make a header select the row(or column) then use the contextual menu to convert to a header:
similar procedure for a row.
Enter the data for your chart.
select columns B and C by clicking the column header for column B, then shift-click the column C.
Now select the stacked, horizontal bar chart from the charts menu:
Create a table where the first row is a header and the first column is a header.
To make a header select the row(or column) then use the contextual menu to convert to a header:
similar procedure for a row.
Enter the data for your chart.
select columns B and C by clicking the column header for column B, then shift-click the column C.
Now select the stacked, horizontal bar chart from the charts menu:
Here's a bare bones start:
Drag Legend where wanted, add Title and Axis labels, etc. The vertical line showing the divergency was added via choosing a line under the Shape icon in the toolbar and dragging it into place.
SG
Thank you Wayne and SGIII for your helpful replies :-) Is there a way to change the settings so that the x-axis to the left of the y-axis intercept displays positive rather than negative numbers? Same issue for data labels embedded in the bars on the left side.
Here is a 100% diverging stacked bar example from Excel that shows what I mean with regard to the x-axis and data labels (the legend values are out of order, haven't yet figured out if there is a way to fix it.)
Lis,
If the details bother you, your best option is to use Office. It's going to be an uphill battle with little ol' Numbers.
Jerry
Hi Jerrold, I'm trying to help someone else who uses Numbers, which I don't have - I use Excel.
Jerry,
was there something wrong with the solution I presented?
was there something wrong with the solution I presented?
Wayne,
Did you read the op's comments about the drawback to the solution you presented (I also presented one with the same drawback)?
Unfortunately there are negative numbers to the left, both on the axys and in the data labels in the bars.
Do you know how to avoid that? (I don't, save superimposing a text box, which would be fiddly.)
SG
I missed that post earlier. I think they will have to add a custom x-axis using a separate table... like this:
The table, below, should be filled white, then you should remove all the cell borders, then move to the front using the menu item "Arrange > Bring To Front".
Finally slide to the bottom of the table. You can also, for good measure, select the chart then open the chart formatter then turn off the x-axis labels:
The extra table (rather than a text box) is a good idea. The effect achieved is similar to Excel. Unfortunately, a bit more work.
SG
Lis7 wrote:
Hi Jerrold, I'm trying to help someone else who uses Numbers, which I don't have - I use Excel.
Lis,
Numbers is sort of the household spreadsheet version of the more industrial Excel one. There are several charting variants in Excel that aren't supported in Numbers. The same goes for almost any aspect of the Excel program, except for the integration of graphics, which is better in Numbers.
A two-series Column Chart (not the Stacked Column suggested above) would tell the same story, and is well within Numbers' capability. without resorting to any Axis Label trickery. Another chart type that could work well would be the Area Chart. Even a basic Line Chart would do. I'm a fan of picking the chart that does the best job of telling the story, but here I don't see any special reason to use the opposed bar chart, and in fact I would rather see the Value Axis points for the two series closer together.
Jerry
Hi Jerry,
Could you provide examples (screenshots) of how a two-series Column Chart and Area Chart achieve the same look?
SG
Wayne Contello wrote:
Jerry,
was there something wrong with the solution I presented?
Wayne,
The posts are arriving so slowly here today on the Discussions, you probably didn't see LIs' post complaining about the negative values until after I posted.
Jerry
SG,
No, they wouldn't have the same look. But they would have the same effect on the reader.
Jerry
Jerry,
Well, can we see them to judge whether they really do have the same effect on the reader? 🙂
SG
Lis,
Here's another approach. It's a basic 2-D Stacked Bar Chart, as has been proposed above, but I've succumbed to some easy trickery.
In this example, I did have to change the sign of the data in the chart, which does cause negative labels on the value axis. You can hide the column of negative data, as long as you use it to make the chart. The trick here was to place a mask over the minus signs in the value axis labels. In order to do that easily, I had to make them line up. I did that by formatting the data as Numeral System, Base: 10, Places: 2.
A non-visible rectangular shape resides just below the labels. Fill is set to white and border is set to None.
Jerry
Diverging stacked bar chart in Numbers?
