Graphing text in Numbers app

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Level 1

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Graphing text in Numbers app

Hello,

I'm looking to create a line graph (or a scatter plot) from a table with text inputs. For instance a daily log of energy level would have drop down menu of Low, Medium and High. I'd like to create a line graph that plots Low, medium and high as if they were numbers. I know I can just have it graph 1, 2 and 3 but I'd like to actually have it show low, medium and high and recognize those as numbers from the input data. So really I need a way to tell Numbers, "this word means this number" and then have it do that in the background.

Thanks!

MacBook Pro, iOS 8.3

Posted on Apr 26, 2015 5:24 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 26, 2015 6:44 PM in response to RHolcomb

This is an unusually way to chart something. I think the best way is to assign a value to "Low", "Medium", and "High" then hide the normal legend and make your own using a text box, or other label method.

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Answer 2

RHolcomb Author

Level 1

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Apr 27, 2015 6:27 AM in response to Wayne Contello

It's only unusual if you don't see the context. In a daily tracking of energy level the user interface is much better if they can choose low, medium and high in the input data and then see those graphed. So yes, the background should have numbers attached, but both the input data and the legend should say low, medium, high and the numbers should be hidden.

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Answer 3

Yellowbox

Level 7

20,383 points

Apr 27, 2015 10:40 AM in response to RHolcomb

RHolcomb wrote:

It's only unusual if you don't see the context. In a daily tracking of energy level the user interface is much better if they can choose low, medium and high in the input data and then see those graphed. So yes, the background should have numbers attached, but both the input data and the legend should say low, medium, high and the numbers should be hidden.

Hi RHolcomb,

Will this work for you? Pop-Up Menus for Low, Medium, High in Row 2.

Formula in B2 of the Values table (and Fill Right)

=VLOOKUP(Input::B2,Lookup::$A:$B,2)

Please tell what you want to do with those values (1, 2 or 3)

Please tell how you will handle a blank or a zero.

Please show how you envisage the graph. Is it something like this (created from the Values table)?

If you really want Low, Medium, High as labels on the Y axis, maybe we need to look further.

Regards,

Ian.

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