Can a chart reference the table where the data came from in the legend?

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Can a chart reference the table where the data came from in the legend?

I have a simple case where I have two nearly identical tables, but I’ve changed one thing and want to graph the effect (finances of buying a house now vs in 5 years, for example). It’s fairly straightforward to add this data to a chart from multiple tables, however I end up with a legend that has two identical names. Is there an easy way to clear this up other than manually adding different header text to each table? I’m generally working on the iPad, but could try on the OSX version if needed.

For reference, I do this all the time in Excel, not by creating multiple tables in a tab per se, but by creating a merged header cell above the column labels which would be referenced in the chart.

iPad Pro Wi-Fi, iOS 12, null

Posted on Sep 25, 2018 6:39 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

SGIII

Level 8

37,562 points

Sep 26, 2018 2:47 AM in response to benjamin.t.brannon

benjamin.t.brannon wrote:

but that's not what I'm asking.

Sorry, my bad!

Do you see in the screenshot where it says 'Click a table cell to use as a source for this name, or type a cell reference.'? The answer lies there.

You can access the contents of a cell but it is not possible to access the table name (except through AppleScript.)

SG

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Answer 2

SGIII

Level 8

37,562 points

Sep 25, 2018 5:25 PM in response to benjamin.t.brannon

You can click the series whose name you want to change in the legend and change the name here:

SG

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Answer 3

Sep 25, 2018 4:06 PM in response to benjamin.t.brannon

Here’s a simple example. The issue is that the legends don’t reflect the table names, so are ambiguous.

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Answer 4

Yellowbox

Level 7

21,939 points

Sep 25, 2018 7:16 AM in response to benjamin.t.brannon

Hi Benjamin,

Are you looking for a interactive chart (graph)?

Something such as a chart (graph) that changes in response to chosen data?

That is possible in Numbers for Mac. More information will lead to a solution 😉.

As SG says,

Screenshots would help in trying to understand what you are trying to do.

Regards,

Ian.

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Answer 5

Sep 25, 2018 11:01 PM in response to SGIII

Thanks, but that's not what I'm asking. My question was, can the chart 'reference' the table name. Yes I can manually rename data series in the chart, I'm just wondering if there is a more dynamic way to do it, which would especially matter when there are many more tables. In my example screen shot, ideally the legend would look something like:

"Table 1: Y=c+x^2 Table 2: Y=c+x^2"

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Answer 6

SGIII

Level 8

37,562 points

Sep 25, 2018 6:51 AM in response to benjamin.t.brannon

Screenshots would help in trying to understand what you are trying to do.

SG

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Can a chart reference the table where the data came from in the legend?

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