Troubleshooting

What to Do If Your Chart Loses Data Labels After Resizing

If you find that when your chart is reduced the text disappears, the font size is probably too small to display properly when the labels are aligned horizontally. You can either enlarge the chart by clicking and dragging the sizing handles or by double-clicking the axis. Then from the Alignment tab of the Format Axis dialog box, switch to a vertical or angled text.

How to Print a Copy of Your Datasheet

You can't print the datasheet directly in Graph. You can, however, include a data table in your chart. Click the Data Table button on the Graph toolbar to do this. (For more information, see "Adding Data Tables," earlier in this chapter.)

Another option is to copy the information where it can be printed. Click the Select All button in the datasheet (the gray cell at the upper left of the datasheet). Click Copy. Click outside the chart and click New in Word to open a new document. Click Paste to place the datasheet's information there. You can convert the information into table format by choosing Table, Convert, Text to Table. In the Convert Text to Table dialog box, make sure that Tabs are selected in the Separate Text At section. Click OK.

The Wrong Menus and Commands Are Displayed

To adjust a chart, you must display Microsoft Graph's menus instead of Microsoft Word's. Merely clicking on a chart isn't enough; you must double-click on the chart.

When you're working in Graph, you may occasionally find it difficult to display the formatting options you want. Remember that you must select the chart element you want to format before the formatting options for that element become available. For example, if you click on the Legend in a chart, you can then choose Format Legend from the right-click shortcut menu, or Selected Legend from the Format menu.

Because some chart elements?such as Walls, Gridlines, and Vertical Axes?overlap or are close to each other, it can be difficult to select the element you want. Use the Zoom drop-down box on the Standard menu to enlarge your chart, making it easier to distinguish between elements.

Data Labels on My Chart Don't Change When I Change Them on the Datasheet

Many charts contain data labels that specify the values associated with each data point. These data labels can be edited directly on the chart itself.

However, after you edit text in a data label directly, any changes you make to the values in the datasheet are no longer updated in the data label.

To fix the problem, first select all the data labels, right-click, and choose Clear to eliminate all the data labels.

Next, reapply the labels by selecting the data series on the chart; choosing Format, Selected Data Series; clicking the Data Labels tab; checking boxes to specify the information your data labels should contain; and clicking OK.

What to Do If Word Won't Let You Control AutoShape Formatting in Organization Charts or Diagrams

As you've seen, Word provides only limited flexibility in formatting the shapes within organization charts and diagrams. But in some cases, you may find that you have no options at all.

First, make sure that you have actually selected the element you want to reformat. If you want to reformat the shape itself, you should see gray, circular selection handles.

If you want to reformat a text box or its contents, you should see gray cross-hatching around the text box.

If you want to format the entire diagram (perhaps to add background color or a border), no individual components should be selected. Right-click on an empty part of the diagram and choose Format Diagram from the shortcut menu.

What to Do If Word Shrinks Your Diagram When You Shrink Your Canvas

You may sometimes want to reduce the size of the Drawing Canvas Word places around your diagram or organization chart, in order to place surrounding text nearer to your diagram or organization chart. However, when you do so, Word may shrink the diagram as well?not what you had in mind.

To fit the canvas tightly around your diagram so that the diagram does not shrink except when necessary to fit the corners of your resized drawing canvas itself, click Layout on the Diagram toolbar; then choose Fit Diagram to Contents.

What to Do If Text Won't Fit in the Diagram Text Boxes Word Provides

In some cases, you may need to enter more text in a diagram text box than Word provides. If this occurs, you have two choices:

• Complete the rest of your diagram, and then click Layout on the Diagram toolbar and clear the AutoLayout check box. You can then resize the text box?but remember, if you reenable AutoLayout, your adjustments are deleted.

• Alternatively, place no text at all in the text box Word provides, but superimpose a new text box of the correct size, using the Text Box button on the Drawing toolbar. You may have to adjust the formatting of this text box to match the surrounding diagram. For example, you may have to eliminate its border. To make changes like these, right-click on the text box, and choose Format Text Box from the shortcut menu.