Discontinue part of line in chart

I find using one series with manual line breaks to be a royal pain. When
you decide to change colors or something, it redraws the line segment,
and you have to remove it again.

It's easier to have three series with data like this:

Ph 1 Ph 2 Ph 3
a 1
b 1
c 1
d 3
e 5
f 10
g 12
h 12
i 13

Select all the range, including your top row and left column, and make
your line chart. If the lines need to look the same, you can format all
three series the same. Format one, then select the next and press F4 to
repeat, and so forth. Even that repetition is easier than removing a
line segment. But different formats for the three series are an even
greater cue than a simple line break that the data is changing.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Peltier Technical Services
http://PeltierTech.com/Excel/Charts/
_______

Trona wrote:

Subject: Discontinue part of line in chart 3/31/2004 8:57 AM PST
By: Trona (search by author) In: microsoft.public.excel.misc

I am
trying to chart data but I need to break the line between a couple of
points. Example data: Phase 1: 1,1,2 Phase 2: 3,5 Phase 3:
10,12,12,13 I would like all the points on the same line graph and
the lines connected between the points in each phase, but
discontinued between phases.

I have tried doing as described below but my chart only skips a data
point but continues a line through all points. Please help.

Although you may have no trouble remembering the point at which you
began an intervention, you may benefit from using simple visual cues
to clarify the graphed data. The most basic visual cue involves
separating baseline data (in which one looks for stability) from data
collected during the intervention (in which one obviously hopes for
signs of improvement). To separate baseline data from the
intervention data (or to separate different phases of your
intervention), remove the line connecting them. Click once on the
data point prior to the line you want removed (Point A in Figure 2).


Then click once on the next data point (Point B in Figure 2). Both
Point A and Point B will be highlighted. Go to "Format" and
"Selected data point.� At the window go to "Line" and select "None.�
Click "OK" and line will be removed (see Figure 3). (If the legend
on the chart becomes too confusing or is unnecessary, remove it by
clicking on it and pressing the delete key.)