When using Workiva, you have multiple options to customize your charts. You can format chart text, edit chart titles, and arrange chart axes and labels.
Format chart text and titles
You can edit chart titles and text to clarify the data presented or to characterize your company's brand. Format chart text directly from the Edit toolbar. Format chart and axes titles in the Chart Properties panel.
Format chart text
Chart text can be edited directly by selecting the text and applying text formatting from the Edit tab in the toolbar. Customize the text associated with axis labels, chart labels, and legend labels as well as the labels for individual series data points. Select an entire chart to format all text at once.
Use the icons and drop downs in the Edit toolbar to change the font color, font size, font family, as well as style options such as bold or italics for chart text. Use any of your account-enabled fonts as well as proprietary fonts.
Edit chart titles
Use the Title toggle in the Chart Properties panel to show or hide the title in your chart. To edit a chart title:
- Go to Chart Properties by right-clicking a chart and selecting Chart Properties .
- Under General in the Chart Properties panel, click in the Title text box.
- Enter your chart title or update the existing title.
Changes to the title will be visible immediately in your chart. If you don’t need a chart title, clear out all text in the Title field.
To break a title onto two lines, place your cursor in the Title text box where you want the title to break and press Enter.
You can also add a subtitle to your charts too.
Bottom and left axis titles
The bottom and left axis titles can be formatted and edited independently. Use the Title toggle in the Chart Properties panel in the Bottom Axis and Left Axis sections. This will show or hide the bottom and left axis titles in your chart.
To edit an axis title:
- Right-click a chart and selecting Chart Properties .
- Under Bottom Axis or Left Axis in the Chart Properties panel, click in the Title text box.
- Enter your chart title or update the existing title.
To format an axis title:
- Select the title.
- Format using the icons in the Edit toolbar (font color, font size, font family, bold, italics).
Note: Formatting will apply to all text in the chart or axis title. You cannot format part of a title differently.
Format chart axes and labels
Control basic formatting for chart axis labels from the Edit toolbar. Click on the axis labels and use the appropriate Edit icons. Clarify your data by adjusting the step size, grid lines and tick marks.
Adjust label spacing
When information is clustered too closely, alter the spacing of the lines or fill areas by adjusting the Min Value and Max Value spacing.
To adjust the spacing for the left axis:
- Select the chart, right click and choose Chart Properties.
- Use the drop down to adjust the Min Value to change the starting point for the data.
- Change the Max Value to adjust the uppermost value of the left axis.
- Adjust the Step Size to change the interval and scale of values.
Additional axis settings
There are additional settings for each axis. For the left axis, you can also choose to Show Zero Line. For the bottom axis, you can expand the line to Expand to Edge.
The Rotation setting in the Chart Properties panel gives you the option to change the rotation of the labels for either axis. For example, you can shift the labels on the bottom axis to a vertical position.
Format labels from the data table
Use the data table for the chart to format the values for the measurement axis labels. To work with a chart data table:
- Select the chart.
- Click the Data icon in the Edit toolbar.
- In the data table that opens, select the appropriate labels such as a series of dates.
- Right-click and choose Cell Properties.
- In the Formats panel that opens to the right, adjust the settings as desired.
Override data table formatting
There may be times when you do not want the settings in the data table associated with your chart to affect the display. Go to the Chart Properties panel and click the Override link in the Left Axis settings section. Now you can set the value formatting separately for the chart display.
For more information on formatting, see Value formats for chart labels.
For more information on display options, see Axis and series display for charts.