In this article
Use the properties on the Axes tab to specify the look-and-feel of the X and Y axes .
Click on the properties, buttons and tabs in the figure for further information.
Figure 1 - Specifying the look and feel of the X and Y axes
There is one tab for the X axis and one for the Y axis - the properties are identical. The example shows the Y axis.
Title
You can specify a title for each axis. In the example shown in Axis above, the Y axis shows the numbers of respondents who have replied in the different "grades", so the title specified is “Numbers replying”.
Alignment
Use this property to position the selected Axis Title relative to the axis line. The options are Near (to the zero position), Center (centered on the axis line), or Far (away from the zero position).
Tick Marks
Tick marks are the short lines perpendicular to the axes lines that indicate where the labels apply. See the figure above. Tick marks will follow settings for Grid Lines.
Grid Lines
This property is used in combination with the Interval, Minimum, and Maximum settings. Add grid lines to the chart area to help the user to understand the information presented. In the example shown in The Axes Tab, above, the lines run from 0% (minimum) to 100% (maximum) with a line at every 20% (interval). Side Margins
Interval
The Side Margins property determines whether or not there is to be space between an axis and the series. See the figure above.
Minimum
The Minimum property specifies the value at which the axis starts.
Maximum
Maximum determines the value at which the axis ends.
Crossing Point
The Crossing Point parameters on the X and Y axes are used to control where the other axis will cross. By default this is in the origin (0,0), but you may move the crossing point anywhere on the axis, including to negative values.
The figure shows an example of a bar chart in which the product ratings are presented above or below a target of 60%.
Figure 2 - The crossing point on column chart
To achieve this layout, set the Crossing Point property to 60 on the X axis . The Y axis is then moved upwards to cross the X axis at the 60% value. The columns will be drawn originating at the Y axis, and will be drawn downwards if the value is below 60 and upwards if the value is above 60.
Figure 3 - Setting the Crossing Point
In the example .below, the Crossing Point on both axes is move from the origin to create a quadrant chart out of an XY-plot or Bubble chart. Here the X and Y axes are used to divide the plot area into four.
Figure 4 - Example of using the Crossing Point to create a Quadrant chart.