Format Line dialog

This dialog appears when you double-click a line in a chart or right-click it and select Format Line from the shortcut menu. It helps you to format lines in a chart, and consists of the following four tabs:

• General tab
• Fill tab
• Border tab
• Data Label tab

OK

Applies the changes and closes the dialog.

Cancel

Does not retain any changes and closes the dialog.

Apply

Applies all changes and leaves the dialog open.

Help

Displays this help document.

General tab

For 2-D lines

Specifies the general format of the 2-D line chart. See the tab.

Layout

Specifies the layout of the 2-D lines in the chart.

• None
  If selected, the lines will display trend over categories.
• Stacked
  If selected, the stacked lines will display the trend of the contribution of each data value over categories.
• 100% Stacked
  If selected, the 100% stacked lines will display the trend of the percentage each data value contributes over categories.

Line

• Thickness
  Specifies thickness of 2-D lines in the chart.

Depth

Specifies the depth properties for lines of the chart.

• Use Depth
  Specifies whether to make the lines in the chart three-dimensional. You can also use a formula to control the property.
  • Depth
    Specifies the depth of the lines.
  • Direction
    Specifies the direction for depth of the lines.

  Note: If the chart is a combo chart composed by lines and areas/bars, when you set the depth properties for the lines, they will be applied to the areas/bars as well, and vice versa.

Node

Specifies properties for the 2-D line nodes.

• Style
  Specifies the style of the 2-D line nodes.
• Width
  Specifies the width of the 2-D line nodes.
• Height
  Specifies the height of the 2-D line nodes.

For 3-D lines

Specifies the general format of the 3-D line chart. See the tab.

Thickness

Specifies the thickness of the 3-D lines in the chart.

Fill tab

Specifies the fill properties. See the tab.

Line

Specifies the line properties.

• Color
  Specifies the color schema for the lines in the same data series.
• Transparency
  Specifies the transparency of the color schema that is applied to lines in the same data series.
• Pattern list
  Opens the Pattern list dialog to modify patterns of lines in the same data series.

Area

Specifies properties for the areas which are formed by the chart axes and the lines. Applies to 2-D lines only.

• Color
  Specifies the color schema for the areas.
• Transparency
  Specifies the transparency of the color schemas.
• Pattern list
  Opens the Pattern list dialog to modify patterns of the areas.

Sample

Displays a preview sample of your settings on the lines and areas.

Border tab

Specifies properties for borders of the 3-D lines. See the tab.

Border Type

Specifies the type for border of the lines.

• none
  The object has no visible border lines (default value).
• raised
  The object has 3D borders that appear as if they are raised off the page.
• recess
  The object has 3D borders that appear as if they are pressed into the page.
• shadow
  The object has two shadowed borders, beneath and to the right of the object.

Color

Specifies the color for border of the lines.

Transparency

Specifies the transparency for the color of the border.

Line Style

Specifies the line style to apply to border of lines.

Thickness

Specifies the thickness for the border.

End Caps

Specifies the ending style of the border line.

• butt
  Ends unclosed subpaths and dash segments with no added decoration.
• round
  Ends unclosed subpaths and dash segments with a round decoration that has a radius equal to half of the width of the pen.
• square
  Ends unclosed subpaths and dash segments with a square projection that extends beyond the end of the segment to a distance equal to half of the line width.

Line Joint

Specifies the line joint style for the border line.

• miter
  Joins path segments by extending their outside edges until they meet.
• round
  Joins path segments by rounding off the corner at a radius of half the line width.
• bevel
  Joins path segments by connecting the outer corners of their wide outlines with a straight segment.

Sample

Displays a preview sample of your selection.

Path

Specifies the fill pattern of the border line.

• Outline Path
  Specifies the fill pattern of the border line to be outline path.
• Fill Path
  Specifies the fill pattern of the border line to be whole path.

Dash

Specifies the dash size of border line.

• Auto Adjusted Dash
  If selected, the dash size will be adjusted automatically.
• Fixed Dash Size
  If selected, the dash size will just be fixed.

Data Label tab

Specifies properties for data labels on lines of the chart. See the tab.

Static Data Label

It specifies properties of the static data labels on the lines.

• Show Static Data Label
  Specifies whether or not to show the static data labels.
• Suppress Label when 0
  Specifies whether to display the data label in the chart when its slice value is 0. If the property is set to true, the data label whose slice value is 0 will not be displayed. This option is available to these 2-D chart types: bar, bench, line, area, pie, radar, and surface.
• Position
  Specifies the position of the data labels on the lines.
  • auto fit
    If selected, the data labels will be displayed automatically.
  • top center
    If selected, the data labels will be displayed on the top center of the nodes on lines.
  • top left
    If selected, the data labels will be displayed on the top left of the nodes on lines.
  • top right
    If selected, the data labels will be displayed on the top right of the nodes on lines.
  • bottom left
    If selected, the data labels will be displayed on the bottom left of the nodes on lines.
  • bottom center
    If selected, the data labels will be displayed on the bottom center of the nodes on lines.
  • bottom right
    If selected, the data labels will be displayed on the bottom right of the nodes on lines.

Font

Specifies the font format of text in the data labels.

• Font list
  Lists all the available font faces that can be selected to apply to the text.
• Font Size
  Specifies the font size of the text.
• Font Color
  Specifies the font color of the text.
• Transparency
  Specifies the transparency of the text.
• Rotation
  Specifies the rotation angle of the text around its center, in degrees. The default value is 0.
• Shearing
  Specifies the gradient of the text.

Effects

Specifies the special effects of text in the data labels.

• Style
  Specifies the font style of the text. It can be one of the following: plain, bold, italic, and bold italic.
• Strikethrough
  Specifies the style of the horizontal line with which the text is struck through. It can be one of the following: none, thin line, bold line, and double lines.
• Underline
  Specifies the style of the horizontal line under the text. It can be one of the following: none, single, single lower, bold line, bold lower, double lines, bold double, patterned line, and bold patterned.
• Superscript
  Raises the text above the baseline and changes the text to a smaller font size, if a smaller size is available.
• Embossed
  Makes the text appear to be raised off the page in relief.
• Outlined
  Displays the inner and outer borders of each character.
• Subscript
  Lowers the text below the baseline and changes the text to a smaller font size, if a smaller size is available.
• Engraved
  Makes the text appear to be imprinted or pressed into the page.
• Shadowed
  Adds a shadow beneath and to the right of the text.