I wanted to have the tick on the x-axis right over the label so I lurked from
another post (Andy) the following:

"Double click the category axis and on the scale tab uncheck,
Value (Y) axis crosses between categories.
This will mean adding a dummy set of data to the begining and end of the
data series otherwise you will loses 2 columns."

I did this, including adding the dummy set at the beginning and end.
However, now the first bar in the column chart is pressed right up against
the y-axis and its width is only half of that of the other bars. How can I
get it to space correctly?

Using Excel 2003.

tia for any suggestions

It sounds like the issue you are experiencing is due to the fact that you added a dummy set of data at the beginning of your data series. This can cause the first bar to appear smaller than the others because it is being compressed against the y-axis.

To fix this, you can adjust the minimum value of the x-axis so that it starts at the first category label instead of at zero. Here's how to do it:

1. Right-click on the x-axis and select "Format Axis" from the menu.
2. In the Format Axis dialog box, select the "Scale" tab.
3. Under "Minimum," select the "Fixed" option and enter the value of the first category label in your data series.
4. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.

This should adjust the spacing of your bars so that they are evenly spaced and the first bar is not compressed against the y-axis. If you need to adjust the maximum value of the x-axis as well, you can follow the same steps but select the "Maximum" option instead of the "Minimum" option.

You apparently didn't add the dummy values at the start and end of the data
range. This means if the range was C3:C10, you have to make sure C2 and C11
are blank, then adjust the range to C2:C11. This way, a blank column, not
your actual data, is cut in half at the left and right extremes of the
chart.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
Peltier Technical Services, Inc. - http://PeltierTech.com
_______


"klam" wrote in message
...
I wanted to have the tick on the x-axis right over the label so I lurked
from
another post (Andy) the following:

"Double click the category axis and on the scale tab uncheck,
Value (Y) axis crosses between categories.
This will mean adding a dummy set of data to the begining and end of the
data series otherwise you will loses 2 columns."

I did this, including adding the dummy set at the beginning and end.
However, now the first bar in the column chart is pressed right up against
the y-axis and its width is only half of that of the other bars. How can I
get it to space correctly?

Using Excel 2003.

tia for any suggestions

I figured it out. Sorry for the post - I had tried all of the scale options
for both axes before I posted.

In case anyone else has this problem, here's what worked for me...Altho the
data range was correct, which I verified, when I looked at the series, Excel
automatically excluded the blanks cells in the category labels and values.
When I manually added them back in, the bars all shifted over.

cheers,


"klam" wrote:

I wanted to have the tick on the x-axis right over the label so I lurked from
another post (Andy) the following:

"Double click the category axis and on the scale tab uncheck,
Value (Y) axis crosses between categories.
This will mean adding a dummy set of data to the begining and end of the
data series otherwise you will loses 2 columns."

I did this, including adding the dummy set at the beginning and end.
However, now the first bar in the column chart is pressed right up against
the y-axis and its width is only half of that of the other bars. How can I
get it to space correctly?

Using Excel 2003.

tia for any suggestions