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benaltoft

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Excel chart series data point gap

how does one place a gap in the line of a line graph, at a point where no data is available?
example (my problem) is a sampling site, where samples are taken each year.  data best viewed using line graph but in some years no sample was taken.  how to show this data best is to keep the line going but have a small gap at the point in the line where the data would have been.  like this...    ---|  |----  where the gap between the pipes is the year that wasn't sampled.
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benaltoft

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Adjusted points to 100
Not really a perfect answer, but you can leave a gap between the data points, Excel will create a point at 0, click on the graph, click on the extra point, you'll get a up-down arrow, drag the point to where you'd like it (I suppose you could even automatically calculate the value here), the right click and choose a different point marker (don't forget to colour it, or it won't show).

Sorry, no || though.

Another solution is to not add an extra point, go to the point after the missing data, go into the point properties (same as before) and change line type to dotted lines. It will probably look cleaner.

If this helps, buzz and I'll repost as an answer.

Dom
Select the graph and goto Tools:Options:Graph. Here you can select between "Not plotted (leave gaps)", "Zero" and "Interpolated". Select the first one.
Ok this isn't what i really wanted.  i just wanted a SMALL gap where the missing data point is.  i have seen it done- i.e. i have seen the finished result of it, but the person who did it is way gone and they didn't leave the original file.  bloody hard to explain without showing you the original chart!!        
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knutt

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