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How Is This Excel Sheet Built (Animated Chart)?

Hey all, I have a (probably) very simple question about an excel spreadsheet. I found the attached spreadsheet on Office.com as a downloadable template. When the user selects a different "type" (under the "type" drop down list at the top of the chart), the chart "animates" (for lack of a better term) when it transitions to showing the new series. How is this accomplished, and can I add this effect to any chart in Excel?

Also, how is the criteria selector at the top of the chart linked to the chart data? I see there is a hidden sheet with what looks like lookup tables, but I'm not sure what formulas were used to connect everything together.

Thanks!

Andrew
Project-issue-tracker.xlsx

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Ken Butters

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Animaldrummer04

ASKER

Thank you for your in depth explanation of how the sheet works, very helpful. By animation I meant that the data on the chart smoothly transitions to the new series when a new "type" is selected. It almost slides into place. How do you replicate that?

**It just occurred to me that the transition might just be an effect in Excel 2013. I just opened the file in 2010 and it didn't do the sliding smooth transition. Oh well, I was really hoping that there was a way to incorporate java or something similar into excel.

I really want to make something like these charts in excel (interactive, smooth looking) and was thinking that if I knew what was powering that transition then I might be able to figure out how to make those java charts in Excel.

Ken Butters

ahh.. I am using Office 2010, and that is probably why I didn't see any animations.

Here is an article that describes how to turn them off.

http://sumtips.com/2012/07/turn-off-office-2013-animations.html

If you really wanted to confirm, you could turn them off temporarily to see if the chart animations are affected. I think it's a pretty solid guess that they are.

Animaldrummer04

ASKER

Thanks. I just wish there was a way for the user to incorporate the animation ability into shapes, tables, charts and graphs. (like control it with vba)