Charts in RixSheets turn a block of numbers into the picture your reader actually remembers. The app covers the workhorse types — column, bar, line, combo and doughnut — with a Recommended Charts dialog that looks at your selection and proposes what fits, plus full control over chart elements such as axes, legend, data labels and title. Charts stay linked to their data, so when the numbers change, the picture follows.
Pick the right type first
Choosing well is half the craft:
| Chart | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Column | Comparing values across categories | Units sold per region |
| Bar | The same comparison with long labels | Revenue per product name |
| Line | Trends across ordered time | Monthly active users |
| Combo | Two measures with different scales | Revenue columns with a margin line |
| Doughnut | Parts of a whole, few slices | Spend share by channel |
Combo charts deserve a note: they plot one series as columns and another as a line on a secondary axis, which is the standard shape for volume-versus-rate stories — shipments against on-time percentage, spend against savings rate. When a single-axis chart makes one series look flat simply because the scales differ, the combo form is the fix: keep the big numbers on the primary axis, the percentages on the secondary one, and let the reader see both movements at once.
Two anti-patterns are worth naming. Doughnut charts with more than five slices stop communicating — the reader cannot compare adjacent angles reliably, so aggregate the small slices into "other". And line charts with a dozen series turn into spaghetti; if everything is highlighted, nothing is. Pick the two or three lines that answer the question and leave the rest in the table.
Create a chart
- Select the data, including headers — RixSheets uses the first column as categories and the header row as series names.
- Open Insert, Chart. The Recommended Charts dialog inspects the selection and lists suitable types with previews.
- Review the suggestions. If you already know the answer, pick the type directly from the list — column, bar, line, combo or doughnut.
- Insert the chart and drag it to where it belongs: next to the data, or on a dedicated dashboard sheet.
- Resize from the corner handles; the plot area re-flows to fit.
Tune the chart elements
Every chart is assembled from elements you can show, hide and restyle:
- Title — say what the chart answers: "Units by region, 2026", not "Chart 1".
- Legend — keep it when there are two or more series; drop it when there is one and label the axis instead.
- Axes — adjust scale and number format so a currency axis does not show raw decimals.
- Data labels — add them when the reader should quote exact numbers; leave them off dense line charts.
- Gridlines and colors — subtle gridlines, one accent color per series, consistency across a workbook.
Open the element controls from the chart, toggle what you need, and the preview updates as you work.
A note on what makes charts look professional with almost no effort: consistency. Use the same accent colors for the same things across every chart in a workbook — revenue always blue, target always gray, alert always red — and readers stop re-learning the legend on each chart. Round the axis scale to sensible steps, drop unnecessary gridlines, and let white space separate the chart from the table. The elements dialog handles the mechanics; restraint is the only skill you supply.
Edit and repoint chart data
Data moves; charts should not break. Select a chart and open its data controls to:
- Change the source range when rows are appended or the table shifts.
- Add or remove series — for example, drop last year's line once the budget season ends.
- Switch the row and column orientation when the chart groups the wrong axis.
- Repoint a single series, such as swapping a planned column for an actuals column.
The chart recalculates from the new source immediately. Nothing needs to be rebuilt, and the file keeps working when it round-trips through .xlsx.
Charts on pivots and dashboards
For aggregated reporting, prefer pivot charts: select a pivot table and insert a chart, and it plots the pivot's result rather than raw rows — see pivot tables in RixSheets. A dashboard sheet then comes together quickly: two or three charts, slicers above them for interactivity, and conditional formatting on the underlying numbers for a heat-map backdrop. If a table's numbers deserve flags before they reach a chart, see conditional formatting.
Print and share
Charts print cleanly through the page layout tools — set the print area to include the dashboard and check the header and footer before printing; the full walkthrough is in print and page layout. For a wider charting perspective across the suite, the word processor has its own guide at charts in RixDocs.
Two distribution shortcuts round out the workflow. A full-page screenshot captures a chart as it looks on screen, ready for an email body or a chat window when a file attachment would be friction. And conditional formatting on the underlying table gives a chart a companion: the picture shows the trend, the shaded cells show exactly which rows drove it. Readers who want the number can find it; readers who want the story already have it.
What to explore next
- Pivot tables in RixSheets — aggregated data that charts love.
- Conditional formatting — highlight the numbers behind the picture.
- Print and page layout — get charts onto paper and PDF properly.