This is a guest post by Faseeh, one of the Excel Ninja’s at our forum.
Triangular plot…! What is it?
Recently, a Chandoo.org forum member asked this,
I want to be able to make a graph that, in some aspects, looks like below, but I have no idea how to do it at all.
After seeing it, I said to myself in Barney Stinson’s tone, ‘Challenge Accepted!‘
The final plot is like this:
Making triangular plot in Excel – Tutorial
The first step to create such a chart starts from a manual drawing of how your chart will be looking like; at least you need to mark some important connecting points that will make smaller triangles.
The trick in this chart is simply to locate points in all three sides of the triangle and connect them in a way that results in smaller triangle. Here is a step by step approach to make this chart:
- Make a rough sketch of the triangle. Divide each side of the triangle roughly into the number of segments that you want, each side with equal number of segments (in this case 05 segments). And give each of them a number including corners of the triangle
- Now we can split this chart into three types of lines, horizontal, tilted towards right, tilted toward left.
- For each of these lines we need to join certain points and when we combine these lines into a single series we will get our desired chart. So let’s list down the points in each line.
Horizontal Lines (L1): Point 01, 02, 03, 04, 06, 05, 07, 08, 10, 09, 11.
Right Lines (L2): Point 01, 11, 09, 12, 13, 07, 05, 14, 15, 03, 02
Left Lines (L3): Point 02, 11, 10, 15, 14, 08, 06, 13, 12, 04, 01 - Now we need to setup a table where the coordinates of these points are listed in tabular order, like this:
This can be done by using trigonometric ratio of sine and cosine, by representing each point in terms of Polar Coordinates [ These coordinates represent each point in terms of a distance “R” and an angle represented by Greek alphabet Theta (q), Line 01 makes an angle of 0° from X-Axis, Line 02 of 60° and Line 03 of 120° from +ive X- Axis, these details can be simply skipped if you don’t like math 😉 ]
Avoiding the details of trigonometry you can simply use following two formulas to get these values…For Value of X (Ordinate) you can use the following formula:
=IF(O6=”H”,N6*COS(RADIANS(Q6)),IF(O6=”L”,N6*COS(RADIANS(Q6)),$D$5+N6*COS(RADIANS(Q6))))For Y (Abscissa) you can use following:
=IF(O6=”H”,N6*SIN(RADIANS(Q6)),IF(O6=”L”,N6*SIN(RADIANS(Q6)),N6*SIN(RADIANS(Q6)))) - Once this Lookup Table is created we need to create another table where we list points in accordance to the Lines that we have already created. We will use VLOOKUP () to fetch the corresponding coordinate through this formula and we will do this for all the three Lines. The VLOOKUP() simply looks for the point in the left most column of the first table and bring the corresponding values from the 3rd and 4th column to form the point in second table.
- When we are done with bringing the coordinates of all of these points we just need to plot a Scatter Chart. Now use a XY scatter chart to plot the data. You need to add only one series, actually there are three types of lines but we can accommodate them in just one series. When they overlap, they will give smaller triangles in result.
Download Triangular Plot workbook
Click here to download the chart. Examine the formulas & chart series to understand how this is made.
Added by Chandoo
Do you make such complex charts for your work?
I will be honest. I never had to make a triangle plot. But then, I never had to make Ratatouille either. That doesn’t make me appreciate both of them any less. I think this chart shows fantastic technique. It also proves that Excel is highly flexible if you know which bolt to turn and which screw to tighten.
What about you? Do you make such complex charts or visual analysis for your work? What is the most challenging chart you have worked on? Please share using comments.
Shape up your Chart skills – Charts + Shapes
If your job involves making charts in all shapes and sizes, then you are in luck. Check out these tutorials to learn how to bend Excel charting rules to get any shape you want:
- Simulating a pendulum movement using Excel charts
- Wall hygrometric physics – modeling wall thickness in Excel chart
- Stars and lights using Excel Charts, VBA & animation
- Mustache shaped chart to measure your stash
- Spoke chart | 5 star chart
- Making various country flags using Excel charts
Thank you Faseeh
Many thanks to Faseeh for sharing this tutorial with all of us. I really enjoyed this and learned a few tricks from it.
If you like this chart, say thanks to Faseeh using comments.
14 Responses to “How to Add your Macros to QAT or Excel toolbars?”
We have only just got excel 2007 so this is helping me navigate my way through the differences cheers.
For Macro's i always add a Command Button, rename it something obvious, change the colour of it and finally add the following to its View Code section.
Application.Run "MAcro1"
This way anyone opening the file knows what to do if i ever win the lottery and dont make it in 🙂
Hi,
Good article. But I have this problem.
1) Customized QAT with a macro. Macro name = MacroX
2) Runs OK from original location (e.g. C:\TestLoaction1\TestFile.xls)
3) Copy past file to new location (e.g. C:\TestLoaction2\TestFile.xls)
Menu button now fails:
Cannot run the macro "C:\TestLoaction1\TestFile.xls'!MacroX' The macro may not be available in this workbook...
Of course the code is there, and macros are enabled.
Could get it to work after deleting and recreating macro custom buttons. So have to re-assign macro to QAT button every time I move the file?
If I put a form button on he worksheet and assign the macro to that, it's location independent.
Any ideas?
Thanks
@Ron
What you have said is correct
Macros within a worksheet are stored within the worksheet and hence follow it.
Macros referenced by a button in the QAT or elsewhere are locaed in a file and if that file is moved the linkages don't follow.
The easiest way around this is to store all your macros in a location that doesn't move and is in fact reloaded everytime that Excel starts and that is called the Personal.xlsx/b file.
These are refered to several time at Chandoo.org or have a read of
http://www.rondebruin.nl/personal.htm
or
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/deploy-your-excel-macros-from-a-central-file-HA001087296.aspx
In Excel 2003 and prior versions, a button added to the Toolbar maintained a DYNAMIC link to the file (e.g. Personal.xlsb) holding the assigned macro, such that if the file was relocated for any reason (by using Excel's native Save As command rather than just moving it via Windows Explorer), the link between the button and the file was updated.
I expected the same to occur with Excel 2007+, but alas, Microsoft in their infinite wisdom have removed another feature useful to advanced users (just as they did by removing the ability to design your own buttons)!!
So having just done some reorganisation of my files, I now have to remove and recreate every friggin macro button on my QAT (I have lots) - what a pain in the proverbial!!
Hi Hui,
Thanks for the help, that's really useful.
1) The macros I'm adding are for one specific Excel application, so I really wanted the macros to follow the file
2) I didn't want to have to pass other files around too and have users installing those - either Personal.xlsx/b or as an Add-In.
3) I realise now that the QAT additions will appear for other Excel workbooks in which I don't want the macros available.
So, it looks like I need to keep it local, by using a button on the worksheet. Unless you can suggest any way of adding to menus just for a specific workbook.
Thanks again for your help. Great site, so I'll be signing up for the emails.
Ron
I know I'm a little late jumping on this post, but wondering if anyone knows how to add a UDF to the QAT? I've saved my UDF in my personal workbook, but it does not show up in my list when I choose Macros when customizing my QAT. Suggestions? Thanks!!
@Cheryl: UDFs cannot be accessed like Macros. You can use them from other macros or from worksheet cells as formulas...
@David: If you save your macros file and then install it as an add-in then it will be always available for you.
The instructions work great when you are creating a new file, and it is still open. I find that I can't access macros after I've saved a file as an xlam and closed it. When I reopen the xlam, either by browsing to it, or by having it set to open as an addin using Excel Options, the macros are no longer available in the macros list when I go to edit the QAT. Any way around that?
[...] Add this macro as a button to Quick Access Toolbar [...]
I need to create a button that will run a macro. Once you click the button it needs to open up a browser asking you to select a report/file. Once you select the file, it will run the macro on the selected file and then save it as a new report with a name and the current date. I created the macro to sort/modify the report but I do not know how to do what I mentioned above. I hope this makes sense.
I'm having trouble adding a macro to the QAT. I've done everything up to step 5 but my macro isn't showing up. What am I doing wrong?
[...] Add Macros to Quick Access Toolbar (works in Excel 2003 & above) [...]
Hi,
Thank you for the explanation. Very useful for a recent switcher from office 2003 to office 2010.
My follow-up question is: in Excel (or ppt) 2010, can you customize the macro button that you put in the QAT?
In office 2003, once you chose the custom button for your Macro, you could then edit pixel by pixel the said button.
For instance, I've created 2 Macros in PPT that are converting all my slides to either English or French language, so I'd like one button to show EN and the other FR... that would be more meaningful that any of the possible "custom" office 2010 buttons
I read all the post and one important aspect to the QAT was never mentioned. That is, you have a macro driven worksheet that you want to share with other. You have customized the QAT with two icons to run the macros (VBA programs in reality). However, when the others receive the workbook, the icons are no where to be found. It's my understanding those "customized buttons" have been saved to an outside file, Excel.qat. QUESTION: Could one simply attach that file to your email, along with the worksheet, and tell the recipients to copy that file to correct location on their computer - C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office|\
Would the customize macro buttons then appear in the worksheet and, more importantly, work? Thanks for your thoughtfulness and thanks for well written instructions Chandoo!
MortW