If you have a Microsoft Office 2003 license and the Microsoft Office Web Components installed, you can create and modify charts in several programs. You can create the chart in one program, and later use a different program to modify the chart or the Web page that it's on.
The choice of which design program you use depends on the amount of design or administrative work you want to do on the Web page itself, the type of data you want to use, and your own familiarity with different design programs.
Microsoft Excel If you already have data you want to use in a worksheet, or if you have data particularly suited to a worksheet, Excel is an excellent design environment to use to create charts. Just arrange your data on the Excel worksheet and create a chart following the directions in Excel Help. Then follow the directions in Excel Help to publish the chart to a Web page.
If necessary, you can make further modifications to the chart in another design program like Microsoft FrontPage. If you modify a Web page that was published from Excel by using data access page Design view in Microsoft Access, users need to install Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 or later before they can use your Web page. Excel is available in Microsoft Office 2003.
Microsoft FrontPage If you want to create a Web page or modify charts published from Excel, FrontPage is the recommended design program. You can create charts on Web pages in FrontPage in addition to modifying charts that were designed in other programs. Use the extensive Web page editing and administrative features of FrontPage to add controls, graphics, themes, and more to your Web page, and then make the page part of your Web site. FrontPage is available in Microsoft Office 2003.
Microsoft Access If you want to create Web pages that operate on and display data from databases, and your users have Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 or later, use data access page Design view in Access to create charts. You can use Access to establish a connection from an Access database to the Web page, and then chart that data. Or, you can connect directly to the data while creating the chart. Access is available in Microsoft Office 2003.
Microsoft Visual Basic If you need a more comprehensive programming environment than the scripting capabilities provided by Excel, FrontPage, and Access, you can design charts in Microsoft Visual Basic. Use Visual Basic when you want to include a chart in a custom solution. Users can view and interact with charts on the Visual Basic forms in your programs. Instead of a browser, your form becomes the run-time environment, and your program can automate many of the chart features.
When you are working in a design program, you can get help in the following ways:
- Design program Help For information about the commands and features available in the design program to work with charts, see Help for the design program. For example, in Microsoft FrontPage, click the Office Assistant, or click Microsoft FrontPage Help
.
Microsoft Excel provides both general Help about saving Excel data for use on Web pages and specific information about saving charts for use on Web pages. To access this Help in Excel, click the Office Assistant, or click Microsoft Excel Help
. - Chart design-time Help If you have access to the Commands and Options dialog box in another design program, you have access to design-time Help topics. In a chart that you have created or activated in a design program, click Help
in the Commands and Options dialog box or click Help
on the chart toolbar.
Getting help writing scripts and programs that use charts
You can use scripts and programs to automate charts, or you can include charts in run-time programs other than Web browsers
Writing scripts Microsoft Office programs provide the Microsoft Script Editor to help you write scripts. For example, you can use the Script Editor from data access page Design view in Microsoft Access to customize a chart. For information about running the Script Editor, see Help in your Office design program. In the Script Editor, you can display additional Help about using its features and writing scripts.
Object model Help For Help developing a program or script to work with a chart list, you can display information about the object model, properties, and methods specific to charts. This object model Help is installed whenever you install the Microsoft Office Web Components, of which the Chart Component is one. Depending on the design program you're using, you can access this Help in the following ways:
- Help in Microsoft Visual Basic In Visual Basic or Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), you can create a reference to the Microsoft Office Web Components library. You will then have access to Help through the object browser or by selecting a keyword and pressing F1. For information about creating references and using object model Help, see Help in VBA.
- Help in other environments If you are using another development environment, locate and double-click the Help file Owcvba11.chm.
Help available from the browser If you have Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.01 SP2 or later and the Microsoft Office Web Components, general Help specific to charts is automatically available. This run-time Help is separate from the Help available from the Help menu in the browser.
Help available from the chart The run-time chart Help topics provide general information for all users about using charts in the browser