[rinafb]

<p data-start=”88″ data-end=”401″><strong data-start=”88″ data-end=”401″>I’m trying to create clear and accurate line graphs for my data, but I’m having trouble with the formatting and layout. I need help understanding how to set up the axes, choose the right data points, and make the graph easy to read. Any tips or simple steps to make effective line graphs would be appreciated.</p>

[Bill Finzer]

I’m assuming that by “line graph” you mean a scatterplot with the points connected by a line. The mechanics of creating the graph are pretty simple.

• Click the Graph icon in the tool shelf to make a graph.
• Drag a numeric attribute to each graph axis to create a scatterplot.
• Click the Ruler menu on the right side of the graph and choose “Connecting Lines.”

But your question suggests deeper concerns about making the graph easy to read and, perhaps, selecting data that lends itself to interpretation with line graphs. Perhaps you could say a bit more about what those concerns are?

Bill

[Dan Damelin]

One tricky thing with line graphs is that the dots will be connected in the order that they are in the data table so you may need to sort them by the attribute you’re using on the X axis.

One other thing to consider is if you have several series that you want plotted as separate lines, then you need to group them by some attribute that defines the series. You can do that by dragging that attribute to the left side of the table all the way until you see a place that will light up yellow and you can drop to group them by that attribute

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