Using Dynamic Chart Titles

Summary: Want the title used in your chart to reflect information that is actually stored in your worksheet? You can do it by using a simple formula, as described here. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)

There is a very cool way, apparently not well known, of adding 'active' or 'live' titles and other text to charts. In this way you can make a change in a worksheet and have that change reflected in a title in the chart. Follow these steps:

Create your chart as you normally would.
Add whatever titles, datapoints, axis names, etc. are desired.
Select the title you want to modify. Small handles should appear around the title.
In the formula bar enter the address of the cell you want to use for the title. For instance, if the title is in cell A1 of the MySheet worksheet, you would enter the following in the formula bar:

     =MySheet!$A$1

That's it. Now, whenever the contents of A1 are changed Excel updates the information in the chart's title.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2606) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Using Dynamic Chart Titles