About Data Labels (2024)

Data labels are text elements that describe individual data points.

• Displaying data labels. You may display data labels for all data points in the chart, for all data points in a particular series, or for individual data points. For information, see Displaying Data Labels.
• Data label text. Formula One for Java creates the text for the data labels based on the data in the chart's data range. After Formula One for Java creates this text, you may select it and edit it in the chart. For information, see Editing Data Label Text
• Data label alignment. For data labels that have more than one line of text, you may choose from various text alignment options. For information, see Aligning Data Label Text
• Data label positioning. You may change the position of the data labels relative to the data point. You may also select individual data labels and move them to any position on the chart. For information, see Repositioning Data Labels.
• Data label lines. You may link data labels to their data points by data label lines. For information, see Displaying Data Label Lines.

  For information on...	See this section
  Changing data label fonts and colors	Changing Fonts, Font Styles, and Font Colors
  Changing data label fill colors	Changing Fill Colors, Patterns, and Gradients
  Changing data label outlines	Changing Line Styles and Colors

The first step in displaying data labels is deciding which data points you want to label.

The Data Labels Tab

The Data Labels tab, shown below, lets you choose what type of text you want Formula One for Java to generate and display on the data label. You may edit this text later.

When you finish working with the Data Labels tab, click OK to accept the changes or Cancel to cancel your changes.

After you have displayed a data label, you may change the text of the data label in one of two ways: you may change the number format, or you may add to or change the label text.

Changing the number format. For data labels that show numbers (that is, label types that display values, percentages, and bubble sizes), you may edit the number formats by selecting the label, choosing the Format Data Labels option, and clicking on the Number tab. For more information on number formats, see Changing Number Formats.

Adding to or changing the label text. For any data labels, you may type in new or additional text to the text that is automatically displayed. See below.

To edit the text of a data label:

1. Select the data label you want to change. For information on selecting data labels, see Selecting Chart Elements.
2. Double-click the selected data label. The Format Data Labels dialog will appear. Choose the Options tab, shown below.

   

3. Click Apply to see your changes or OK to accept your changes.

You can align text in multi-line data labels horizontally and vertically within the selection handles. The following examples of selected data labels show how the alignment options change the text alignment within the selection handles.

Note The size of the label element is fixed by Formula One for Java. You may not change the size of labels by dragging the label selection handles.

To align data label text:

1. Select the series of data labels to align all the text in the series. Select an individual data label to align its text.
2. Choose the Format Data Labels option and choose the Alignment tab, shown below.

   

3. Click Apply to see your changes or OK to accept your changes.

After displaying data labels, you may change the position of the labels relative to the data point. You may reposition data labels for an entire series or you may reposition individual data labels.

Note To reposition all of the data labels in the chart, reposition each series of data labels.

To reposition a series of data labels:

1. Select the series of data labels by clicking on one of the labels. See Selecting Chart Elements for more information about selecting series data labels.
2. Choose the Format Data Labels menu option and click the Options tab.
3. In the Position frame, choose a positioning option for the data labels.
4. Click Apply or OK to see your changes.

To reposition an individual data label:

• You may use the procedure outlined above to reposition an individual data label, only select the individual label instead of the entire series.
• You may reposition any data label by dragging it to any position on the chart.

You may display lines leading from the data point to its label. If you reposition the data label, the label line will stretch like a rubber band.

After displaying the lines, you may select them and change their color and style. For information, see Changing Line Styles and Colors.

Data label lines are displayed for all data labels on the chart. You can't display data label lines for some data labels and not for others.

To display data label lines:

1. Choose the Plot option from the context menu.
2. Click on the Options tab.
3. In the Options frame, select the Show Label Lines check box.
4. Click Apply to see your changes or OK to accept them.