Column Chart and VBA

Posted By a.p.r.pillai On 04 Jul 2008. Under Graph Charts Tags: msaccess graphs

In our earlier example, Working with Graph Chart in VBA, we have made preparations to try out Charts with VBA and did sample Runs for three Types of Charts viz. Column Clustered, Line Chart and Pie Chart. If you have landed on this page for the first time you may go to the earlier Post by clicking on the Link above. Go through the simple preparations explained there, by following Steps 2 to 7, to try out the Code given here.

Earlier, we could change the Chart type through Code to one of three Types with common property settings that can be applied to all the three. But we have conditionally skipped some properties not relevant to PIE Chart, like Axis Titles. We will deal with PIE Chart separately later and will see how to format individual Pie Slices and change other settings as well.

Here, we will try only one Category of Chart viz. Column Type and will run the Code for 4 different designs. This type of Chart with vertical Bars is the most commonly used Charts and loosely referred to as Bar Chart. The Category Description of the Values plotted on the Chart are placed horizontally along the X-Axis, below the Chart and the Scale calculated automatically and placed vertically at the left side of the Chart (on Primary Y-Axis) with fixed intervals of values. This can be set manually too, if needed.

When very small Values are plotted along with Large Values on the Chart the variations of the small values over a period of time may not be clearly visible and may become difficult for any meaningful analysis purposes. In such situations these can be plotted on the Secondary Y-Axis and the Ups or Downs of values will be clearly visible. With the help of data labels the values on the chart become more meaningful.

When 3D Chart Type is selected Y-Axis gives way to Z-Axis for displaying Tick Labels and Axis Titles. The Charts with Horizontal Bars are the real Bar Charts.

We have created options in the Code to run for the following Options:

Column Clustered.
Column Clustered (Reverse Plot Order – flipped upside down)
3D Column Clustered.
3D Column Stacked.

There are optional properties in this Code that you can use to change the shape of the Bars to Cone or Cylinder.

In this example we are turning On the HasDatatable Property of Chart Object that will display the Source Data Table on the Chart. The X-Axis Category Labels Qrtrl to Qrtr4 becomes part of the Data Table display and if we attempt to use the X-Axis Tick-Label Property to set Font or Font Size we will run into errors. We have used it conditionally without eliminating the code altogether so that you will know the difference.

DataLabels Orientation Property gives us the ability to display the Data Labels tilted to a specified Angle in Degrees, besides normal Horizontal or Vertical formats. To try out the examples do the following:

Copy and Paste the following Code in a Global Module of your Database and save it. If you have already gone through the earlier Post and gone through Step-2 to 7 then you are ready to run the Code.

Public Function ColumnChart(ByVal ReportName As String, ByVal ChartObjectName As String)
'---------------------------------------------------
'Author : a.p.r. pillai
'Date   : June-2008
'URL    : http://www.msaccesstips.com
'Customized Source Code : from Microsoft Access Help
'---------------------------------------------------
Dim Rpt As Report, grphChart As Object
Dim msg As String, lngType As Long, cr As String
Dim ctype As String, typ As Integer, j As Integer
Dim db As Database, rst As Recordset, recSource As String
Dim colmCount As Integer, chartType(1 To 6) As String
Const twips As Long = 1440

On Error GoTo ColumnChart_Err

chartType(1) = "Clustered Column"
chartType(2) = "Reverse Plot Order"
chartType(3) = "3D Clustered Column"
chartType(4) = "3D Stacked Column"
chartType(5) = "Quit"
chartType(6) = "Select 1-4, 5 to Cancel"

cr = vbCr & vbCr
 msg = ""
For j = 1 To 6
  msg = msg & j & ". " & chartType(j) & cr
Next

ctype = "": typ = 0
Do While typ < 1 Or typ > 4
 ctype = InputBox(msg, "Select Chart Type")
 If Len(ctype) = 0 Then
    typ = 0
 Else
   typ = Val(ctype)
 End If
Loop

Select Case typ
    Case 5
        Exit Function
    Case 1,2
       lngType = xlColumnClustered
    Case 3
       lngType = xl3DColumnClustered
    Case 4
       lngType = xl3DColumnStacked
End Select

DoCmd.OpenReport ReportName, acViewDesign
Set Rpt = Reports(ReportName)

Set grphChart = Rpt(ChartObjectName)

grphChart.RowSourceType = "Table/Query"
recSource = grphChart.RowSource

If Len(recSource) = 0 Then
   MsgBox "RowSource value not set, aborted."
   Exit Function
End If

'get number of columns in chart table/Query
Set db = CurrentDb
Set rst = db.OpenRecordset(recSource)
colmCount = rst.Fields.Count
rst.Close

With grphChart
    .ColumnCount = colmCount
    .SizeMode = 3
    .Left = 0.2917 * twips
    .Top = 0.2708 * twips
    .Width = 5 * twips
    .Height = 4 * twips
End With

grphChart.Activate

'Chart type, Title, Legend, Datalabels,Data Table
With grphChart
     .chartType = lngType
     If typ = 3 Or typ = 4 Then
' for 3D Charts only
       .RightAngleAxes = True
       .AutoScaling = True
     End If
    .HasLegend = True
    .HasTitle = True
    .ChartTitle.Font.Name = "Verdana"
    .ChartTitle.Font.Size = 14
    .ChartTitle.Text = chartType(typ) & " Chart."
    .HasDataTable = True
    .ApplyDataLabels xlDataLabelsShowValue
End With

'apply gradient color to Chart Series
For j = 1 To grphChart.SeriesCollection.Count
      With grphChart.SeriesCollection(j)
        '.Interior.Color = RGB(Int(Rnd(j) * 200), Int(Rnd(j) * 150), Int(Rnd(j) * 175))
        .Fill.OneColorGradient msoGradientVertical, 4, 0.231372549019608
        .Fill.Visible = True
        .Fill.ForeColor.SchemeColor = Int(Rnd(Timer()) * 54) + 2
        '.Barshape = xlCylinder
' xlCylinder, xlConeToPoint, xlBox, xlPiramidtoMax
        If typ = 1 Then
            .Interior.Color = msoGradientVertical
        End If
        .DataLabels.Font.Size = 10
        .DataLabels.Font.Color = 3
        If typ = 1 Then
            .DataLabels.Orientation = xlUpward
        Else
            '.DataLabels.Orientation = xlHorizontal
            .DataLabels.Orientation = 45 'titlted angle in degrees
        End If
        End With
    Next

'Y-Axis /(Z-Axis for 3D)Title
With grphChart.Axes(xlValue)
   If typ = 2 Then
    .ReversePlotOrder = True
 'flips upside down
   Else
    .ReversePlotOrder = False
   End If
    .HasTitle = True
    .HasMajorGridlines = True
    With .AxisTitle
        .Caption = "Values in '000s"
        .Font.Name = "Verdana"
        .Font.Size = 12
        .Orientation = xlUpward
    End With
End With

'X-Axis Title
With grphChart.Axes(xlCategory)
    .HasTitle = True
    .HasMajorGridlines = True
    .MajorGridlines.Border.Color = RGB(0, 0, 255)
    .MajorGridlines.Border.LineStyle = xlDash
    With .AxisTitle
        .Caption = "Quarterly"
        .Font.Name = "Verdana"
        .Font.Size = 10
        .Font.Bold = True
        .Orientation = xlHorizontal
    End With
End With

'Primary Y/Z Axis values label's font size
With grphChart.Axes(xlValue, xlPrimary)
     .TickLabels.Font.Size = 10
End With

'X-Axis category Labels (Qrtr1, Qrtr2...)
If grphChart.HasDataTable = False Then
    With grphChart.Axes(xlCategory)
        .TickLabels.Font.Size = 8
    End With
Else
    grphChart.DataTable.Font.Size = 9
End If

'Chart Area Border
With grphChart
    .ChartArea.Border.LineStyle = xlDash
    .PlotArea.Border.LineStyle = xlDot
    .Legend.Font.Size = 10
End With

'Chart Area Fill with Gradient Color
With grphChart.ChartArea.Fill
    .Visible = True
    .ForeColor.SchemeColor = 2
    .BackColor.SchemeColor = 19
    .TwoColorGradient msoGradientHorizontal, 2
End With

'Plot Area fill with Gradient Color
With grphChart.PlotArea.Fill
    .Visible = True
    .ForeColor.SchemeColor = 2
    .BackColor.SchemeColor = 42
    .TwoColorGradient msoGradientHorizontal, 1
End With

grphChart.Deselect

DoCmd.Close acReport, ReportName, acSaveYes
DoCmd.OpenReport ReportName, acViewPreview

ColumnChart_Exit:
Exit Function

ColumnChart_Err:
MsgBox Err.Description, , "ColumnChart()"
Resume ColumnChart_Exit
End Function

Insert a new MS-Office Graph Chart Object on a new Report, change the basic property values as given in the earlier Article (Working with Graph Chart in VBA) and save the Report with the name myReport2. We can use the same Table that we have created for earlier examples.

NB: Always create a new Chart Object for new set of examples rather than using the same Chart created earlier. Some property changes found not reflecting correctly when re-used for different Chart Types.

Run the Code either from a Command Button Click Event Procedure or open the Code Module (Alt+F11), display the Debug Window (Immediate Window) with Ctrl+G and type the following and press Enter Key.

ColumnChart "myReport2", "Chart1"

A Menu will appear with four Column Chart Options. Type 1 in the Text Box and press Enter key to run the first option.

The Program Opens the Report myReport2 in Design View, modifies the Chart Properties, saves the Report with the Chart and then re-opens it in Print Preview. A sample run image is given below.

Image 1 Column Clustered (Normal Plot Order)

Run the Program again and this time select Option number 2.

In this run we are setting the ReversePlotOrder property value to True to Flip the Chart upside down. The sample image is given below.

Image 2 Column Clustered (Reverse Plot Order)

Every time when you run the Code, the Chart Bar Colors are selected at Random order from the Color Chart given in the earlier Post (Working with Graph Chart in VBA) and will display the Chart Bars differently.

If you plan to save the Chart and don't like the Color combination currently displayed you may run the option more than once till you get the color combination to your liking. If you want to save the current run of the Chart you may make a copy of the Report or Export the Report into MS-Access Snapshot Viewer Format (MS-Access 2000 or later).

Chart Area and Plot Area are set with light Gradient Color so that they will look better when printed.

Sample Run of Option 3.

Sample Run of Option 4.

In Option 3 and 4 Runs you can see that the Plot Area of the Chart is extended to display the Data Table and X-Axis Title. But, in the first two runs these are appearing outside the Plot Area.

You can copy and paste the finished Chart into Power Point Presentations. Before transporting the Chart to Power Point page, copy and paste the Values from the Table into the Data Grid of the Chart so that you can edit the values in power point itself, if needed.