Gnumeric · Charts and visualization · Beginner
Build and Update a Column or Line Chart in Gnumeric
Build a Gnumeric column or line chart from four monthly counts, assign category and value ranges, then test edits and added rows.
Documentation-backed procedure; independent fixture checks; native verification pending · Editorial standards
Build one series from four monthly counts and check its cell references before adjusting its appearance. This example uses equally spaced month categories; it does not teach numeric X-coordinate plotting.
Complete practice data
Enter this entire fixture in A1:B5 on Sheet1. No download is needed.
| Month | Orders |
|---|---|
| January | 12 |
| February | 16 |
| March | 14 |
| April | 20 |
In D2 enter =COUNT(B2:B5) and in D3 enter =SUM(B2:B5). Expected results are 4 and 62. February exceeds January by 4; March falls by 2; April rises by 6. April must be tallest and January shortest in a column chart.
Create and inspect the series
- Select A1:B5. Open the Graph Guru with its toolbar button. The graph chapter calls the menu command Insert → Chart; the menu reference calls it Graph. Use the installed label that opens the Guru, rather than looking for an Excel-style ribbon.
- Choose Column and a simple, unstacked subtype. Use Line instead if the purpose is to emphasize the month-to-month sequence. Choose Forward.
- Expand the chart and plot in the component tree and select the series. If necessary, use the plot’s Add control to add one series. Remove unintended extra series only from this practice chart.
- In its data properties, assign the series name to B1, the category labels to A2:A5 and the numeric values to B2:B5. Use the range selectors so Sheet1 is included. The exact field labels can vary; identify the category, value and series-name roles rather than assuming the scatter-plot X/Y controls.
- Check the preview for one Orders series and four categories in January–April order. Insert the graph and drag an empty worksheet area to size it.
The Graph Guru documents the component tree and right-click Properties route for returning to the editor. Element properties explains cell-backed series and category axes.
Check meaning before decoration
Open Properties and inspect the series references again. Neither data range should contain row 1. There should be four category labels and four numbers, not four separate one-point series.
For a column chart, use a value-axis minimum of zero unless you clearly explain a different choice. Make the title explicit, such as Monthly orders, January–April, and label the count axis Orders. The exact title and axis-tab labels are version-dependent. Keep bounds automatic above the data, or choose a maximum that accommodates the tests below.
A line chart connects 12 → 16 → 14 → 20. It should not become a smooth continuously rising trend: March is a genuine dip. Month names here are text categories; this exercise does not establish elapsed-time spacing for dates.
Source edit and recovery test
Change B4, March, from 14 to 18. The numeric count remains 4 and the sum becomes 66. Only March’s column or line point should move; February must remain 16. If another point moves, inspect the series range and labels. Restore B4 to 14 and confirm the total returns to 62.
Advanced case: grow the source deliberately
Enter May in A6 and 10 in B6. Do not infer that appending automatically expands an ordinary chart reference. Inspect Properties: if the ranges still end at row 5, May is outside them.
Extend the category range to A2:A6 and the values to B2:B6, leaving the series name at B1. Expect five plotted months, May below January, =COUNT(B2:B6) equal to 5, and =SUM(B2:B6) equal to 72. Update the title to include May. Extending just one range is an error even if the preview still draws.
For a reversible recovery check, set both ranges back to row 5. The chart should again show four months while the worksheet still contains May. Restore both endpoints to row 6 for the finished version. Save a .gnumeric workbook, reopen it and check the five references and five plotted values before distributing it.
Troubleshooting and limits
- A count below four initially means a blank, text value or error needs investigation. Formatting alone cannot turn arbitrary text into a count.
- A chart that ignores B4 may use typed constants rather than cell references. Inspect the actual definition.
- A fifth category with no corresponding value suggests unequal range endpoints.
- For irregular numeric sampling intervals, use the existing XY scatter guide, not this category chart.
- CSV stores this fixture’s cells, not the chart. See file-format compatibility.
Evidence
Reviewed 2026-10-19 against the Gnumeric manual 1.12: Graph overview, Graph Guru, element properties and menus. These sources disagree on some button and menu wording; this guide identifies that boundary. Arithmetic checks are independent, not native observations. Chart creation, source updates, reopening and screenshots were not natively verified for this article.