Create and Maintain a Chart in OpenOffice Calc

Create a two-dimensional column chart, prove that it is reading the right cells, and deliberately extend its source. A convincing chart needs correct categories and values before it needs decorative formatting.

Enter four months of orders

Keep the sheet named Sheet1 and enter this complete table in A1:B5.

Row	A: Month	B: Orders
1	Month	Orders
2	January	12
3	February	16
4	March	14
5	April	20

In D1 type Source total and D2 enter =SUM(B2:B5). Expect 62. This control must stay outside the chart source. Save as monthly-orders-chart.ods with File → Save As in ODF spreadsheet format.

Build the chart with the AOO Chart Wizard

1. Select A1:B5, including both headers, and choose Insert → Chart.
2. In Chart Type, choose Column and the normal two-dimensional arrangement. Leave 3D appearance off. Click Next.
3. On Data Range, verify $Sheet1.$A$1:$B$5. Choose Data series in columns, First row as label, and First column as label.
4. On Data Series, inspect the single series Orders. Its name should come from B1, its Y-values from B2:B5, and its categories from A2:A5. There should not be a separate numeric series for each month.
5. On Chart Elements, set the title to Orders by month, the X axis to Month, and the Y axis to Orders. Keep the legend if it helps verify the series name. Click Finish.
6. Click outside the chart to leave chart-edit mode. Select its outer object border and move it to the right of column F so the source table and D2 remain visible. Do not drag an individual data series or the plot area when you mean to move the entire chart.

The expected categories, left to right, are January, February, March and April; heights correspond to 12, 16, 14 and 20. April is highest and January lowest. Check the underlying cells as well as the visual pattern. A plot with four series and only one category needs its orientation corrected before styling.

Correct orientation and test a changed value

Double-click the chart to enter chart-edit mode, then choose Format → Data Ranges. This menu belongs to the active chart, so it will not be available in the ordinary sheet-format menu. Recheck the column orientation, labels and source range. If you deliberately switch to rows to see the wrong interpretation, switch back to columns before continuing.

Click outside the chart and replace B4 with 18. D2 must become 66, and March should rise above February while remaining below April. Restore B4 to 14; D2 returns to 62 and the original ordering returns. If the chart fails to respond, inspect its data ranges and make sure you edited the source sheet, not a visually similar copy.

Add a month explicitly

Enter May in A6 and 22 in B6. Do not assume typing beneath the old range automatically includes it. Inspect the existing chart: its source may still stop at row 5.

1. Double-click the chart and choose Format → Data Ranges.
2. Extend the range to $Sheet1.$A$1:$B$6 and retain the label and column-series settings.
3. On Data Series, check that the categories now cover A2:A6 and the Y-values B2:B6. Keep the series name at B1. Confirm and leave chart-edit mode.
4. Change D2 to =SUM(B2:B6). It must return 84. Verify five categories in order, with values 12, 16, 14, 20 and 22. May must be the highest column.

Use the range text field if a chart covers the cells you need to select. Moving the object away first is usually simpler. Do not include the total in D2 as a sixth category: the total is a check, not another month.

Advanced case: choose the visual form without changing the data

Save monthly-orders-chart.ods before this comparison, then activate its chart and use Format → Chart Type to choose a two-dimensional line chart. Keep the same five categories and one Orders series. This can emphasize the month-to-month sequence, but does not change any of the numbers or the 84 total. Before continuing to the final checks, use Format → Chart Type again and restore the normal two-dimensional Column chart. Confirm five columns and save monthly-orders-chart.ods; this is the workbook to close and reopen below. Avoid 3D perspective when accurate height comparisons matter.

A column chart should use a value-axis baseline that does not exaggerate differences. Inspect its scale before sharing. Category names and axis labels should still be readable when the chart is resized; use a concise title and keep the source table accessible for readers who cannot rely on the image alone.

Reopen, troubleshoot and recover

Save and close the ODS file. Reopen it, confirm the five months, inspect the source range and temporarily change May to 23: the total should become 85 and its column increase. Restore 22 and save. This is a reader verification procedure; no native chart or persistence test was executed for this article.

If you extended the wrong range, reenter the exact range above. To return to the four-month version, first restore the chart source to A1:B5 and D2 to =SUM(B2:B5); then clear A6:B6 if you no longer need May. Keep an ODS copy before exporting. CSV cannot preserve the chart. Numbers imported as text can produce missing or misleading points, so fix the source data rather than changing the chart’s colors.

Version scope and first-party references

Apache OpenOffice Calc 4.1 desktop, English menu names; documentation checked 2026-10-19. No native build or operating system was tested for this exercise. The expected numbers were calculated independently; appearance, UI interactions and persistence remain reader checks. No screenshot is presented as evidence of running this fixture.

Sources consulted on 2026-10-19:

• Apache OpenOffice 4.1 chart guide (PDF) .