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Are the six new chart types in Excel 2016 programmable using VBA?

Anonymous
2017-06-26T10:06:32+00:00

Microsoft appears to have included 6 new chart types - such as the xlWaterfall chart type - in Excel 2016 without the ability to program them using VBA (or .NET). More specifically:

  1. It seems necessary to select the source data when adding a xlWaterfall chart using VBA for it to insert without throwing an error.
  2. The macro recorder does not properly record the editing of the source data within these charts.
  3. For a simple xlWaterfall chart, the VBA Chart.SeriesCollection.Count = 1, and I can get the series using Chart.SeriesCollection(1), but the Series.Formula property throws an error rather than returning the series formula.

My Excel add-in needs to read chart source data and edit it, but I cannot find a way of doing this for these 6 new charts. All I can do is use VBA to select source data and add the chart, after which I can't use VBA to get or change the source data.

I'm really hoping this isn't indicative of future new functionality additions to Excel, as there are a lot of developers out there reliant on their ongoing ability to manage new Excel objects via VBA and .NET...

Thanks in advance for any assistance with this.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-06-28T06:29:43+00:00

    OK Michael:

    Yes, it appears you have identified a "deficiency" (aka a BUG ![](https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/0982f1d3-7bf0-47e9-84e0-5a3576950d1a?platform=QnA)) in the implementation of the new chart types.

    Asking here for help was a good start. Since you have not been given any advice on how to fix the problem it is appropriate for you to report this issue on the UserVoice forum. 

    You can get to the forum from Excel using File menu > Feedback command >  I have a suggestion button.  In your suggestion, include a link to this question. After you submit the suggestion, copy the link and paste it back here in a reply so other people can find it easily and vote support for it.

    As well as reporting to UserVoice, in the Feedback menu, click on the "I don't like something" button and report the problem there too.

    Excel -  https://excel.uservoice.com/

    “UserVoice.com” - MS Suggestion box sites

    You can use the Office or Windows 10 “feedback” (*c*r*)applets but then your suggestions just fall into a black hole. You get no feedback from MS about your feedback.


    A better place to submit this type of feedback the “UserVoice” forum. You can submit suggestions for “new feature requests”, “change existing feature requests” or actual “bug reports” to the forum either by “voting” and commenting on a similar existing suggestion or by creating a new suggestion for others to vote and comment on.


    When MS determines there is “enough” interest they will change the status of the post to indicate if they are going to work on it or ignore it.  What is “enough” interest is totally undefined. Some postings have been acted on with only a dozen or 2 votes and comments.  Others (like “bring back Picture Manager” continue to be ignored even though they have several hundred votes and comments.


    It is also a good idea to provide cross posted links.  Put a link back to this answers.com posting on UserVoice, and add a reply here with a link to your specific posting on UserVoice.


    Pointing to “uservoicpe” is a wasted effort.  That is just the high level identifier with no link to MS specific subsites!


    • MS has SEVERAL dozen sub sites.

    • MS does NOT have naming standards for those sub sites.

    • MS does NOT have a home page to guide people to all of the sub sites.

    <HINT HINT MS!>


    This next link is a wiki with a collection of MS UserVoice.com sites I’ve encountered (I’m sure there are more):


    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows\_10-desktop/ms-suggestion-box-sites-at-uservoicecom/7397119c-6d48-49e6-8d94-7bd0a50d214f


    Go to UserVoice, either through specific links I’ve provided below or create your own suggestions there. That is where MS is looking specifically for this type of user feedback to bring them back to reality from what-ever lala-land they are working in when they make these “improvements”.  Comments (and votes) like these in UserVoice helped to convince MS to roll back the “phat QAT” buttons in 2016 and to at least partially undo the 2016 changes to the way the Pen input works.


    Please do copy the comments you’ve made here and paste them into comments in UserVoice. Also include a link to this question. If you do make a suggestion, copy the link to the UserVoice suggestion and post it back on this question so other people with the same problem can vote for it and comment on it. (You’ll get faster action that way.) Please get all of your friends and co-workers who use Office to vote for your issue!


    This blog has a picture to show MS really is looking at UserVoice sites:

    http://blog.indezine.com/2016/02/powerpoint-feedback-and-uservoice-does.html


    https://www.change.org/p/satya-nadella-microsoft-what-computer-users-want-changed-in-windows-10

    • Public petition site

    Here are links to some of my personal “favorite” specific suggestions:

    Solve the Word 365/2016 Slow Typing Issue 218 votes Mar 2017

    Since Word 2016 was published, it has very serious performance issues on devices with high resolution displays like the Surface Book and Surface Pro. As soon as a document is longer than about 1000 words, there is a terrible typing lag, i.e. text appears on screen much slower than you type.

    The typing lag is particularly bad in tables and when markup mode is used.


    Restore pinned folders in Save options in all Office productshttps://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/12582018-restore-pinned-folders-in-save-options-in-all-offi


    Bring Back 2010 type full page text boundary / borders https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/9253599-bring-back-classic-text-boundaries  522 votes and 389 comments as of June 23 2017. Has been “under review” since 2015 09 17


    More themes – black theme – 234 votes as of Feb 19 2017

    128 votes https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/10368345-bring-back-light-medium-gray-theme-colorsUnder Review Feb 2017Black has been released for 365 only. There is a registry hack one-time payment users can use to get it too.

    056 votes https://word.uservoice.com/forums/271331-word-online/suggestions/16375699-more-themes

    017 votes https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/16099231-add-more-colour-themes-in-the-office-theme

    015 votes  https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304942-word-for-mac/suggestions/9360309-darker-user-interface-dark-or-gray-themes-si

    007 votes https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/9628239-make-a-public-api-for-application-window-color-th

    006 votes https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/14871372-black-background-white-text-for-writing-in-word

    002 votes https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/9538263-inverse-page-colour

    002 votes https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/13573101--white-words-against-black-background-function-fo

    001 votes https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304942-word-for-mac/suggestions/15950899-with-black-text-on-white-text-selection-color-is

    Please, can we have the default tab stop signs back to the ruler!!! (Word teacher in trouble)https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/9921564-please-can-we-have-the-default-tab-stop-signs-bac 


    Add a way to update all fields in a documenthttps://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/11685894-button-for-updating-all-fields-in-the-entire-documHThe initial suggestion is to add a button, I added a comment to add an “Option” to auto update all field codes (on assumption that documents are no longer all printed, may files are “e-documents” only.


    Office 2016 does not properly use Windows 10 Application title bar color selection  https://office.uservoice.com/forums/285186-general/suggestions/15476307-office-2016-does-not-properly-use-windows-10-appic


    Reinstatement of the option to Pin Folders at:https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/12582018-restore-pinned-folders-in-save-options-in-all-offi


    Recently Used List Sort order: Date vs Alpha as of Oct 14 2016

    38 votes https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/10137741-recently-used-list-sort-order-date-vs-alpha

    543 vote https://excel.uservoice.com/forums/304921-excel-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/10261443-recent-files-pane-in-excel-2013-was-pretty-good-b

    Excel Suggestion “Under review” Nov 25, 2015 (wow, fast action) – Excel Done in October 2016 YAY!


    QAT buttons not showing custom imageshttps://office.uservoice.com/forums/285186-general/suggestions/12512571-qat-buttons-not-showing-custom-images


    Bring back Picture Manger to the Office 2016 Bundlehttps://office.uservoice.com/forums/285186-general/suggestions/12498702-bring-picture-manager-back-to-office-bundle ****As of Oct 1 2016 there are 226 votes

    115        Bring Picture Manager back to Office bundle

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    031        Totally stinks that Office Picture Manager was removed! Why? So many of us are heavy photo users and used that as a key feature of Office

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    006        bring back office picture manager right away.

    005        MS Picture Manager is missing from Office 2013

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    Onedrive - put somewhere to see how much space I’ve used and how much I have****https://onedrive.uservoice.com/forums/262982-onedrive/suggestions/7760340-put-somewhere-to-see-how-much-space-i-ve-used-and ****As of July 14, 2016, on only just the first 3 search result pages on “much” 75 Votes total

    30 votes              put somewhere to see how much space I’ve used and how much I have

    4 vote                  Show how much storage left and used

    9 votes                Show how much storage is left on the OneDrive app

    1 votes                to tell me how much space is left

    1 votes                Ensure how much space available is clearly shown in realtime

    6 votes                it will be good to show how much space has been used and how much space is still available

    2 votes                t should be available in the app how much free memory has been used, and how much still available.

    1 votes                add a space bar! Not a space bar like the keyboard, but one that says how much space you’ve used and how much you have left!

    5 votes                would be nice to see how much space I have available on my onedrive.

    1 votes                show how much available space you have left and percentage left available

    2 votes                Add a feature to tell the user how much space is left on OneDrive

    2 votes                Add remaining space in hamburger menu, it’s much easier to see it there.

    1 votes                SHOW ME HOW MUCH SPACE I HAVE LEFT ON MY APP

    1 votes                can you make it easier to see how much storage space remains?

    1 votes                Have a pie chart telling you how much storage you have used

    1 votes                I think a feature should be added to onedrive that tells you how much space you’ve used out of how much u have. EX 50.47mb/100.00gb

    1 votes                Have an easy to find icon that shows the size capacity of the account and how much has been used

    1 votes                I hope you will create an option to see how much space you have available from the phone.

    1 votes                very simple just show how much storage is left as new files are uploaded to the cloud

    2 votes                data useage, ie how much data have we used of cloud allowance and a start page to show that with quick links

    1 votes                I think there needs to be a storage meter or something to tell people how much of their storage limit the have used

    1 votes                The app needs a place that informs the user how much total storage space is being used (a feature of Dropbox).


    Petition to MS President to allow Windows Home users control Windows Updateshttps://www.change.org/p/satya-nadella-microsoft-what-computer-users-want-changed-in-windows-10 (The matching UserVoice site has been discontinued by MS)


    Don’t want Office 2016 tied to Userid -https://office.uservoice.com/forums/285186-general/suggestions/10517283-allow-activation-without-the-need-of-a-ms-mail-acc

    Actually there are multiple threads with same point. As of Feb 1 2016 there are 785 votes on this question in multiple suggestions

    ALLOW Activation without the need of a MS mail account. 386 votes

    Office 2016 OEM without LiveID account 138 votes

    Office 2016 Activation and installation without an email account 172 votes

    return to the same process for activating Office 2016 that was used for all previous versions of Office. No “Live” accounts!  26 Votes

    The Office 2016 Activation process is impossible for business’s that purchase Microsoft licensing OEM. 70 votes

    Activation without a live account. 7 votes

    Need Office 2016 activation WITHOUT a Microsoft account! 6 votes


    Allow Business Admin Portal to manage Office 1-time payment licenses toohttps://office.uservoice.com/forums/285186-general/suggestions/11448504-allow-business-admin-portal-to-manage-office-2016


    Improve Highlightinghttps://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/9389778-improve-highlighting

    Make the full spectrum of colors that are available in Shading also available in Highlighting. I often use Highlighting to mark important or unusual text streams and I would like to search for particular colors of Highlighting .


    Visio 365 monthly specifically for Consumer licenses -https://office.uservoice.com/forums/285186-general/suggestions/10936428-visio365-monthly-for-consumer-365-users-and-oth


    Recreate the single text margin around page like 2010 and earlier -http://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/9253599-bring-back-classic-text-boundaries- Marked as “under Review”, so there is some hope … <grin>


    Restore Radial Menu to OneNote439 votes total Feb 20 2016 ****148 votes Include radial menu in desktop onenote

      20 votes Radial Menu

    183 votes Bring back the radial fly out menu in the W10 Store version of OneNote -

      42 votes Bring back Radial Menu and Camera insert in Windows 10

      16 votes- Bring back Radial Menu for Windows 10 App

      25 votes- Keep the OneNote Windows 8 UI over the Windows 10 Beta UI

    plus a bunch more pen requests

    OFFICE- Get Back Older OneNote App with Radial Menu and Document Scanning / OneNoteMX / OneNote MXhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP5Y0c7-Qvg

    Note: Click on “Show More” in the YouTube description to see the OneDrive download link!

    The “Setup.bat” file uses PowerShell to “sideload” OneNote MX.

    Download and install desktop OneNote http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office\_2016-onenote/does-anyone-have-a-link-to-enable-me-to-download/a96d5463-3f5c-44df-8f5b-fa5c10257e54 ****The download link: https://www.onenote.com/download

    Ignore the misleading message “OneNote is already installed on Windows 10” and click the right link to the desktop version


    Add mind mapping to OneNote -https://onenote.uservoice.com/forums/327186-onenote-for-windows-windows-phone/suggestions/6160979-mindmap-functionality?page=4&per_page=20 


    Custom installation from Office 365 (2016) / Return MSI installer option - ****https://office365.uservoice.com/forums/264636-general/suggestions/9939513-custom-installation-from-office-365-2016


    Word 2016 Style Pane bug -mouse pointer wrong https://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/11196345-word-2016-style-pane-corrupt-or-buggy-after-update


    Add Power Pivot back to Access (and to Excel in all bundles)https://access.uservoice.com/forums/319956-access-desktop/suggestions/10284183-add-pivot-charts-back-to-access


    Add BI/Power Pivot back to Excel in all bundles -https://excel.uservoice.com/forums/304921-excel-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/9018823-make-the-power-bi-family-Power Pivot-Power Query


    ‘Worksheet’ Tabs to Wordhttps://word.uservoice.com/forums/304924-word-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/10024812--worksheet-tabs-to-word


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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-28T06:15:26+00:00

    Yes E for Excel, the macro recorder does record the basic creation of the new chart types, but not much else.

    The 2 things I'm really needing to do are:

    1. Get the source data (i.e. SeriesCollection(1).Formula) from these charts, which is currently throwing an error; and
    2. Change the source data of these charts (e.g. an xlWaterfall chart) without having to delete it and insert a new one.

    I've been doing both of these things for years with all the old chart types, but neither of them seem possible yet on any of the new chart types.

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  3. Vijay A. Verma 104.8K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-06-28T05:29:53+00:00

    Further to my response, I generated Waterfall chart through Macro Recorder and it does include xlWaterfall. Hence, it should be possible to control. I think we need to work through Macro Recorder to find out relevant keywords as Help is definitely not carrying information about new charts..

        Range("A1:B5").Select

        ActiveSheet.Shapes.AddChart2(395, xlWaterfall).Select

        ActiveSheet.ChartObjects("Chart 1").Activate

        ActiveChart.ChartTitle.Select

        Selection.Caption = "Waterfall Vijay"

        ActiveChart.ChartArea.Select

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  4. Vijay A. Verma 104.8K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-06-28T05:26:21+00:00

    Below MSDN help for xlChartType was last updated on 10-Jun-17 and it doesn't include Waterfall, Pareto, and other chart types. 

    https://msdn.microsoft.com/VBA/Excel-VBA/articles/xlcharttype-enumeration-excel

    Hence, logical conclusion is that you can not manipulate these chart types if you have made them using new chart types.

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