Excel Custom Chart Template Problems in Excel 2007-2010-2013

Question

Excel 97-2003 will save and apply custom chart templates that use error bars and different combinations of chart types for each chart series, but XL2007-2013 will not.

Excel 2007-2013 will not allow me to save and apply (Change Chart Type) a custom chart template if I have both xlLine and xlScatterLinesNoMarkers on one chart. I get an error: "Some chart types cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a different chart type."

This does not happen in XL97-2003.

If I add a data label to a single point and change the text to some custom value "e.g., mytext", changing the chart type causes these values to be changed to "Add text" instead of retaining the original value.

Doesn't happen in XL97-2003.

Excel 2013 will sometimes rearrange the order of the series in a chart when I change the chart type to a custom chart.

For example, seriescollection(2) becomes seriescollection(7).

Seems to be grouping series by type (e.g., xlLine, xlLineMarkers).

This doesn't happen in XL97-2003.

Seems that we lost a lot of custom chart template functionality between XL2003 and XL2007.

Any plans to fix any of this?

Answer 1

1. Create a line chart of four columns of data.
2. Change Series 1 and 4  to XLScatter LinesMarkers
3. Add error bars to Series 1 and 4
4. Save as template LineScatter
5. Create a new line chart of the four columns of data.

    If you change Chart Type to LineScatter, it works, however...

6. Change Series 1 and 4 to XLScatterLinesMarkers
7. Try to change ChartType to LineScatter, it fails with "Some chart types cannot be combined with other charts. Select a different chart type.

That's the first problem.

8. if you change Series 4 to xlLine and change ChartType to LineScatter it will apply the template.
9. If you check the series order, you'll discover that Series 1 is now last.

That's the third problem.

Excel doesn't seem to want to let me add a DataLabel to an embedded chart. So.

10. Make a line chart of the data and move the embedded chart to a chart sheet.
11. Add a data label to a point.
12. Change the data label to "something"
13. Save this template as LineScatterPoint
14. Change ChartType to LineScatterPoint
15. Excel will change the chart text to "Add Text"

That's the second problem.

Answer 2

1. Create a line chart of four columns of data.
2. Change Series 1 and 4  to XLScatter LinesMarkers
3. Add error bars to Series 1 and 4
4. Save as template LineScatter
5. Create a new line chart of the four columns of data.

    If you change Chart Type to LineScatter, it works, however...

6. Change Series 1 and 4 to XLScatterLinesMarkers
7. Try to change ChartType to LineScatter, it fails with "Some chart types cannot be combined with other charts. Select a different chart type.

That's the first problem.

Answer 3

I am unable to reproduce the issue on the computer, can you help with step by step instructions on how to create the custom template which you have created and facing issue with.