This lesson uses the chart built in Part 2. To load the chart, go to File > Open, choose the file named OrgChart Tutorial 2 and click Open. The chart will appear in the Main Work area.
You now have a fully functional OrgChart. Now let’s snazz it up by adding colors, a design, a title and even arranging all the elements in an eye pleasing fashion.
First, let’s set up our work area so we can see the entire chart. To do this, go to the Zoom Toolbar on the View tab and choose Fit to Window from the drop-down menu, or click in the box and use the mouse scroll wheel.
Next, let’s automatically resize the components so they fill the page nicely. To do this, simply click the Page Layout tab and click the Fit to Page button.
The chart will now appear like this (see below):
Quick Start: Chart background
Now that the basics of our components are set up, it’s time to put them on a nice background. Go to the Design tab and select Background.
Scroll down and select Grid.
To apply the theme, hold down the Left mouse button, drag the Grid icon from the Backgrounds area and drop it anywhere on the chart. Notice that an attractive grid design now appears behind the components (see below):
Quick Start: Chart theme
Now let’s apply some colors. There are many ways to add colors to a chart and its components, but the easiest is to simply use a Theme. Themes are color coordinated, professional designs that can be applied by simply dragging and dropping them on to a chart.
To apply a theme, go to the Design tab and click on the Theme icon.
Important: In default mode, themes do not affect the look or color of the components.
To have components adopt a theme’s attributes, first select all the components by holding down the Left mouse button and dragging an area slightly larger than all the components, or by clicking Ctrl+A.
Once all the components are selected, Right-click over one of them and select Format and then Force Apply Theme (see below):
To have components adopt a theme’s attributes, first select all the components by holding down the Left mouse button and dragging an area slightly larger than all the components, or by clicking Ctrl+A.
Once all the components are selected, Right-click over one of them and select Format and then Force Apply Theme (see below):
Remember, backgrounds and borders can be applied using the same steps.
Quick Start: Chart title
The next step will be to name our chart. To do this, go to the Chart Design Palette and click on the AutoTexts bar.
Select Chart Title. To apply, hold down the Left mouse button, drag the Division Title icon from the AutoTexts area and drop it in the center of the chart below the components. (Notice that the default name of “Chart 1” appears in the element).
To change the name that appears in the Chart Title AutoText element, go to the tab at the bottom of the chart.
You can change this by double clicking on the tab and then typing the new name (i.e., OrgChart Professional).
The text in the AutoText Chart Title element is too small, so to make it larger, click in the AutoText. A dark box will appear around the text to indicate that it is editable. With the text still selected, go to the Home tab on the Font sectionand do the following:
- Click on the Font Type drop down box and choose Arial (if this is not already present by default).
- Click on the Font Style drop down box and choose Bold.
- Click on the Font Size drop down box and choose the number “28” (see below).
The changes will be applied automatically. Your chart will now appear very similar to the following example:
Quick Start: Move mode
We’re almost done! All the elements are now present; now we just have to arrange them in an attractive pattern. To do this, we will move the components to the middle of the chart and center the title.
Components can only be moved when you are in Move mode. To enter Move mode, go to the Home tab and click the Move mode button (located in the Tools section). (Note: the Move mode button is a toggle switch which turns on and off if selected repeatedly, so you may need to press it twice to get into Move mode.)
To move a group of components, click on the group’s parent. Green arrows will appear on the parent’s nodes to indicate which directions are available for movement. Red “X”s will indicate directions that are not available (see below).
Grab the green down arrow on the parent component and while holding down the Left mouse button drag downward to place the entire group in the middle of the chart.
To center the title, simply grab the title (the words “OrgChart Professional”) and holding down the Left mouse button, drag it to the center of the screen. Your final result should look like this:
