How to Create and Edit Excel Charts in C#

In Excel, a chart is a graphical representation of data. It is a visual tool used to display and analyze data in a more understandable and meaningful way. Excel provides a variety of chart types, such as bar charts, line charts, pie charts, and more, each of which is suited for different types of data and analysis.

IronXL supports column, scatter, line, pie, bar, and area charts with configurable series names, legend positions, chart titles, and chart positions.


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First Step:
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Create Charts Example

IronXL supports column, scatter, line, pie, bar, and area charts. To create a chart, we have to specify a few things separately.

  1. Start by using the CreateChart method to specify the type of chart and its location in the worksheet.
  2. Add the series with the AddSeries method. This method also accepts a single column of data since that is sufficient for some chart types. The first parameter represents values for the horizontal axis. The second parameter represents values for the vertical axis.
  3. Optionally, specify the series name, chart name, and legend position.
  4. Invoke the Plot method to plot the chart. The method will plot the chart using all the data that was added. Multiple calls to this method lead to plotting multiple charts instead of modifying the existing chart.

Let's create some charts from the data in the chart.xlsx Excel file. A preview of the data is displayed below:

Data

Column Chart

:path=/static-assets/excel/content-code-examples/how-to/create-edit-charts-column-chart.cs
using IronXL;
using IronXL.Drawing.Charts;

WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("chart.xlsx");
WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet;

// Set the chart type and position
IChart chart = workSheet.CreateChart(ChartType.Column, 5, 5, 20, 10);

string xAxis = "A2:A7";

// Add the series
IChartSeries series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "B2:B7");
series.Title = workSheet["B1"].StringValue;

// Add the series
series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "C2:C7");
series.Title = workSheet["C1"].StringValue;

// Add the series
series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "D2:D7");
series.Title = workSheet["D1"].StringValue;

// Set the chart title
chart.SetTitle("Column Chart");

// Set the legend position
chart.SetLegendPosition(LegendPosition.Bottom);

// Plot the chart
chart.Plot();

workBook.SaveAs("columnChart.xlsx");
Imports IronXL
Imports IronXL.Drawing.Charts

Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("chart.xlsx")
Private workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet

' Set the chart type and position
Private chart As IChart = workSheet.CreateChart(ChartType.Column, 5, 5, 20, 10)

Private xAxis As String = "A2:A7"

' Add the series
Private series As IChartSeries = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "B2:B7")
series.Title = workSheet("B1").StringValue

' Add the series
series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "C2:C7")
series.Title = workSheet("C1").StringValue

' Add the series
series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "D2:D7")
series.Title = workSheet("D1").StringValue

' Set the chart title
chart.SetTitle("Column Chart")

' Set the legend position
chart.SetLegendPosition(LegendPosition.Bottom)

' Plot the chart
chart.Plot()

workBook.SaveAs("columnChart.xlsx")
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel
Column chart

Line Chart

Since a line chart can represent as much information as a column chart, switching between the two is very simple. You only need to change the chart type.

:path=/static-assets/excel/content-code-examples/how-to/create-edit-charts-line-chart.cs
using IronXL;
using IronXL.Drawing.Charts;

WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("chart.xlsx");
WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet;

// Set the chart type and position
IChart chart = workSheet.CreateChart(ChartType.Column, 5, 5, 20, 10);

string xAxis = "A2:A7";

// Add the series
IChartSeries series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "B2:B7");
series.Title = workSheet["B1"].StringValue;

// Add the series
series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "C2:C7");
series.Title = workSheet["C1"].StringValue;

// Add the series
series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "D2:D7");
series.Title = workSheet["D1"].StringValue;

// Set the chart title
chart.SetTitle("Line Chart");

// Set the legend position
chart.SetLegendPosition(LegendPosition.Bottom);

// Plot the chart
chart.Plot();

workBook.SaveAs("lineChart.xlsx");
Imports IronXL
Imports IronXL.Drawing.Charts

Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("chart.xlsx")
Private workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet

' Set the chart type and position
Private chart As IChart = workSheet.CreateChart(ChartType.Column, 5, 5, 20, 10)

Private xAxis As String = "A2:A7"

' Add the series
Private series As IChartSeries = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "B2:B7")
series.Title = workSheet("B1").StringValue

' Add the series
series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "C2:C7")
series.Title = workSheet("C1").StringValue

' Add the series
series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "D2:D7")
series.Title = workSheet("D1").StringValue

' Set the chart title
chart.SetTitle("Line Chart")

' Set the legend position
chart.SetLegendPosition(LegendPosition.Bottom)

' Plot the chart
chart.Plot()

workBook.SaveAs("lineChart.xlsx")
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel
Line chart

Pie Chart

For a pie chart, only one column of data is needed.

:path=/static-assets/excel/content-code-examples/how-to/create-edit-charts-pie-chart.cs
using IronXL;
using IronXL.Drawing.Charts;

WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("chart.xlsx");
WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet;

// Set the chart type and position
IChart chart = workSheet.CreateChart(ChartType.Pie, 5, 5, 20, 10);

string xAxis = "A2:A7";

// Add the series
IChartSeries series = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "B2:B7");
series.Title = workSheet["B1"].StringValue;

// Set the chart title
chart.SetTitle("Pie Chart");

// Set the legend position
chart.SetLegendPosition(LegendPosition.Bottom);

// Plot the chart
chart.Plot();

workBook.SaveAs("pieChart.xlsx");
Imports IronXL
Imports IronXL.Drawing.Charts

Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("chart.xlsx")
Private workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet

' Set the chart type and position
Private chart As IChart = workSheet.CreateChart(ChartType.Pie, 5, 5, 20, 10)

Private xAxis As String = "A2:A7"

' Add the series
Private series As IChartSeries = chart.AddSeries(xAxis, "B2:B7")
series.Title = workSheet("B1").StringValue

' Set the chart title
chart.SetTitle("Pie Chart")

' Set the legend position
chart.SetLegendPosition(LegendPosition.Bottom)

' Plot the chart
chart.Plot()

workBook.SaveAs("pieChart.xlsx")
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel
Pie chart

Edit Chart Example

There are a few things you can edit in an existing chart. You can edit the legend position and chart title. To edit the chart, you must first retrieve the chart by accessing the Charts property and select the targeted chart for editing. From there, access the properties of the chart to make your edits.

:path=/static-assets/excel/content-code-examples/how-to/create-edit-charts-edit-chart.cs
using IronXL;
using IronXL.Drawing.Charts;

WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("pieChart.xlsx");
WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet;

// Retrieve the chart
IChart chart = workSheet.Charts[0];

// Edit the legend position
chart.SetLegendPosition(LegendPosition.Top);

// Edit the chart title
chart.SetTitle("Edited Chart");

workBook.SaveAs("editedChart.xlsx");
Imports IronXL
Imports IronXL.Drawing.Charts

Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("pieChart.xlsx")
Private workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet

' Retrieve the chart
Private chart As IChart = workSheet.Charts(0)

' Edit the legend position
chart.SetLegendPosition(LegendPosition.Top)

' Edit the chart title
chart.SetTitle("Edited Chart")

workBook.SaveAs("editedChart.xlsx")
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel
Before
After

Remove Chart Example

To remove an existing chart from a spreadsheet, first retrieve the chart from the Charts property of the worksheet object. You will receive a list of charts from the Charts property. Pass the targeted chart object to the RemoveChart method to remove it.

:path=/static-assets/excel/content-code-examples/how-to/create-edit-charts-remove-chart.cs
using IronXL;
using IronXL.Drawing.Charts;
using System.Collections.Generic;

WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("pieChart.xlsx");
WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet;

// Retrieve the chart
List<IChart> chart = workSheet.Charts;

// Remove the chart
workSheet.RemoveChart(chart[0]);

workBook.SaveAs("removedChart.xlsx");
Imports IronXL
Imports IronXL.Drawing.Charts
Imports System.Collections.Generic

Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("pieChart.xlsx")
Private workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet

' Retrieve the chart
Private chart As List(Of IChart) = workSheet.Charts

' Remove the chart
workSheet.RemoveChart(chart(0))

workBook.SaveAs("removedChart.xlsx")
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of charts can be created using a C# library?

IronXL supports creating column, scatter, line, pie, bar, and area charts.

How do I start creating charts in C#?

First, download the IronXL library from NuGet. Then use the CreateChart method to specify the type and location of the chart in the worksheet.

What method is used to add data series to a chart?

The AddSeries method is used to add data series to a chart. It accepts parameters for both the horizontal and vertical axis data.

How can I plot a chart after adding data?

Use the Plot method to plot the chart after adding the necessary data. This method uses all the data that was added to produce the chart.

How can you switch between a column chart and a line chart?

Switching between a column chart and a line chart is simple; you only need to change the chart type parameter when creating the chart.

Can you edit existing charts?

Yes, you can edit existing charts by accessing the Charts property of the worksheet, selecting the targeted chart, and modifying properties like the chart title and legend position.

What is the process to remove a chart from a worksheet?

To remove a chart, retrieve it from the Charts property of the worksheet object, then pass the targeted chart object to the RemoveChart method.

What should be done after modifying or creating charts to save changes?

After creating or modifying charts, save the workbook using the SaveAs method to ensure all changes are preserved.

Chaknith related to Remove Chart Example
Software Engineer
Chaknith is the Sherlock Holmes of developers. It first occurred to him he might have a future in software engineering, when he was doing code challenges for fun. His focus is on IronXL and IronBarcode, but he takes pride in helping customers with every product. Chaknith leverages his knowledge from talking directly with customers, to help further improve the products themselves. His anecdotal feedback goes beyond Jira tickets and supports product development, documentation and marketing, to improve customer’s overall experience.When he isn’t in the office, he can be found learning about machine learning, coding and hiking.