investigate the responses in thread "Thread770-19673"

OR

1) right click the chart series.
2) select format data series,
3) select tab that allows adding data labels.
4) then go about displaying & formatting the data labels.

to rotate a text box (i'm not at a pc with excel so that i can verify), but ensure that the drawing toolbar is displayed as there is a command within the drawing toolbar to rotate objects.  select the textbox and try rotating it via the command within the drawing toolbar - really having memory problems today and slightly handicap using this pc.
good luck!
-pmover

Because he has not got excel open, pmover is not correct about rotating text boxes.  Excel does not allow you to use the rotate command for text boxes (why not Mr Gates??).  From my knowledge, all you can do is to orientate the text vertically, which is kinda similar to rotating by 90 degrees.  Double click on the text box and select the alignment tab.
k

The only program that I have been able to use the rotate tool for text boxes in is powerpoint. I have been importing the excel graphs into Powerpoint labeling them and then importing them into WORD for publication. Thank You Microsoft.

I did try the data labels and that would work if I didn't need to have the text parallel with the lines. so I think I am stuck with the excel-Powerpoint-Word sequence.

Carl

The only elements I'm aware of that you can freely rotate in an Excel chart are:

Data point labels,
Chart Title,
Axis labels.

For some reason MS elected to not allow free rotation of text box (only vertical, 90 °, as noted in above response) or of series legends.

You can rotate data in a cell freely, and if your chart is on a worksheet page you could make your backgrounds set to "none" and see the cell(s) behind you chart.  But Yuck!!

 

ProjEngKLS

Or you can use a "wordart" object (Yuck again!).

By the way, if you add text to a previously drawn box, you can rotate the box, but the text remains straight

Regards,

Joerd

You can add text to an auto shape.  This can then be cut and pasted as a picture, and then rotated etc

from http://j-walk.com/ss/excel/usertips/tip069.htm

Craig

Cdoug3,
I think this is what you want. I do it in a similar manner to that mentioned by pmover. The following instructions are a bit pedantic. I am presuming X-Y charts, haven't checked for the other types.

1) Select a single data point in the curve; usually have to left click a couple of times on the data point to get a fat + sign and a pop-up with the coordinates for the data point.
2) Right click to get a pop-up menu and select "Format Data Point..."
3) A multi-page (or multi-tab) dialogue box titled "Format Data Point" comes up, select tab "Data Labels".
4) Select the option (left click on radio button) "Show Label" and then click the "OK" button. The y value label shows up close to the data point.
5) Left click twice on the label to select it. The first click shows a black square at each end of the label value (text). With the second click, a box outline appears around the label text.
6) Click on the text in the label box and it can be replaced with whatever text is desired. Click outside the area of the label box to exit the text editing mode.
7) Again left click on the label to select it, then right click for a pop-up menu.
8) Select "Format Data Labels" from the pop-up menu which brings up the multi-paged dialogue box titled "Format Data Labels".
9) Select the tab "Alignment". On the right hand side, a group frame titled "Orientation" shows both a diagrammatic positioner and a counter up/down box (correct name slips my mind right now) for degrees. You can grab a pointer in the diagram box or scroll up or down the degrees from horizontal to orient your text in the label box; then click "OK".

You will likely have to repeat steps 7) through 9) to get the label oriented just the way you want it, i.e. parallel to your curve.

10) Left click twice on the label to get the outline box again (keep trying) and by click-and-hold (grabbing) on the edge of the box, you can move the label and place it as you want it with respect to your curve.

You can do this with each data point for every curve in the graph and have a different orientation for each modified label. Go wild! but things may get messed up if you change the graph afterwards, e.g. resizing, not always but sometimes things reset. I do the label thing as the last mod before printing the graph or copying it as a picture into a word document or powerpoint presentation. I do the latter by selecting the chart, then hold down shift and click Edit on the top menu bar; then select "Copy Picture" from the drop-down menu and choose the "As shown when printed" options. I usually paste special in Word as Picture.

Regards

If this is going into a WORD doc, another option after importing into Word would be to UNGROUP the entire chart, rotate anything you want, and then regroup the chart when complete.

Remember...
       "If you don't use your head,
                       your going to have to use your feet."

I avoid editing any picture (created in another application) brought into Word because too many things change. However, my Word version is getting a bit old, perhaps later Office versions have better integrated graphics between applications.
Regards