12 Replies Latest reply: Jul 24, 2014 9:16 AM by Larry G. Schneider

How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

alanomaly Apr 16, 2013 6:47 AM

Adding prefixes and suffixes like the percentage sign, degrees, currency and other units to Illustrator graph tool Axis labels is relatively easy: you go to Object > Graph > Type then Value Axis then fill in the Prefix and Suffix boxes under 'Add labels'.

There doesn't seem to be any way, however, to add such signs and symbols to the labels that show column totals on each column in a bar or column chart.

Things I've tried that didn't work:

Adding prefixes and suffixes to the value axis labels - works on the axis, but isn't repeated in the column total labels.
Adding characters to the text that defines the labels (the %02 etc that is grouped in the design that is then applied to the columns). Adding anything past the 3rd character seems to simply break the link with the text and the data (e.g. adding a percent symbol like %03% just prints %02% in each column, as does adding it in quotes, after paragraph breaks, etc)
Adding the prefix or suffix in a seperate point text item doesn't work because you can't predict the length of the column total and because it won't apply any kerning with the adjacent character

I can add the symbols in manually, but it's time consuming, and has to be re-done every time the chart is refreshed.

This seems like a basic feature - and a logical equivalent of a feature that exists for axis labels. Surely there must be a way?

1. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

alanomaly Apr 16, 2013 8:55 AM (in response to alanomaly)

Nothing? According to someone in this thread, it used to be possible way back in Illustrator 10 - you used to be able to just input (for example) %00% and it would create labels with 0 decimal places (the %00) then % after the number.

Now (CS6) it just breaks and puts %00% everywhere.

It's bad enough that the graph tool hasn't improved in years (if not decades), but if it's actually worse in CS6 than it was in Illustrator 10 (released 2001), that'd be much too much...
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2. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

Kurt Gold Apr 16, 2013 11:20 AM (in response to alanomaly)

If you can provide a sample .ai file in AI-CS-5 format, I may have a look at it.

Please do not provide CS-6 files. I discarded that version.
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3. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

alanomaly Apr 17, 2013 2:11 AM (in response to Kurt Gold)

Not sure what the standard way to link files is round here, here's a link to one on SendSpace:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/h2offz

Ignore any the spammy "DOWNLOAD" ad buttons and click only on "Click here to start download from sendspace" low down in the central column.

Screenshot:

So on the left, there's a bar and column chart using the design at the bottom with "%00". It works, but there's no prefix or suffix. On the right, there's a bar and column chart using the design at the bottom with "%00%". The additional character breaks the link to the data - the graphs just show that text as-is.

According to the old thread in the link above, back in the days of Illustrator 10, "%00%" would have given "5%" and "11%" labels in these graph tool charts.
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4. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

alanomaly Apr 22, 2013 1:54 AM (in response to alanomaly)

I did a bit more experimentation with this, adding anything I could think of that might be a way to add an arbitrary character to the on-chart graph column labels. None of them worked.

It seems like any character other than the '%00' three character string causes the string to not be recognised as a dynamic placeholder. Can't think of any other way of making it work other than editing every one every time.
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5. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

alanomaly Apr 22, 2013 2:03 AM (in response to alanomaly)

...and similar tests with text frames instead of point text (including linked text frames), also with no success:
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6. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

alanomaly Apr 22, 2013 2:08 AM (in response to alanomaly)

...and tabs don't work either. Out of ideas. Seems like it's just not possible.
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7. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

alanomaly May 29, 2013 2:08 AM (in response to alanomaly)

Bump.

Is it possible to get someone from Adobe to look at this - since it looks like a feature that used to exist but no longer does?
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8. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

alanomaly Jun 12, 2013 5:06 AM (in response to alanomaly)

Bump.

Nothing?
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9. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

alanomaly Jun 18, 2013 5:49 AM (in response to alanomaly)

Bump.

Anybody there?
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10. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

Larry G. Schneider Jun 18, 2013 9:03 AM (in response to alanomaly)

You'll have to get used to the fact that you are possibly the only person using AI for graphing. It hasn't been improved for over 15 years. Just do it in another program, import it anf restyle in AI.
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11. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

aprila711 Jul 24, 2014 8:59 AM (in response to alanomaly)

I'd just like to second this need. I use AI for graphs about once a year for an annual report and would love if Adobe would update the graph functionality to be less of a pain. And if everyone who makes graphs is using something else, I'd like to know what, because I'm not about to start making them in Word.
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12. Re: How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

Larry G. Schneider Jul 24, 2014 9:16 AM (in response to aprila711)

S-Plus and R are two data/graph tools which my users use (scientific work).
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How to add prefixes and suffixes (e.g. %,$,£...) to graph column total labels?

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