Arrange items

You can automatically move chart items so that their presentation suits the data, and so that items are uniformly positioned. You can improve the clarity of the chart, for example by shaping links so that they do not obscure other chart items.

To produce a clearer chart and to consistently space items, you can use chart layouts such as the Minimize Crossed Links layout and the Theme Line layout. Chart layouts automatically arrange chart items. Other layouts move items so that their presentation suits the data, for example the Organization layout.

To improve the uniformity of item positioning, you can use the features in the Align and Space group on the Arrange tab. Uniform positioning can help chart recipients to focus on chart data, rather than on inconsistent positioning.

To move items manually, you can select several of them on the chart and drag them together. When you make another selection, discards the temporary group that you created is discarded. As an alternative, you can use the Group feature to create a permanent grouping of items. To move grouped items manually, drag the handle of the group.

To shape a link so that it does not obscure other items, you can add corners to it from the Insert Links section of the Home tab. This is useful if you want to route links around other chart items rather than over them. You can also insert corners from the links section of the Insert from Palette drop-down menu.

Note: You cannot add corners to any links that connect two theme line entities. The position of the link against the time bar is important, and adding corners would impede the clarity of the information.