Spreads...:Column(3)

💜 Spreads...:Column(3) 💜

ok so this is a page from the User Contributed Perl Documentation (iykyk, the perl pod era bestie) and it's literally all about making Excel column charts. let's get into it ✨

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

Column — a writer class for Excel Column charts. that's the whole vibe. it writes column charts. iconic behavior honestly.

---

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

so to make a simple Excel file with a Column chart using Spreadsheet::WriteExcel, you do this:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

use strict;
use Spreadsheet::WriteExcel;

my $workbook  = Spreadsheet::WriteExcel->new( 'chart.xls' );
my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();

my $chart     = $workbook->add_chart( type => 'column' );

# Configure the chart.
$chart->add_series(
    categories => '=Sheet1!$A$2:$A$7',
    values     => '=Sheet1!$B$2:$B$7',
);

# Add the worksheet data the chart refers to.
my $data = [
    [ 'Category', 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ],
    [ 'Value',    1, 4, 5, 2, 1, 5 ],
];

$worksheet->write( 'A1', $data );

__END__

look at that. clean. she ate 💅

---

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

this module implements Column charts for Spreadsheet::WriteExcel. the chart object gets created through the Workbook add_chart() method, like so:

my $chart = $workbook->add_chart( type => 'column' );

once the object exists, you can configure it with these methods that are like, common to all the chart classes — bestie they're shared, they're generous:

$chart->add_series();
$chart->set_x_axis();
$chart->set_y_axis();
$chart->set_title();

these methods are explained in detail in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel::Chart (go read it, it's giving reference material). anything class-specific — methods, settings, whatever — is explained below ⬇️

✨ Column Chart Methods ✨

there aren't currently any column chart specific methods. like, none. zero. so sad. see the TODO section of Spreadsheet::WriteExcel::Chart for the tea ☕

---

🔥 EXAMPLE 🔥

here's a complete example showing off most of the available features when creating a chart — this is the main character demo fr fr:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

use strict;
use Spreadsheet::WriteExcel;

my $workbook  = Spreadsheet::WriteExcel->new( 'chart_column.xls' );
my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
my $bold      = $workbook->add_format( bold => 1 );

# Add the worksheet data that the charts will refer to.
my $headings = [ 'Number', 'Sample 1', 'Sample 2' ];
my $data = [
    [ 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ],
    [ 1, 4, 5, 2, 1, 5 ],
    [ 3, 6, 7, 5, 4, 3 ],
];

$worksheet->write( 'A1', $headings, $bold );
$worksheet->write( 'A2', $data );

# Create a new chart object. In this case an embedded chart.
my $chart = $workbook->add_chart( type => 'column', embedded => 1 );

# Configure the first series. (Sample 1)
$chart->add_series(
    name       => 'Sample 1',
    categories => '=Sheet1!$A$2:$A$7',
    values     => '=Sheet1!$B$2:$B$7',
);

# Configure the second series. (Sample 2)
$chart->add_series(
    name       => 'Sample 2',
    categories => '=Sheet1!$A$2:$A$7',
    values     => '=Sheet1!$C$2:$C$7',
);

# Add a chart title and some axis labels.
$chart->set_title ( name => 'Results of sample analysis' );
$chart->set_x_axis( name => 'Test number' );
$chart->set_y_axis( name => 'Sample length (cm)' );

# Insert the chart into the worksheet (with an offset).
$worksheet->insert_chart( 'D2', $chart, 25, 10 );

__END__

notice the embedded => 1? that's what makes it chill inside the worksheet instead of its own sheet. and insert_chart( 'D2', $chart, 25, 10 ) drops it at D2 with an offset. so cute 🫶

---

👑 AUTHOR 👑

John McNamara jmcnamara@cpan.org

---

🌈 COPYRIGHT 🌈

Copyright MM-MMX, John McNamara.

All Rights Reserved. This module is free software. It may be used, redistributed and/or modified under the same terms as Perl itself.

---

ok and that's the whole page bestie, no notes 💖

sign-off szn: this lil beauty is from perl v5.42.0, dated 2023-10-05 — and the page header says Spreads...:Column(3) with Spreads...:Column(3) chillin' on the right too, the manual-name bookends, we love a symmetrical moment 🎀🦋✨