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Features / Chart / Customize Chart Objects / Series / Error Bars
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    Error Bars
    In This Topic

    Error bars are used in charts to indicate the error or uncertainty of data. They act as an extremely useful tool for scientists, statisticians, and research analysts to showcase data variability and measurement accuracy.

    DsExcel allows you to configure error bars in charts using IErrorBar interface. The interface represents error bars in a chart series and provides properties to configure various types, end styles and value types of error bars. The error bars can also be exported or imported to JSON or a PDF document.

    Supported Chart Types

    The following chart types are supported while adding error bars in charts:

    Error Bar Types

    Type Snapshot Description
    Plus Plus chart

    Error bar depicts only the positive values.

    C#
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    series.YErrorBar.Type = ErrorBarInclude.Plus;
    Minus Minus chart

    Error bar depicts only the negative values.

    C#
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    series.YErrorBar.Type = ErrorBarInclude.Minus;
    Both Both chart

    Error bar depicts positive and negative values at the same time

    C#
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    series.YErrorBar.Type = ErrorBarInclude.Both;

    Error Bar End Styles

    Type Snapshot Description
    Cap Cap end style

    Error bar displays caps at the end of error bar lines.

    C#
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    series.YErrorBar.EndStyle = EndStyleCap.Cap;
    No Cap No cap end style

    Error bar does not display caps at the end of error bar lines.

    C#
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    series.YErrorBar.EndStyle = EndStyleCap.NoCap;

    Error Bar Value Types

    Type Snapshot Description
    Fixed Value Fixed value type

    Error bar represents the error as an absolute value.

    C#
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    series1.YErrorBar.ValueType = ErrorBarType.FixedValue;
    Percentage Percentage type

    Error bar represents the error as a percentage of data value in the same direction axis.

    C#
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    series1.YErrorBar.ValueType = ErrorBarType.Percentage;
    Standard Deviation Standard deviation type

    Error bar represents the error as a calculating value which depends on the set deviation and chart data values.

    C#
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    series1.YErrorBar.ValueType = ErrorBarType.StDev;
    Standard Error Standard error type

    Error bar represents the error as a calculating value which only depends on the chart data values.

    C#
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    series1.YErrorBar.ValueType = ErrorBarType.StError;
    Custom Custom type

    Error bar represents the error values that are set with positive and negative values respectively by formulas or fixed values.

    C#
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    series1.YErrorBar.ValueType = ErrorBarType.Custom;

    Note: In Custom value type, the array and reference formula string for plus or minus is supported. The final count of error bar values is evaluated by the formula string (for example, "=Sheet1!$B$2:$D$2" or "={1,2,3}"). The error bar values are displayed based on the total count of values:
    If count = 1: all error bars have the same value.
    If count < number of data points: the value of rest of the error bars is zero.
    If count > number of data points: the remaining values will do nothing.

     

    Using Code


    Refer to the following example code to add error bars using various properties.

    C#
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        // Initialize workbook
    Workbook workbook = new Workbook();
    // Fetch default worksheet
    IWorksheet worksheet = workbook.Worksheets[0];
    // Prepare data for chart
    worksheet.Range["A1:D4"].Value = new object[,]
    {
{null, "Q1", "Q2", "Q3"},
{"Mobile Phones", 1330, 2345, 3493},
{"Laptops", 2032, 3632, 2197},
{"Tablets", 6233, 3270, 2030}
    };
    worksheet.Range["A:D"].Columns.AutoFit();
    // Add Column Chart
    IShape columnChartshape = worksheet.Shapes.AddChart(ChartType.ColumnClustered, 250, 20, 360, 230);

    // Adding series to SeriesCollection
    columnChartshape.Chart.SeriesCollection.Add(worksheet.Range["A1:D4"], RowCol.Columns, true, true);

    // Get first series
    ISeries series1 = columnChartshape.Chart.SeriesCollection[0];

    //Config first series' properties
    series1.HasErrorBars = true;
    series1.YErrorBar.Type = ErrorBarInclude.Both;
    series1.YErrorBar.ValueType = ErrorBarType.Custom;
    series1.YErrorBar.EndStyle = EndStyleCap.Cap;
    series1.YErrorBar.Plus = "={200,400,600}";
    series1.YErrorBar.Minus = "={600,400,200}";

    // Get second series
    ISeries series2 = columnChartshape.Chart.SeriesCollection[1];

    //Config second series' properties
    series2.HasErrorBars = true;
    series2.YErrorBar.Type = ErrorBarInclude.Plus;
    series2.YErrorBar.ValueType = ErrorBarType.FixedValue;
    series2.YErrorBar.EndStyle = EndStyleCap.Cap;
    series2.YErrorBar.Amount = 1000;
    series2.YErrorBar.Format.Line.Color.RGB = Color.Red;
    series2.YErrorBar.Format.Line.Weight = 2;

    // Get last series
    ISeries series3 = columnChartshape.Chart.SeriesCollection[2];

    //Config last series' properties
    series3.HasErrorBars = true;
    series3.YErrorBar.Type = ErrorBarInclude.Both;
    series3.YErrorBar.ValueType = ErrorBarType.StError;
    series3.YErrorBar.EndStyle = EndStyleCap.NoCap;

    //save to an excel file
    workbook.Save("ErrorBar.xlsx");

    Important Points

    Limitation

    There can be some difference between the exported PDF and Excel containing error bars. It is caused due to different ways of calculating error bar value between DsExcel and Excel.