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Adding Charts to Excel Files Programmatically in Java

This tutorial shows how to visualize raw worksheet data by creating Excel charts programmatically using Document Solutions for Excel, Java Edition (DsExcel Java).

You’ll learn how to:

  • Add a new worksheet dedicated to charts

  • Insert a chart using the addChart() method

  • Build chart series from worksheet ranges

  • Format chart axes (number formats, labels)

  • Export a final workbook containing a rendered Excel chart

Prerequisites

  • JDK 8+

  • DsExcel Java (JARs added to your classpath)

import com.grapecity.documents.excel.*;
import com.grapecity.documents.excel.drawing.*;

1) Create a Chart Worksheet

First, we’ll create a workbook and add a dedicated worksheet for the chart.

Workbook workbook = new Workbook();

IWorksheet chartSheet = workbook.getWorksheets().add();
chartSheet.setName("Chart");

2) Add Sample Data for the Chart

Charts require a data range. Here we’ll add a small dataset that includes labels and values.

chartSheet.getRange("A1:D6").setValue(new Object[][] {
    {null, "Q1", "Q2", "Q3"},
    {"Belgium", 10, 25, 25},
    {"France", -51, -36, 27},
    {"Greece", 52, -85, -30},
    {"Italy", 22, 65, 65},
    {"UK", 23, 69, 69},
});

(Optional formatting for readability)

chartSheet.getRange("B1:D1").setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.Right);
chartSheet.getRange("B1:D1").getFont().setBold(true);
chartSheet.getRange("B2:D6").setNumberFormat("€#,##0");

3) Add an Excel Chart with addChart(...)

Use the getShapes().addChart() method to insert a chart object into the worksheet.

IShape shape = chartSheet.getShapes()
    .addChart(ChartType.ColumnClustered, 300, 10, 300, 300);

shape.getChart().getChartTitle().setText("Sales Increases Over Previous Quarter");

4) Create Chart Series from Worksheet Ranges

Now connect the chart to your data range by creating a series collection from a worksheet range.

shape.getChart().getSeriesCollection()
    .add(chartSheet.getRange("A1:D6"), RowCol.Columns, true, true);

This tells DsExcel to treat the dataset as:

  • Series grouped by columns

  • First row contains category labels (Q1, Q2, Q3)

  • First column contains series names (Belgium, France, etc.)

5) Format the Chart Axis (Number Format)

You can format the value axis to match your dataset’s number formatting.

IAxis valueAxis = shape.getChart().getAxes().item(AxisType.Value);
valueAxis.getTickLabels().setNumberFormat("€#,##0");

Final Rendered Chart Output

When you open the generated workbook in Excel, the Chart worksheet will contain:

  • A clustered column chart

  • A chart title

  • Multiple series (Belgium, France, Greece, etc.)

  • Q1/Q2/Q3 category labels

  • A formatted value axis using the specified currency format

image

Save the Workbook

workbook.save("ExcelChart.xlsx");

Next Steps