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I'm simply trying to graph some time-scale data using a date column and 3 data columns, but Excel keeps screwing up the dates in the chart... (showing dates from year 1900-1903 instead of 2018)

Screenshot

All of my dates in the date column are between the 12th and 13th of November, 2018 (12/11/2018 and 13/11/2018) as in the screenshot, and the entire date column number format is set to Custom: dd/mm/yyyy HH:mm (why doesn't Excel have this format as a predefined format??). I have also tried simply using the Date number format as well with no luck.

The Excel chart doesn't seem to think these are dates, since in the x-axis axis options, the bounds are numeric, not dates:

Screenshot

The date column is actually calculated from the Unix timestamp column and converted to my timezone (+10.5hrs) using the formula: 

(((A2/60)/60)/24)+DATE(1970,1,1)+TIME(10,30,0)

Edit: I've also tried to copy the date column and paste as values. No luck.

Can someone tell me how to get the dates in the chart to actually use the dates in the date column?
And let me know why there might be random dates everywhere in the first place?

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  • "to get the dates in the chart to actually use the dates in the date column?" <-- try to copy the (generated) date result.. and paste as values.. then do the formatting + chartGeneration. || IMHO, I think the root of this problem is excel 'see' the date columns as a formula.. not date..
    – p._phidot_
    Commented Nov 14, 2018 at 3:49
  • I've tried this as well without any luck either, forgot to mention in my question. I'll add it in. cheers
    – Applez00800
    Commented Nov 14, 2018 at 7:03
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    It's treating the blank cells as zero. Dates are handled and stored as numbers (the number of days since January 0, 1900; that's why the chart is starting with 1900.
    – fixer1234
    Commented Nov 14, 2018 at 9:45
  • This is true, but my dates are all greater than 43400 numeric.. so the plot should have shown 1900 (0) all the way to the last date in the list (43417.87397) and all of my data should have then been bunched up at the far right, but it's not.. which is why I was confused
    – Applez00800
    Commented Nov 14, 2018 at 21:25

1 Answer 1

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I found the issue, it was due to me extending the chart source data beyond the rows that had values in them. I wanted to extend it a couple hundred blank rows below so that I could simply paste a new table of values each day and not have to re-source the chart data. Turns out you can't do this...

I selected just the rows with data in them and now it's displaying correctly.

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  • 1
    If you put your data into an Excel table format you should be able to add rows and the new data reflect in your chart.
    – Rey Juna
    Commented Nov 14, 2018 at 22:42
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    you may accept (press the tick) on your own answers to mark this question as "answered". ( :
    – p._phidot_
    Commented Nov 16, 2018 at 19:43
  • Whoops, thought I marked it as the answer already, cheers for the bump
    – Applez00800
    Commented Nov 17, 2018 at 4:56

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