Visualization Reporting Settings

Before you start linking Excel ranges to the presentation, you might want to make the correct setting so OfficeReports can add Images, Icons and Sticky Colors from the start.

Conditional Icons

Logos and Pictures

Before OfficeReports can add Logos and Pictures to charts, tables and shapes, you have to tell OfficeReports where to find them. Do this by clicking “Logos and Pictures” in the OfficeReports ribbon tab in PowerPoint. You can define 2 folders in which OfficeReports will look for images and logos. Please use the 'Common' folder for images that are generally used across projects. If you have many OfficeReports users working on different computers, you might want to consider using a shared folder. Images used in relation to one specific project can be placed in an individual project folder.

Instead of having OfficeReports read the Logos and Pictures from files, you can save the Logos and Pictures hidden on Slide 1 and give the shapes the correct names.

Sticky Colors

Sticky Colors adds a complete new way to automate the coloring of categories in charts. Here you can define colors based on the names of your categories. This is a very different thinking compared to Microsoft Office, where colors in charts are defined by 1^st category, 2^nd category etc.

The great advantage in using Sticky Colors is when the data is presented sorted. Like in this chart:

Defining Sticky Colors

Click ‘Sticky Colors’ in the menu, and this window pops up. Here you will see that the default color is defined as Grey. This Default color can be edited to whatever color preferred, by pressing ‘Edit’.

If we would like to define an Orange color that relates to the category text ‘Finance’, press ‘New’, enter the text ‘Finance’, and define the color that you would like to be added to bars, columns and lines, when using Sticky Colors for charts:

Click ‘Chart Background’ and define the color (RGB-code) you want to relate to the category.

Click ‘Chart Text’ and colors can be added to data labels.

Press OK, and ‘Finance is now added to the list.

Settings

PowerPoints 'Selection Pane'

OfficeReports can use Conditional Icons (e.g. arrows) and Logos and Pictures in tables, charts and shapes. This works best if these shapes or pictures are saved on Slide 1 and hidden. These shapes also need to have specific names (like 'SigHigh' or a specific company name). You can rename shapes in the 'Selection Pane' in PowerPoint, which can be made visible using the shortcut Alt-F10. You can also make the Selection Pane visible from the 'Home' ribbon tab in PowerPoint:

To change the name of a shape, either select the shape on the slide, or select it in the Selection Pane, then click on the selected item in the Selection Pane. Now you will be allowed to change the name. Click on the 'eye' on the right of the name to hide the shape.