Creating OOXML Charts from Scratch

Creating OOXML Charts from Scratch using Aspose.Words

Aspose.Words provides the InsertChart method which was added into the DocumentBuilder class. So, let’s see how to insert a simple column chart into the document using DocumentBuilder->InsertChart method:

How to Insert Column chart

The code example given below shows how to insert a column chart.

The code produces the following result:

There are four different overloads for series Add method, which was exposed to cover all possible variants of data sources for all chart types:

The code produces the following result:

How to InsertScatterChart

The code example given below shows how to insert a scatter chart.

The code produces the following result:

How to Insert Area Chart

The code example given below shows how to insert an area chart.

The code produces the following result:

How to Insert Bubble Chart

The code example given below shows how to insert a bubble chart.

The code produces the following result:

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FAQ

1. Q: How can I insert a chart at a specific location such as a bookmark?
   A: Use a DocumentBuilder to move to the desired bookmark or paragraph first (e.g., builder->MoveToBookmark("MyBookmark");) and then call builder->InsertChart(...). The chart will be placed exactly where the builder’s cursor is positioned.

2. Q: After inserting a chart, how do I add data series and points to it?
   A: Retrieve the chart’s ChartData object (Chart* chart = builder->InsertChart(...); ChartData* chartData = chart->get_ChartData();). Then call chartData->get_Series()->Add(...) to create a series and use Series->get_DataPoints()->Add(...) to populate points with numeric values.

3. Q: Can I change the chart type after it has been inserted?
   A: Yes. Call chart->set_Type(ChartType::Pie); to change the type, or recreate the chart with the desired ChartType overload if you need a completely different layout.

4. Q: How do I set a chart title and axis labels?
   A: Use chart->get_Title()->set_Text("Sales Overview"); for the main title. For axes, access chart->get_AxisX()->set_Title("Month"); and chart->get_AxisY()->set_Title("Revenue");.

5. Q: Why does the chart appear blank or without data in the generated document?
   A: Ensure that you add at least one series with data points before saving the document. Also verify that the chart’s width and height are non‑zero (e.g., builder->InsertChart(ChartType::Column, 400, 300);). Missing series or zero size will result in an empty chart.