Stacked bars in a Visual Grid

Build a stacked bar chart inside a Visual Grid when you need more control over label placement and surrounding content than a stand-alone chart provides.

#Prepare the data

Paste or enter category labels in column A, followed by one numeric column per series. You can use embedded data or an Excel connection.

Category labels followed by three numeric series

#Add a display column

Right-click column B and insert a new column to its left. This new column B will display the bars; the numeric values move to columns C, D, and E.

Insert a column for the chart output before the numeric data

Select the new column and add the Stacked bar rule.

Choose the Stacked bar rule for the display column

#Point the rule to the numeric data

Open the Stacked bar rule and choose Data. Set the first series target to column C, where the numeric data now starts.

Set the first chart series to the first numeric column

Click Add series for each additional numeric column. Grunt advances through the columns to the right as you add series. Check the series list before continuing.

Add series until every numeric column is included

#Hide helper columns and style the chart

Hide columns C, D, and E using their context menu. Hiding changes what appears on the slide; the numeric data remains available to the chart rule.

Hide numeric helper columns after linking them to the rule

Adjust the chart's colors, labels, and legend in the rule. You now have category labels and a stacked bar display in the same grid.

A finished stacked bar layout with custom category labels and a legend

Use row types and tags to keep surrounding formatting reusable as the grid changes.