Mountain View, California — Just in time for Halloween, Internet search engine behemoth Google recently announced on the Official Google Docs Blog the introduction of another smart Chart Editor feature to its Docs office and collaboration suite which brings it even closer to being a complete alternative to more established desktop products.
As the name implies, the Google Docs Spreadsheet editor is getting a brand-new Chart Editor, which has been devised from scratch and allows Google Docs users to easily create and edit charts. The tool, in fact, goes on the extra mile to suggest to individuals the type of chart they should use to visualize their data.
“Spreadsheet data can tell compelling stories when placed into charts and other visualizations. Today we are thrilled to announce a new editor for charts, redesigned from the ground up as well as a set of new chart types,” Hillel Maoz, Software Engineer at Google, announced.
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Additionally, the most impressive feature included into the chart editor are that it now automatically suggests chart types based on the data, matches data labels and headers, automatically selects colors, gives you more control over imagery, has advanced visualizations and a full size preview pane — and gives you the ability to embed dynamically updating charts across the Web.
Moreover, the company has added a series of new chart types that consists of annotated time-lines, organizational charts, gauges, motion charts, and more. Existing charts have received a makeover, and they should now have a more professional look and feel, complete with new colors, an improved layout and more customization options.
Interestingly, as the new chart editor carries out most of the task automatically, this means that, if everything goes smooth, much of the work of creating a chart will be completed instantly. The new chart editor also includes a full preview pane so you can see what the end result will look like.
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In the default Start tab of the new chart editor you will be able to choose from the suggested chart types and make several modifications minimizing the time spent. And, if you want more control, you can choose from all of the available options in the Charts tab and then customize it to your heart’s content in the Customize tab.
Lastly, Google has made it possible to easily publish interactive motion charts to pretty much any webpage. The new chart editor can be taken for a spin by going to goo.gl/newcharts. You can learn more about it by going through these help articles.
Check out a one-minute video demonstration below: