Microsoft Excel Chart Records

Microsoft Office Technical Documentation Group

Created: November, 1995

This article describes the Microsoft Excel chart BIFF file format. The chart BIFF is combined with other sheet BIFF records into the Book stream of a Microsoft Excel workbook file. This article documents only those records unique to charts; these records have record numbers greater than 1000h. Chart BIFF also uses a few records below this range; for information on those records, see Microsoft Excel File Format.

The chart BIFF usually does not contain a complete description of a Microsoft Excel chart but rather a description of how the chart differs from an internal default chart (the simple column chart). Therefore, many of the records in the chart BIFF modify the default chart description. The internal default chart is not the same as the default chart that you set in the Options dialog box.

Although the information contained in BIFF records varies, every record has the same basic format. For more information about the BIFF record format, see BIFF Record Information.

Chart BIFF Hierarchy

The chart BIFF contains a hierarchical series of records that defines the chart format. Much of the chart data is defined as objects; an object starts with a BEGIN record and ends with a matching END record. For example, a series object definition starts with a SERIES record immediately followed by a BEGIN record. All subsequent records up to the matching END record apply to the specified series.

Objects can be nested within objects; nested BEGIN and END records are used as required to describe objects that are part of other objects. The outer object is called the "parent;" the nested object is called a "child."

The BIFF structure is flexible; it varies depending on the chart type and the elements included in the chart. You can examine the record structure of an existing BIFF file with the BiffView utility.

Series and Categories

All charts, whether in column, bar, line, pie, area, or scatter format, contain series data, category data, and value data. The following column chart explains the difference between series and categories.

When Microsoft Excel creates a chart from a worksheet, it assigns either the worksheet rows as the series data (and the columns as the category data), or the worksheet columns as the series data (and the rows as categories). If there are fewer rows than columns, then the rows become the series. However, if there are fewer columns than rows, then the columns become the series. If there are an equal number of rows and columns in the range of cells, then the rows become the series.

This algorithm minimizes the number of series on the chart. For example, the following column chart . . .

. . . can be created from either of the two following worksheets.

In the second worksheet shown here, January and February are the series (because there are fewer rows than columns), and Chicago, Dallas, and Boston are the categories. In these two worksheets, values for each series appear at three locations on the chart.

If you add sales data for March and April, the series are now Chicago, Dallas, and Boston, and the categories are January, February, March, and April. Microsoft Excel automatically exchanges the series and categories to minimize the number of series.

Chart BIFF Records: Alphabetical Order

Number	Record
103A	3D: Chart Group Is a 3-D Chart Group
1051	AI: Linked Data
1050	ALRUNS: Text Formatting
101A	AREA: Chart Group Is an Area Chart Group
100A	AREAFORMAT: Colors and Patterns for an Area
100C	ATTACHEDLABEL: Series Data/Value Labels
1046	AXESUSED: Number of Axes Sets
101D	AXIS: Axis Type
1021	AXISLINEFORMAT: Defines a Line That Spans an Axis
1041	AXISPARENT: Axis Size and Location
1017	BAR: Chart Group is a Bar or Column Chart Group
1033	BEGIN: Defines the Beginning of an Object
1020	CATSERRANGE: Defines a Category or Series Axis
1002	CHART: Location and Overall Chart Dimensions
1014	CHARTFORMAT: Parent Record for Chart Group
1022	CHARTFORMATLINK: Not Used
101C	CHARTLINE: Drop/Hi-Lo/Series Lines on a Line Chart
1006	DATAFORMAT: Series and Data Point Numbers
1024	DEFAULTTEXT: Default Data Label Text Properties
103D	DROPBAR: Defines Drop Bars
1034	END: Defines the End of an Object
1026	FONTX: Font Index
1032	FRAME: Defines Border Shape Around Displayed Text
104E	IFMT: Number-Format Index
1015	LEGEND: Legend Type and Position
1043	LEGENDXN: Legend Exception
1018	LINE: Chart Group Is a Line Chart Group
1007	LINEFORMAT: Style of a Line or Border
1009	MARKERFORMAT: Style of a Line Marker
1027	OBJECTLINK: Attaches Text to Chart or to Chart Item
103C	PICF: Picture Format
1019	PIE: Chart Group Is a Pie Chart Group
100B	PIEFORMAT: Position of the Pie Slice
1035	PLOTAREA: Frame Belongs to Plot Area
104F	POS: Position Information
103E	RADAR: Chart Group Is a Radar Chart Group
1040	RADARAREA: Chart Group Is a Radar Area Chart Group
1048	SBASEREF: PivotTable Reference
101B	SCATTER: Chart Group Is a Scatter Chart Group
105B	SERAUXERRBAR: Series ErrorBar
104B	SERAUXTREND: Series Trendline
105D	SERFMT: Series Format
1003	SERIES: Series Definition
1016	SERIESLIST: Specifies the Series in an Overlay Chart
100D	SERIESTEXT: Legend/Category/Value Text
104A	SERPARENT: Trendline or ErrorBar Series Index
1045	SERTOCRT: Series Chart-Group Index
1044	SHTPROPS: Sheet Properties
103F	SURFACE: Chart Group Is a Surface Chart Group
1025	TEXT: Defines Display of Text Fields
101E	TICK: Tick Marks and Labels Format
1001	UNITS: Chart Units
101F	VALUERANGE: Defines Value Axis Scale

Chart BIFF Records: Record Number Order

Number	Record
1001	UNITS: Chart Units
1002	CHART: Location and Overall Chart Dimensions
1003	SERIES: Series Definition
1006	DATAFORMAT: Series and Data Point Numbers
1007	LINEFORMAT: Style of a Line or Border
1009	MARKERFORMAT: Style of a Line Marker
100A	AREAFORMAT: Colors and Patterns for an Area
100B	PIEFORMAT: Position of the Pie Slice
100C	ATTACHEDLABEL: Series Data/Value Labels
100D	SERIESTEXT: Legend/Category/Value Text
1014	CHARTFORMAT: Parent Record for Chart Group
1015	LEGEND: Legend Type and Position
1016	SERIESLIST: Specifies the Series in an Overlay Chart
1017	BAR: Chart Group is a Bar or Column Chart Group
1018	LINE: Chart Group Is a Line Chart Group
1019	PIE: Chart Group Is a Pie Chart Group
101A	AREA: Chart Group Is an Area Chart Group
101B	SCATTER: Chart Group Is a Scatter Chart Group
101C	CHARTLINE: Drop/Hi-Lo/Series Lines on a Line Chart
101D	AXIS: Axis Type
101E	TICK: Tick Marks and Labels Format
101F	VALUERANGE: Defines Value Axis Scale
1020	CATSERRANGE: Defines a Category or Series Axis
1021	AXISLINEFORMAT: Defines a Line That Spans an Axis
1022	CHARTFORMATLINK: Not Used
1024	DEFAULTTEXT: Default Data Label Text Properties
1025	TEXT: Defines Display of Text Fields
1026	FONTX: Font Index
1027	OBJECTLINK: Attaches Text to Chart or to Chart Item
1032	FRAME: Defines Border Shape Around Displayed Text
1033	BEGIN: Defines the Beginning of an Object
1034	END: Defines the End of an Object
1035	PLOTAREA: Frame Belongs to Plot Area
103A	3D: Chart Group Is a 3-D Chart Group
103C	PICF: Picture Format
103D	DROPBAR: Defines Drop Bars
103E	RADAR: Chart Group Is a Radar Chart Group
103F	SURFACE: Chart Group Is a Surface Chart Group
1040	RADARAREA: Chart Group Is a Radar Area Chart Group
1041	AXISPARENT: Axis Size and Location
1043	LEGENDXN: Legend Exception
1044	SHTPROPS: Sheet Properties
1045	SERTOCRT: Series Chart-Group Index
1046	AXESUSED: Number of Axes Sets
1048	SBASEREF: PivotTable Reference
104A	SERPARENT: Trendline or ErrorBar Series Index
104B	SERAUXTREND: Series Trendline
104E	IFMT: Number-Format Index
104F	POS: Position Information
1050	ALRUNS: Text Formatting
1051	AI: Linked Data
105B	SERAUXERRBAR: Series ErrorBar
105D	SERFMT: Series Format

Record Descriptions

The first two fields in every BIFF record are record number and record length. Because these fields have the same offset and size in every BIFF record, they are not documented in the following descriptions. For more information about the record number and record length fields, see BIFF Record Information.

3D: Chart Group Is a 3-D Chart Group (103Ah)

This record defines a 3-D chart group and also contains generic formatting information.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	anRot	2	Rotation angle (0 to 360 degrees)
6	anElev	2	Elevation angle (–90 to +90 degrees)
8	pcDist	2	Distance from eye to chart (0 to 100)
10	pcHeight	2	Height of plot volume relative to width and depth
12	pcDepth	2	Depth of points relative to width
14	pcGap	2	Space between series
16	grbit	2	Option flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fPerspective	1 = use perspective transform
0	1	02h	fCluster	1 = 3-D columns are clustered or stacked
0	2	04h	f3DScaling	1 = use auto scaling
0	3	08h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
0	4	10h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be one
0	5	20h	f2DWalls	use 2D walls and gridlines
0	7–2	FAh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

AI: Linked Data (1051h)

This record specifies linked series data or text.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	id	1	Link index identifier 0 = linking a series title or text 1 = linking series values 2 = linking series categories
5	rt	1	Reference type 0 = use default categories 1 = text or value entered directly into the formula bar 2 = linked to worksheet 3 = not used 4 = error reported
6	grbit	2	Flags
8	ifmt	2	Index to number format record
10	cce	2	Size of rgce (in bytes)
12	rgce	var	Parsed formula of link

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fCustomIfmt	TRUE if this object has a custom number format; FALSE if number format is linked to data source
0	1	02h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
0	5-2	3Ch	st	Source type (always zero)
0	7-6	C0h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7-0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

ALRUNS: Text Formatting (1050h)

This record specifies rich-text formatting (bold, italic, font changes, etc.) within chart titles and data labels.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	cRuns	2	Number of rich-text runs
6	rgwRuns	var	Array of cRuns four-byte groups. The first two bytes in each group specifies the first character in the rich-text run. The second two bytes specifies the font index for the text run (see the FONT record for more information about this index).

AREA: Chart Group Is an Area Chart Group (101Ah)

This record defines an area chart group.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	grbit	2	format flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fStacked	Series in this group are stacked
0	1	02h	f100	Each category is broken down as a percentage
0	7–2	FCh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

When fStacked is true, the value indicators (filled areas) are stacked one on top of the next. The f100 bit can be set only when the fStacked bit is set and indicates that each category is broken down into percentages.

AREAFORMAT: Colors and Patterns for an Area (100Ah)

This record describes the patterns and colors used in a filled area.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	rgbFore	4	Foreground color: RGB value (high byte = 0)
8	rgbBack	4	Background color: RGB value (high byte = 0)
12	fls	2	Pattern
14	grbit	2	Format flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fAuto	Automatic format
0	1	02h	fInvertNeg	Foreground and background are swapped when the data value is negative
0	7–2	FCh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

ATTACHEDLABEL: Series Data/Value Labels (100Ch)

The ATTACHEDLABEL record defines the data label type. The ATTACHEDLABEL record applies to the label data identified in the associated DATAFORMAT record.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	grbit	2	Value label flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fShowValue	1 = show the actual value of the data point
0	1	02h	fShowPercent	1 = show value as a percent of the total. This bit applies only to pie charts
0	2	04h	fShowLabPct	1 = show category label and value as a percentage (pie charts only). Should be 1 if fShowLabel and fShowPerecent are both 1.
0	3	08h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
0	4	10h	fShowLabel	1 = show category label
0	7-5	E0h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

AXESUSED: Number of Axes Sets (1046h)

This record specifies the number of axes sets (1 = primary only, 2 = primary and secondary) used on the chart (3-D charts can only have primary axes).

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	cAxes	2	Number of axes sets

AXIS: Axis Type (101Dh)

This record defines the axis type.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	wType	2	Axis type 0 = category axis or x axis on a scatter chart 1 = value axis 2 = series axis
6	(reserved)	16	Reserved; must be zero

AXISLINEFORMAT: Defines a Line That Spans an Axis (1021h)

This record usually follows an AXIS record to define the axis line as it appears on the chart.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	id	2	Axis line identifier: 0 = the axis line itself 1 = major grid line along the axis 2 = minor grid line along the axis 3 = walls or floor -- walls if parent axis is type 0 or 2; floor if parent axis is type 1

AXISPARENT: Axis Size and Location (1041h)

This record specifies the location and size of the chart axes, in units of 1/4000 of the chart area.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	iax	2	Axis index (0 = main, 1 = secondary)
6	x	4	x coordinate of top left corner
10	y	4	y coordinate of top left corner
14	dx	4	length of x axis
18	dy	4	length of y axis

BAR: Chart Group is a Bar or Column Chart Group (1017h)

This record defines a bar or column chart group.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	pcOverlap	2	Space between bars (percent of bar width), default = 0
6	pcGap	2	Space between categories (percent of bar width), default = 50
8	grbit	2	Format flags

The grbit field contains the bar chart display attributes as follows.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fTranspose	1 = horizontal bars (bar chart) 0 = vertical bars (column chart)
0	1	02h	fStacked	Stack the displayed values
0	2	04h	f100	Each category is displayed as a percentage
0	7–3	FCh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

When fStacked is true, the bars or columns within a category are stacked one on top of the next. The f100 bit can be set only when the fStacked bit is set, and indicates that each category is broken down into percentages.

BEGIN: Defines the Beginning of an Object (1033h)

The BEGIN record is a fixed length 4-byte record that indicates the beginning of a block of records that forms a data object. Every BEGIN record must have a corresponding END record. The BEGIN record consists of 10330000h.

CATSERRANGE: Defines a Category or Series Axis (1020h)

This record defines the scaling options for a category or series axis.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	catCross	2	Value axis/category crossing point (2-D charts only)
6	catLabel	2	Frequency of labels
8	catMark	2	Frequency of tick marks
10	grbit	2	Format flags

The catCross field defines the point on the category axis where the value axis crosses. A value of 01 indicates that the value axis crosses to the left, or in the center, of the first category (depending on the value of bit 0 of the grbit field); a value of 02 indicates that the value axis crosses to the left or center of the second category, and so on. Bit 2 of the grbit field overrides the value of catCross when set to 1.

The catLabel field defines how often labels appear along the category or series axis. A value of 01 indicates that a category label will appear with each category, a value of 02 means a label appears every other category, and so on.

The catMark field defines how often tick marks appear along the category or series axis. A value of 01 indicates that a tick mark will appear between each category or series; a value of 02 means a label appears between every other category or series, etc.

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fBetween	Value axis crossing 0 = axis crosses mid-category 1 = axis crosses between categories
0	1	02h	fMaxCross	Value axis crosses at the far right category (in a line, bar, column, scatter, or area chart; 2-D charts only)
0	2	04h	fReverse	Display categories in reverse order
0	7–3	F8h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

CHART: Location and Overall Chart Dimensions (1002h)

The CHART record marks the start of the chart data substream in the workbook BIFF stream. This record defines the location of the chart on the display and its overall size. The x and y fields define the position of the upper-left corner of the bounding rectangle that encompasses the chart. The position of the chart is referenced to the page.

The dx and dy fields define the overall size (the bounding rectangle) of the chart, including title, pointing arrows, axis labels, etc.

The position and size are specified in points (1/72 inch), using a fixed point format (two bytes integer, two bytes fraction).

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	x	4	x-position of upper-left corner
8	y	4	y-position of upper-left corner
12	dx	4	x-size
16	dy	4	y-size

CHARTFORMAT: Parent Record for Chart Group (1014h)

This record is the parent record for the chart group format description. Each chart group will have a separate CHARTFORMAT record; followed by a BEGIN record, the chart-group description, and an END record.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	(reserved)	16	Reserved; must be zero
20	grbit	2	Format flags
22	icrt	2	Drawing order (0 = bottom of the z-order)

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fVaried	Vary color for each data point
0	7–1	FEh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

CHARTFORMATLINK: Not Used (1022h)

This record is written by Microsoft Excel, but it is ignored. Applications writing chart BIFF do not need to write this record, and applications reading chart BIFF can ignore it.

CHARTLINE: Specifies Drop/Hi-Lo/Series Lines on a Line Chart (101Ch)

This record specifies drop lines, hi-lo lines, or series lines on a line chart. If the chart has both drop lines and hi-lo lines, two CHARTLINE records will be present.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	id	2	Drop lines/hi-lo lines 0 = drop lines 1 = hi-lo lines 2 = series lines (the lines that connect the columns in a stacked column chart)

DATAFORMAT: Series and Data Point Numbers (1006h)

The DATAFORMAT record contains the zero-based numbers of the data point and series. The subordinate records determine the format of the series or point defined by the DATAFORMAT record.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	xi	2	Point number (FFFFh means entire series)
6	yi	2	Series index (file relative)
8	iss	2	Series number (as shown in name box -- S1, S2, etc.). This can be different from yi if the series order has been changed.
10	grbit	2	format flags

The grbit field contains the following flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fXL4iss	1 = use Microsoft Excel 4.0 colors for automatic formatting
0	7–1	FEh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

DEFAULTTEXT: Default Data Label Text Properties (1024h)

The DEFAULTTEXT record precedes a TEXT record to identify the text defined in the TEXT record as the default properties for certain chart items.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	id	2	Object identifier for the text 0 = default text characteristics for "show labels" data labels 1 = default text characteristics for value and percentage data labels 2 = default text characteristics for all text in the chart

DROPBAR: Defines Drop Bars (103Dh)

This record defines drop bars on a line chart. If the chart contains drop bars, the chart BIFF will contain two DROPBAR records. The first DROPBAR record corresponds to the up bar and the second DROPBAR record corresponds to the down bar.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	pcGap	2	Drop bar gap width (0 to 100%)

END: Defines the End of an Object (1034h)

This record is a fixed-length 4-byte record that indicates the end of a data object. Every END record has a corresponding BEGIN record. The END record consists of 10340000h.

FONTX: Font Index (1026h)

This record is the child of a TEXT record and defines a text font by indexing the appropriate font in the font table. The font table is built from FONT records.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	ifont	2	Index number into the font table

FRAME: Defines Border Shape Around Displayed Text (1032h)

The FRAME record defines the border that is present around a displayed label as a rectangle. A displayed label can include the chart title, the legend (if not a regular rectangle), a category name, or a value amount.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	frt	2	0 = regular rectangle/no border 1–3 (reserved) 4 = rectangle with shadow
6	grbit	2	Flags

The frt field defines the format of the frame border, that is, a rectangle or a rectangle with a shadow along two sides. (The format of the rectangle line and the pattern of the background within the rectangle are defined by the subordinate LINEFORMAT and AREAFORMAT records.)

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fAutoSize	Microsoft Excel calculates size
0	1	02h	fAutoPosition	Microsoft Excel calculates position
0	7–2	FCh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

The fAutoSize field indicates that the size of the frame is to be calculated by Microsoft Excel. The dx and dy fields in the parent record are ignored.

The fAutoPosition field indicates that the position of the frame is to be calculated by Microsoft Excel. The dx and dy fields in the parent record are ignored.

IFMT: Number-Format Index (104Eh)

This record specifies the number-format index for an axis.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	ifmt	2	Number-format index (number of the FORMAT record in the BIFF, begins at zero)

LEGEND: Legend Type and Position (1015h)

The LEGEND record defines the location of the legend on the display and its overall size. The displayed legend contains all series on the chart.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	x	4	x-position of upper-left corner
8	y	4	y-position of upper-left corner
12	dx	4	x-size
16	dy	4	y-size
20	wType	1	Type 0 = bottom 1 = corner 2 = top 3 = right 4 = left 7 = not docked or inside the plot area
21	wSpacing	1	Spacing 0 = close 1 = medium 2 = open
22	grbit	2	Option flags

The x, y, dx, and dy fields are in units of 1/4000 of the chart area.

The x and y fields define the position of the upper-left corner of the bounding rectangle that encompasses the legend. The position of the legend is referenced to the document window. The dx and dy fields define the overall size (the bounding rectangle) of the legend.

The wType field defines the location of the legend relative to the plot rectangle of the chart. The wSpacing field is always 1 for Microsoft Excel.

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fAutoPosition	Automatic positioning (1 = legend is docked)
0	1	02h	fAutoSeries	Automatic series distribution (TRUE in Microsoft Excel 5.0)
0	2	04h	fAutoPosX	X positioning is automatic
0	3	08h	fAutoPosY	Y positioning is automatic
0	4	10h	fVert	1 = vertical legend (a single column of entries) 0 = horizontal legend (multiple columns of entries) Manual sized legends always have this bit set to zero
0	7–5	E0h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

LEGENDXN: Legend Exception (1043h)

This record specifies information about a legend entry which has been changed from the default legend-entry settings.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	iss	2	Legend-entry index
6	grbit	2	Flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fDeleted	TRUE if the legend entry has been deleted
0	1	02h	fLabel	TRUE if the legend entry has been formatted
0	7-2	FCh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

Microsoft Excel uses three legend types. On a chart where the legend lists the series names, the iss field will contain FFFF. On a single-series chart formatted to vary by category (a pie chart or column autoformat number two, for example), the legend lists the categories and the iss field contains the category number. On a surface chart, the legend lists data ranges, and the iss field contains the legend-entry number, starting at zero for the bottom range.

LINE: Chart Group Is a Line Chart Group (1018h)

This record defines a line chart group.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	grbit	2	format flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fStacked	Stack the displayed values
0	1	02h	f100	Each category is broken down as a percentage
0	7–2	FCh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

When fStacked is true, the value indicators within a category are stacked one on top of the next. The f100 bit can be set only when the fStacked bit is set, and indicates that each category is broken down into percentages.

LINEFORMAT: Style of a Line or Border (1007h)

This record defines the appearance of a line, such as an axis line or border.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	rgb	4	Color of line; RGB value high byte must be set to zero
8	lns	2	Pattern of line 0 = solid 1 = dash 2 = dot 3 = dash-dot 4 = dash dot-dot 5 = none 6 = dark gray pattern 7 = medium gray pattern 8 = light gray pattern
10	we	2	Weight of line –1 = hairline 0 = narrow (single) 1 = medium (double) 2 = wide (triple)
12	grbit	2	Format flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fAuto	Automatic format
0	1	02h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
0	2	04h	fDrawTick	1 = draw tick labels on this axis
0	7–3	F8h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

MARKERFORMAT: Style of a Line Marker (1009h)

This record defines the color and shape of the line markers that appear on scatter and line charts.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	rgbFore	4	Foreground color: RGB value (high byte = 0)
8	rgbBack	4	Background color: RGB value (high byte = 0)
12	imk	2	Type of marker 0 = no marker 1 = square 2 = diamond 3 = triangle 4 = X 5 = star 6 = Dow-Jones 7 = standard deviation 8 = circle 9 = plus sign
14	grbit	2	Format flags

The rgbBack field describes the color of the marker's background, such as the center of the square, while the rgbFore field describes the color of the border or the marker itself. The imk field defines the type of marker.

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fAuto	Automatic color
0	3-1	0Eh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
0	4	10h	fNotShowInt	1 = "background = none"
0	5	20h	fNotShowBrd	1 = "foreground = none"
0	7-6	C0h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7-0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

OBJECTLINK: Attaches Text to Chart or to Chart Item (1027h)

This record links a TEXT record to an object on the chart or to the entire chart.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	wLinkObj	2	Object text is linked to 1 = entire chart (chart title) 2 = y axis (y axis title) 3 = x axis (x axis title) 4 = data series or data point (data label) 5 not used 6 not used 7 = z axis (z axis title)
6	wLinkVar1	2	Link index 1, series number
8	wLinkVar2	2	Link index 2, data point number

The wLinkObj field specifies which object the text is linked to. The wLinkVar1 and wLinkVar2 fields define the linked object as a specific series number and data point in the series. The wLinkVar1 and wLinkVar2 fields have meaning only if the wLinkObj field equals 4.

PICF: Picture Format (103Ch)

This record defines the format for a picture attached to a data series or point.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	ptyp	2	Picture type: = 1, stretched = 2, stacked = 3, stacked and scaled
6	cf	2	Image format: = 2, Windows metafile or Macintosh PICT format = 9, Windows bitmap format
8	grbit	2	Option flags
10	numScale	8	Scaling value for pictures, units/picture (IEEE floating-point number)

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	7–0	FFh	env	Environment from which the file was written: = 1, Microsoft Windows = 2, Apple Macintosh
1	0	01h	fFmtOnly	Formatting only; no picture attached
1	7–1	FEh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

If fFmtOnly is false, then an IMDATA record, which contains the picture itself, follows the PICF record. If fFmtOnly is true, which occurs only if the parent DATAFORMAT record refers to a single data point, then there is no IMDATA record following the PICF record. In this case, the picture specified for the entire series is used, with formatting specified by the PICF record. For more information about the IMDATA record, see IMDATA.

PIE: Chart Group Is a Pie Chart Group (1019h)

This record defines a pie chart group and also specifies the angle of the first slice in the pie.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	anStart	2	Angle of the first pie slice expressed in degrees
6	pcDonut	2	0 = true pie chart non-zero = size of center hole in a donut chart (as a percentage)

The angle of the pie slice has a default value of zero and can be any value in the range of 0 to 359 (0000h to 0167h).

PIEFORMAT: Position of the Pie Slice (100Bh)

The distance of an open pie slice from the center of the pie chart is expressed as a percentage of the pie diameter. For example, if the percent = 33 (21h), the pie slice is one-third of the pie diameter away from the pie center.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	percent	2	Distance of pie slice from center of pie

PLOTAREA: Frame Belongs to Plot Area (1035h)

This record immediately precedes a FRAME record. It indicates that the frame record that follows belongs to the plot area.

POS: Position Information (104Fh)

This record defines manual position information for the main-axis plot area, legend, and attached text (data labels, axis labels, and chart title). The record data depends on the record's use, as shown in the following sections.

This record is used very rarely and is usually not required; for most applications, the default size and position settings are sufficient. If your application writes chart BIFF, use the default settings whenever possible. To use the default plot area, set the fManPlotArea bit in the SHTPROPS record. To use a default legend position and size, set the fAutoPosition bit in the LEGEND record, and set the fAutoSize bit in the legend FRAME record. No other settings are required to use the default position for text (data labels, axis labels, and chart title).

Plot Area

The POS record is used only for the main axis. The record describes the plot-area bounding box (the plot-area bounding box includes the plot area, tick marks, and a small border around the tick marks). The fManPlotArea bit in the SHTPROPS record must be 1, or the POS record is ignored.

The top-left position, width, and height fields use units of 1/4000 of the chart area.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	mdTopLt	2	Must be 2
6	mdBotRt	2	Must be 2
8	x1	4	x coordinate of bounding box top left corner
12	y1	4	y coordinate of bounding box top left corner
16	x2	4	width of the bounding box
20	y2	4	height of the bounding box

Legend

The POS record describes the legend position and size.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	mdTopLt	2	Must be 5
6	mdBotRt	2	1 = use x2 and y2 for legend size 2 = autosize legend (ignore x2, y2). The fAutoSize bit of the legend FRAME record should be 1 if this field is 2.
8	x1	4	x coordinate of legend top left corner, in units of 1/4000 of the chart area
12	y1	4	y coordinate of legend top left corner, in units of 1/4000 of the chart area
16	x2	4	width of the legend, in points (1/72 inch)
20	y2	4	height of the legend, in points

Text (Chart Title)

The POS record sets the chart title position as an offset from the default position, in units of 1/4000 of the chart area.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	mdTopLt	2	Must be 2
6	mdTopRt	2	Must be 2
8	x1	4	offset from default horizontal position
12	y1	4	offset from default vertical position
16	x2	4	ignored (you cannot size the chart title)
20	y2	4	ignored

Text (Axis Title)

The POS record sets the axis title position as an offset from the default position.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	mdTopLt	2	Must be 2
6	mdTopRt	2	Must be 2
8	x1	4	offset perpendicular to the axis, in units of 1/1000 of the plot-area bounding box
12	y1	4	offset parallel to the axis, in units of 1/1000 of the axis length
16	x2	4	ignored (you cannot size the axis title)
20	y2	4	ignored

Text (Data Labels)

The POS record sets the label position as an offset from the default position.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	mdTopLt	2	Must be 2
6	mdTopRt	2	Must be 2
8	x1	4	Pie charts: offset angle from the default, in radians. Bar and Column charts: offset perpendicular to the bar or column, in units of 1/1000 of the plot area All other chart types: horizontal offset from the default position, in units of 1/1000 of the plot area
12	y1	4	Pie charts: radial offset, in units of 1/1000 of the pie radius. Bar and Column charts: offset parallel to the bar or column, in units of 1/1000 of the plot area All other chart types: vertical offset from the default position, in units of 1/1000 of the plot area
16	x2	4	ignored (you cannot size the data label)
20	y2	4	ignored

RADAR: Chart Group Is a Radar Chart Group (103Eh)

This record defines a radar chart group.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	grbit	2	Option flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fRdrAxLab	= 1, chart contains radar axis labels
0	7–1	FEh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

RADARAREA: Chart Group Is a Radar Area Chart Group (1040h)

This record defines a radar area chart group.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	grbit	2	Option flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fRdrAxLab	1 if chart contains radar axis labels
0	7–1	FEh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

SBASEREF: PivotTable Reference (1048h)

This record specifies the PivotTable reference used for the chart.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	rwFirst	2	First PivotTable row
6	rwLast	2	Last PivotTable row
8	colFirst	2	First PivotTable column
10	colLast	2	Last PivotTable column

SCATTER: Chart Group Is a Scatter Chart Group (101Bh)

This record has no record data field. If the SCATTER record is present in the Chart BIFF, it signifies that the chart group is an XY (scatter) chart group.

SERAUXERRBAR: Series ErrorBar (105Bh)

This record defines series error bars.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	sertm	1	Error-bar type: 1 = x-direction plus 2 = x-direction minus 3 = y-direction plus 4 = y-direction minus
5	ebsrc	1	Error-bar value source: 1 = percentage 2 = fixed value 3 = standard deviation 4 = custom 5 = standard error
6	fTeeTop	1	TRUE if the error bars are T-shaped (have a line on the top and bottom)
7	(reserved)	1	Reserved; must be 1
8	numValue	8	IEEE number; specifies the fixed value, percentage, or number of standard deviations for the error bars
16	cnum	2	Number of values or cell references used for custom error bars

SERAUXTREND: Series Trendline (104Bh)

This record defines a series trendline.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	regt	1	Regression type: 0 = polynomial 1 = exponential 2 = Logarithmic 3 = Power 4 = moving average (a linear trendline has type 0 with order 1)
5	ordUser	1	Polynomial order or moving average period
6	numIntercept	8	IEEE number; specifies forced intercept (#NA if no intercept is specified)
14	fEquation	1	TRUE if the equation is displayed
15	fRSquared	1	TRUE if the R-squared value is displayed
16	numForecast	8	IEEE number; specifies number of periods to forecast forward
24	numBackcast	8	IEEE number; specifies number of periods to forecast backward

SERFMT: Series Format (105Dh)

This record specifies series formatting information.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
0	grbit	2	flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fSmoothedLine	TRUE if the line series has a smoothed line
0	7-1	FEh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7-0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

SERIES: Series Definition (1003h)

This record describes the series of the chart, and contains the type of data and number of data fields that make up the series. Series can contain 4000 points in Microsoft Excel version 5.

The sdtX and sdtY fields define the type of data that is contained in this series. At present, the two types of data used in Microsoft Excel chart series are numeric and text (date and sequence information is not used). The cValx and cValy fields contain the number of cell records in the series.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	sdtX	2	Type of data in categories 0 = categories contain date information (not used) 1 = categories contain numeric information 2 = categories contain sequence information (not used) 3 = categories contain text information
8	sdtY	2	Type of data in values 0 = values contain date information (not used) 1 = values contain numeric information 2 = values contain sequence information (not used) 3 = values contain text information
10	cValx	2	Count of categories
12	cValy	2	Count of values

SERIESLIST: Specifies the Series in an Overlay Chart (1016h)

This record is subordinate to the second CHARTFORMAT (overlay) record in a file and defines the series that are displayed as the overlay to the main chart. The first CHARTFORMAT (main chart) record in a file does not require a SERIESLIST record because all series, except those specified for the overlay, are included in the main chart.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	cser	2	Count of series (size of rgiser)
6	rgiser	var	List of series numbers (words)

SERIESTEXT: Legend/Category/Value Text (100Dh)

The value of the id field determines the assignment of the text field.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	id	2	Text identifier: 0 = series name or text
6	cch	1	Length of text field
7	rgch	var	The series text string

Values greater than zero in the id field do not apply to Microsoft Excel.

SERPARENT: Trendline or ErrorBar Series Index (104Ah)

This record indicates the series index for the series that the trendline or error bar is attached to. The series index is the number of the series in the BIFF (starting with series one).

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	series	2	Series index for the series that the trendline or error bar is attached to

SERTOCRT: Series Chart-Group Index (1045h)

This record is part of the series specifications and indicates the chart-group index for the series. The chart-group index specifies the number of the chart group (specified by a CHARTFORMAT record) in the BIFF, starting with chart group zero.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
0	chartgroup	2	Chart-group index

SHTPROPS: Sheet Properties (1044h)

This record specifies chart sheet properties.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	grbit	2	Property flags
6	mdBlank	1	Empty cells plotted as: 0 = not plotted 1 = zero 2 = interpolated

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fManSerAlloc	1 = chart type has been manually formatted (changed from the default)
0	1	02h	fPlotVisOnly	1 = plot visible cells only
0	2	04h	fNotSizeWith	1 = do not size chart with window
0	3	08h	fManPlotArea	0 = use default plot area dimensions 1 = POS record describes plot-area dimensions
0	7-4	F0h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7-0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

SURFACE: Chart Group Is a Surface Chart Group (103Fh)

This record defines a surface chart group.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	grbit	2	Option flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fFillSurface	= 1, chart contains color fill for surface
0	7–1	FEh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

TEXT: Defines Display of Text Fields (1025h)

This record is used in conjunction with several child records (which further define the text displayed on the chart) to define the alignment, color, position, size, and so on, of text fields that appear on the chart. The fields in this record have meaning according to the TEXT record's parent (CHART, LEGEND, or DEFAULTTEXT).

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	at	1	Horizontal alignment of the text (1 = left, 2 = center, 3 = bottom, 4 = justify)
5	vat	1	Vertical alignment of the text (1 = top, 2 = center, 3 = bottom, 4 = justify)
6	wBkgMode	2	Display mode of the background 1 = transparent 2 = opaque
8	rgbText	4	Color of the text; RGB value (high byte = 0)
12	x	4	x-position of the text in 1/4000 of chart area
16	y	4	y-position of the text in 1/4000 of chart area
20	dx	4	x-size of the text in 1/4000 of chart area
24	dy	4	y-size of the text in 1/4000 of chart area
28	grbit	2	Display flags

The option flags in the grbit field (like the fields themselves) have meaning according to the TEXT record's parent. The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fAutoColor	1 = automatic color 0 = user-selected color
0	1	02h	fShowKey	If text is an attached data label: 1 = draw legend key with data label 0 = no legend key
0	2	04h	fShowValue	1 = text of label is the value of the data point 0 = text is the category label
0	3	08h	fVert	1 = text is not horizontal 0 = text is horizontal
0	4	10h	fAutoText	1 = use automatically generated text string 0 = use user-created text string Must be one for fShowValue to be meaningful.
0	5	20h	fGenerated	1 = default or unmodified 0 = modified
0	6	40h	fDeleted	1= an Automatic text label has been deleted by the user
0	7	80h	fAutoMode	1 = Background is set to Automatic
1	2–0	07h	rot	0 = no rotation (text appears left-to-right) 1 = text appears top to bottom, letters are upright 2 = text is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise 3 = text is rotated 90 degrees clockwise
1	3	08h	fShLabPct	1 = show category label and value as a percentage (pie charts only)
1	4	10h	fShowPct	1 = show value as a percent. This bit applies only to pie charts
1	7-5	E0h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

TICK: Tick Marks and Labels Format (101Eh)

This record defines tick mark and tick label formatting.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	tktMajor	1	Type of major tick mark 0 = invisible (none) 1 = inside of axis line 2 = outside of axis line 3 = cross axis line
5	tktMinor	1	Type of minor tick mark 0 = invisible (none) 1 = inside of axis line 2 = outside of axis line 3 = cross axis line
6	tlt	1	Tick label position relative to axis line 0 = invisible (none) 1 = low end of plot area 2 = high end of plot area 3 = next to axis
7	wBkgMode	1	Background mode: 1 = transparent 2 = opaque
8	rgb	4	Tick-label text color; RGB value, high byte = 0
12	(reserved)	16	Reserved; must be zero
28	grbit	2	Display flags

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fAutoCo	Automatic text color
0	1	02h	fAutoMode	Automatic text background
0	4–2	1Ch	rot	= 0 no rotation (text appears left-to-right) = 1 text appears top to bottom, letters are upright = 2 text is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise = 3 text is rotated 90 degrees clockwise
0	5	20h	fAutoRot	Automatic rotation
0	7–6	C0h	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero

UNITS: Chart Units (1001h)

Microsoft Excel writes this record, but its value is always zero.

Applications writing BIFF do not need to write this record. If your application writes this record, the wUnits field must be zero.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	wUnits	2	Always zero

VALUERANGE: Defines Value Axis Scale (101Fh)

This record defines the value axis.

Record Data

Offset	Name	Size	Contents
4	numMin	8	Minimum value on axis
12	numMax	8	Maximum value on axis
20	numMajor	8	Value of major increment
28	numMinor	8	Value of minor increment
36	numCross	8	Value where category axis crosses
44	grbit	2	Format flags

All 8-byte numbers in the preceding table are IEEE floating-point numbers.

The numMin field defines the minimum numeric value that appears along the value axis. This field is all zeros if Auto Minimum is selected on the Scale tab of the Format Axis dialog box. The numMax field defines the maximum value displayed along the value axis and is all zeros if Auto Maximum is selected.

The numMajor field defines the increment (unit) of the major value divisions (gridlines) along the value axis. The numMajor field is all zeros if Auto Major Unit is selected on the Scale tab of the Format Axis dialog box. The numMinor field defines the minor value divisions (gridlines) along the value axis and is all zeros if Auto Minor Unit is selected.

The numCross field defines the value along the value axis at which the category axis crosses. This field is all zeros if Auto Category Axis Crosses At is selected.

The grbit field contains the following option flags.

Offset	Bits	Mask	Name	Contents
0	0	01h	fAutoMin	Automatic minimum selected
0	1	02h	fAutoMax	Automatic maximum selected
0	2	04h	fAutoMajor	Automatic major unit selected
0	3	08h	fAutoMinor	Automatic minor unit selected
0	4	10h	fAutoCross	Automatic category crossing point selected
0	5	20h	fLogScale	Logarithmic scale
0	6	40h	fReverse	Values in reverse order
0	7	80h	fMaxCross	Category axis to cross at maximum value
1	7–0	FFh	(reserved)	Reserved; must be zero