How to Create a Floating Stacked Bar Chart with Project Dates in WPS Office Spreadsheet
Question details
How to create a floating stacked bar chart in WPS Office Spreadsheet to visualize project durations against actual start dates.
- Product
- WPS Office Spreadsheet
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- The user is preparing a project timeline and needs each task duration to appear as a floating bar positioned by its real start date.
- Observed behavior
- The chart should display project names on one axis and real dates on the other; the start date series acts as an invisible spacer so only duration bars are visible.
Organize your data in three columns—Project, Start Date, and Duration—and format the Start Date column as real date values so the chart axis can be scaled correctly.
Create the floating stacked bar chart with an invisible Start Date series
Use this method when you have tasks with start dates and durations and want the bars to begin at their actual dates on a date axis.
In a stacked bar chart, the first series shifts the second series to the right. By making the Start Date series transparent, only the Duration series remains visible and starts at the correct date position.
Enter project names, start dates, and duration values in three adjacent columns and apply a Date format to the Start Date cells.
Select the data range, go to the Insert tab, click Chart, choose Bar, and then select Stacked Bar.
Right-click the chart, choose Select Data, and make sure Start Date is the first series and Duration is the second series.
Right-click the Start Date bars in the chart, choose Format Data Series, and set Fill to No Fill and Border to No Line.
Right-click the horizontal axis, choose Format Axis, set Axis Type to Date, and adjust the minimum and maximum bounds to cover the required quarters or project range.
Create a Project Date Floating Stacked Bar Chart in WPS Office Spreadsheet
Use WPS Office Spreadsheet to build a floating stacked bar chart by making the Start Date series transparent and formatting the axis as real dates, so your project timeline is clear and editable.
- 1. Open WPS Office Spreadsheet: Enter the project name, start date, and duration data in separate columns.
- 2. Insert the chart: Select the data and insert a Stacked Bar chart from the Insert tab.
- 3. Hide the Start Date series: Format the Start Date series with No Fill and No Line so only duration bars remain visible.
- 4. Set the date axis: Format the horizontal axis as Date and set the minimum and maximum bounds to your project range.
- 5. Save the file: Save or export the workbook as .xlsx to share with Excel users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my floating bar chart still show all bars starting at zero?
The Start Date series is probably still visible or is not set as the first series. In Select Data, make sure Start Date is the first series and format it with No Fill and No Line so it only creates the offset.
Can I use real dates as the horizontal axis in a floating stacked bar chart?
Yes. In WPS Office Spreadsheet, right-click the horizontal axis, choose Format Axis, set Axis Type to Date, and adjust the minimum and maximum bounds to the required date range.
What data layout should I use for a floating stacked bar chart?
Use three columns: project or task name, start date, and duration. The start date column must contain date values and the duration column should contain numeric values such as days.
How do I add visible duration labels to the floating bars?
Right-click the Duration series, choose Add Data Labels, and then format the labels to show values or task names as needed.
Will this chart work if I save the file as .xlsx and open it in Excel?
Yes. WPS Office Spreadsheet supports Excel-compatible charts, so the stacked bar chart with an invisible Start Date series and formatted date axis remains editable in Microsoft Excel.
