The instructions below represent the best "compromise" at handling the differences between the numerous versions of Excel that exist on each of the two major platforms (Windows and Mac Os X). Exact steps may differ from version to version.
The basic strategy outlined below is to simply copy the data from the web-HUMAN generated table and the paste it into Excel.
Graph a web-HUMAN simulation in Excel
I. In web-HUMAN
- Select (highlight) the data table (see figure below) of the HUMAN output without the headers (i.e. do not highlight the top line DAY/HR, AP, COL etc.)
- In some versions of Excel you will need to be be certain to begin your selection at the end of the next higher line (see selection below beginning right after EXER).
- From the browser Edit menu select Copy.
II. In Excel
To get your data into Excel in columns
Open an Excel worksheet.
From the Excel menu item Edit, Paste into the first column, first row cell (all of the data appears in the first cell of the worksheet).
Step 1 Under the Data menu, select text to columns, make sure "Fixed width" is chosen and click Next.
Step 2 Follow instructions to separate the data into appropriate columns then click Next.
Step 3, click Finish. (your web-HUMAN data is now in Excel, one variable per column).To add column headers for the names of variables
To add a row of column headers [e.g.Day/Time, AP(mmHg), etc. ]
- click on row 1 (extreme left) and from the Insert menu pick Rows (this empties the top row making room for column headers).
- Type your column headers into the new row 1 (see figure below).To insert a time column (see column B below)
- Highlight Column B (click at its top) and from the Insert menu pick Columns. A new blank column B is added to your sheet. Type into the new column B the time intervals of the experiment in minutes, for example: 0, 5, 10, 50, 20, . . .60 .
III. To
Graph the data
We assume below that the user wishes simply to plot a variable's behavior vs. time. Of course, HUMAN also does this and the more interesting Excel plotting possibilities are variable vs. variable or the plotting of further Excel achieved processed data.
- Select the newly created time column and the column for the variable to be graphed. (To select non-contiguous columns select one and hold down the Ctrl key (Mac- Apple key) and click on the second desired plot column)
- Under Insert menu, select Chart.
- Select XY Scatter with connected points (& click Next)
- Select Series in columns, check that the displayed preview graph makes sense. (& click Next)
- Chart title should identify the graph contents. Enter appropriate axes titles (including units of measurement.). Click away "Show legend" for economy of space.(& click Next).
- Place Chart as a new sheet. (& click Finish)
- Make final editing changes before printing. The final Excel-generated graph is shown below.
