wb_add_mschart: Add an mschart object to a worksheet

In openxlsx2: Read, Write and Edit 'xlsx' Files

Add an mschart object to a worksheet

Description

The wb_add_mschart() function allows for the seamless integration of native charts created via the mschart package into a worksheet. Unlike static images or plots, these are dynamic, native spreadsheet charts that remain editable and can utilize data already present in the workbook or data provided directly at creation.

Usage

wb_add_mschart(
  wb,
  sheet = current_sheet(),
  dims = NULL,
  graph,
  col_offset = 0,
  row_offset = 0,
  ...
)

Arguments

wb	A wbWorkbook object.
sheet	The name or index of the worksheet where the chart will be placed. Defaults to the current sheet.
dims	A character string defining the chart's position or range (e.g., "A1" or "F4:L20").
graph	An ms_chart object created with the mschart package.
col_offset, row_offset	Numeric values for fine-tuning the chart's displacement from its anchor point.
...	Additional arguments.

Details

The function acts as a bridge between the ms_chart objects and the spreadsheet's internal XML drawing structure. It interprets the chart settings and data series to generate the necessary DrawingML.

There are two primary workflows for adding charts:

1. External Data: If the graph object contains a standard data frame, wb_add_mschart() automatically writes this data to the worksheet before rendering the chart.

2. Internal Data: If the graph object is initialized using a wb_data object (created via wb_data()), the chart will directly reference the existing cell ranges in the worksheet. This is the preferred method for maintaining a single source of truth for your data.

The chart is positioned using the dims argument. A single cell anchor (e.g., "A1") will place the top-left corner of the chart, while a range (e.g., "E5:L20") will scale the chart to fit that specific area.

Notes

• This function requires the mschart package to be installed.

• Native charts are highly dependent on the calculation engine of the spreadsheet software; if the underlying data changes, the chart will update automatically when the file is opened.

• The function generates unique internal IDs for the chart axes to ensure compliance with the OpenXML specification.

See Also

wb_data() wb_add_chart_xml() wb_add_image wb_add_mschart() wb_add_plot

Examples

if (requireNamespace("mschart")) {
require(mschart)

## Add mschart to worksheet (adds data and chart)
scatter <- ms_scatterchart(data = iris, x = "Sepal.Length", y = "Sepal.Width", group = "Species")
scatter <- chart_settings(scatter, scatterstyle = "marker")

wb <- wb_workbook()
wb <- wb_add_worksheet(wb)
wb <- wb_add_mschart(wb, dims = "F4:L20", graph = scatter)

## Add mschart to worksheet and use available data
wb <- wb_workbook()
wb <- wb_add_worksheet(wb)
wb <- wb_add_data(wb, x = mtcars, dims = "B2")

# create wb_data object
dat <- wb_data(wb, 1, dims = "B2:E6")

# call ms_scatterplot
data_plot <- ms_scatterchart(
  data = dat,
  x = "mpg",
  y = c("disp", "hp"),
  labels = c("disp", "hp")
)

# add the scatterplot to the data
wb <- wb_add_mschart(wb, dims = "F4:L20", graph = data_plot)
}

openxlsx2 documentation built on March 7, 2026, 5:06 p.m.