The Axes Inspector
The Axes inspector controls the x-axis, the y-axis, and the grid. To open it, click the second tab in the inspector. If the inspector isn’t open, choose Axes from the Inspectors menu.
You can use the Axis Ranges section as an alternative to modifying the axes directly on the canvas, in order to get precise ranges of values. Enter the minimum and maximum numbers you want to be visible on each axis. When you change these, the objects on the canvas automatically move along with the axes. For how to enter very large and small values using scientific notation, see Adjusting the Axes.
The Axis Positions buttons set where the axes appear, if at all. There is one strip of buttons for the x-axis and one for the y-axis; they can have different settings.
- Click the first button to put the x-axis at the bottom or the y-axis at the left of the graph, regardless of the axis ranges.
- Click the second button to keep the axis at the origin (0,0), wherever it happens to be. If the origin is outside of the graph, then the axis appears at the left or bottom edge.
- The third button places axes at both edges of the graph. To enclose the graph in a box, choose this option for both axes.
- The fourth button hides the axis.
The Titles section has buttons for showing or hiding the axes’ titles.
The Tick Marks section has buttons for showing or hiding the little perpendicular lines that delineate values on the axes, and their labels.
The Tick Spacing fields control how frequently ticks should appear along the axes. If the ticks are too close together, there may not be enough room for each tick to get a label of its own. Tick spacing also controls the spacing of grid lines.
The Grid buttons show or hide the vertical and horizontal grid lines.
Use the Grid Style section to choose a color and thickness for the grid lines.