Spreadsheet Format
You can build organization charts from tree data structures. Here's a representation of a tree data structure:
Tree data structures are made of nodes, or elements on the tree. In the example above, each box represents a node.
Tree data structures are also hierarchical: each node (or element on the tree) has a parent node. In the example above, "Pet" is the parent of "Cat," "Dog," and "Rabbit". "Cat" is the parent of "Domestic Shorthair" and "Siamese."
Trees have a root node, which has no parent. "Pet" in the example above is the root node, since it has no parent.
You place nodes on the tree using two values: the name of the node, and the name of the node's parent. This is the only relationship that matters when you're building your spreadsheet. For example, you can place the Labrador node with "Labrador" (it's name) and "Dog" (it's parent). Remember, any node on the tree can be a parent.
Each row in the Organization Chart spreadsheet represents a node on the tree.
Column 1 | Column 2 | |
---|---|---|
Data Type | plain text | plain text |
Contents | The name of the node. Each node must have a unique name. | The name of the node's parent. Note:
|
For the sample tree above, the spreadsheet might look like this:
Node | Parent |
---|---|
Pet | |
Cat | Pet |
Dog | Pet |
Rabbit | Pet |
Domestic Shorthair | Cat |
Siamese | Cat |
Corgi | Dog |
Great Dane | Dog |
Labrador | Dog |
Customization Options
Node size: determines how large the nodes should be on your chart
- In the drop-down menu, choose large, medium, or small
Allow HTML in nodes?: sets HTML in your nodes to active or inactive
- Click True (active) or False (inactive)
Allow node collapse?: controls whether or not a node collapses when a user clicks it, hiding every node below it
- Click on true to allow nodes to be collapsed, or click false to keep nodes stationary when clicked on