# DiaGramma_1.0.2 - Quick Start Guide

## What this add-in does

DiaGramma for Excel exports pollen diagrams from selected Excel data ranges
as SVG files that can be edited in Adobe Illustrator.

The exported SVG is intended for further editing, layout adjustment, and
final figure preparation in Illustrator or similar vector-graphics software.

---

## 1. Install the add-in

1. Place `DiaGramma_1.0.2.xlam` in an English/alphanumeric folder path.

   Recommended example:

   `/Users/yourname/Documents/DiaGramma/`

2. Open Excel.

3. Open:

   `Tools > Excel Add-ins...`

4. Click `Browse...`

5. Select `DiaGramma_1.0.2.xlam`.

6. Make sure the DiaGramma add-in is checked.

7. A new Ribbon tab named **Pollen diagram** should appear.

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## 2. Prepare your data

Your data should be arranged as follows:

| Composite depth | Taxon A | Taxon B | Taxon C |
|---|---:|---:|---:|
| 0.10 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 0.20 | 15 | 3 | 1 |
| 0.30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0.40 | 8 | 2 | 5 |

Basic rules:

- Column 1 must contain depth values.
- Columns 2 and onwards contain taxon values.
- The first row may contain taxon names.
- Rows where all taxon values are zero are treated as separator rows.
- Separator rows split the graph visually.

---

## 3. Select the range

Select the range you want to export.

You can select either:

- the full range including the header row, or
- only part of the data.

If you select only part of the data, DiaGramma will try to find the taxon
names by searching upward in each column.

---

## 4. Export the diagram

1. Select the data range.
2. Open the **Pollen diagram** Ribbon tab.
3. Click one of the five drawing-style buttons.
4. Enter a file name when prompted.
5. The SVG will be saved in the same folder as the source workbook.

If you do not type `.svg`, it will be added automatically.

---

## 5. Choose a drawing style

### Area Only
Filled area graphs only.  

### Bars Only
Horizontal bars only.  

### Line Only
Line graphs only.  

### Area + Bars
Both area graphs and sample bars.
The standard DiaGramma style.  

### Line + Points
Line graphs with circular data-point markers.  

---

## 6. Open the SVG in Illustrator

After export, open the SVG file in Adobe Illustrator.

You can then:

- edit each taxon separately,
- change line width, colour, and fill,
- adjust bar thickness,
- resize point markers,
- arrange the final figure layout.

DiaGramma does not try to force the diagram onto a page. Final scaling and
layout should be done in Illustrator.

---

## 7. Important beta-version notes

This is a first beta release.

Please note:

- The add-in has mainly been tested on Mac Excel.
- Japanese or other non-ASCII characters in folder paths may cause errors.
- If an error occurs, move the workbook and add-in to an English/alphanumeric
  folder such as:

  `/Users/yourname/Documents/DiaGramma/`

- The SVG is saved in the same folder as the source workbook.
- Ribbon icons are temporary in this beta version.

---

## 8. If something goes wrong

When reporting an error, please include:

- Excel version
- operating system
- workbook path
- selected data range
- drawing style used
- screenshot of the error message, if possible