Editing a graph received in .eps format

[Alan Cockerill]

I am a novice user of Adobe Illustrator. I am trying to change the text in a graph from Japanese to English. I have received the graph in .eps format, and it opens in Adobe Illustrator, but I have so far been unable to find a way to edit the text in the graph. If I try to use the text tool directly, it takes the form of a pen and a stop sign, suggesting I cannot edit in that way. If I try to select the graph and go to Object-Graph-Data, the Data menu is greyed out and not accessible.

(It is possible I have not selected the graph properly. It is also possible that the .eps format is not editable in the way that its source file was. I have tried saving the .eps file as an illustrator file  (.ai), but that has not made any difference. Can anyone help me?

Alan Cockerill, Brisbane, Australia

[jdanek]

The Layer might be locked.  Are you sure it is a vector file?  You could just create a blockout of the existing text and typeset in your own text elements or mask out the existing text.

[Alan Cockerill]

Thank you for this reply. I think it is likely the file is locked in some way, as whatever tool I try to use, my curser shows as a pen and a stop sign. Is there any way of unlocking the layer or file? I am afraid I know very little about the nature of the file, just that it has a .eps file extension, and that it opens by default in Illustrator. I may have to apply your solution, but I have about 50 graphs to translate, and would love to be able to access the data behind them.

[Omar.Fathy]

You can edit any of the graph elements by Click + Alt with the Direct selection tool.

For example: If you need to select all of the value text:

1- Select the Direct Selection tool.

2- Click on one of the values.

3- Alt + Click the same one it will select the other.

Now you can change your font family, size & color for all value text and if you repeat the step No. 03 you can select more.
-------feel free to tell me what happened?!

[Alan Cockerill]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question. Unfortunately, it does not matter what tool I select, as soon as I drag my curser over the graph, it turns into a pen and a stop sign, as if to tell me I cannot edit the graph. Using the Alt key does not seem to make any difference. The .eps format does not seem to give me access to the source data, or maybe the file is locked somehow. I cannot even draw a rectangle shape over the Japanese text, so as to be able to replace it.

[Omar.Fathy]

so can you try to press Ctrl+Alt+2 to ensure that nothing is unlocked and look at your layers to see if any lockers are sound?!

[Omar.Fathy]

Don't worry the file will work just you don't have the font that used and if you unlocked everything it will fix that.
but make sure that everything is unlocked and tell me.
If you open the layers and send a print screen it'll be good.

[Alan Cockerill]

Hello Omar,

Many thanks for your help. I found out how to unlock the layers, and now I can edit the graph. Problem solved!

Alan Cockerill