Chart BIFF Hierarchy

The chart BIFF contains a hierarchical series of records that defines the chart format. Much of the chart data is defined as objects; an object starts with a BEGIN record and ends with a matching END record. For example, a series object definition starts with a SERIES record immediately followed by a BEGIN record. All subsequent records up to the matching END record apply to the specified series.

Objects can be nested within objects; nested BEGIN and END records are used as required to describe objects that are part of other objects. The outer object is called the "parent;" the nested object is called a "child."

The BIFF structure is flexible; it varies depending on the chart type and the elements included in the chart. You can examine the record structure of an existing BIFF file with the BiffView utility.