This isn't a feature of bar or column charts in Excel versions up to 2003.
The transparent checkbox is there to make you envious of Mac Excel users.
(The fact that Mac Excel follows several versions behind regular Excel,
particularly in programmability, reminds you that you're glad you aren't a
Mac user.)

John Walkenbach has a workaround:

http://www.j-walk.com/ss/excel/usertips/tip071.htm

- Jon
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Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
Peltier Technical Services, Inc. - http://PeltierTech.com
_______


"jay_2882" wrote in message
...
I was making a chart and came across some difficulty formatting the bars on
the chart correctly. I wanted the fill of my bars to be semi-transparent
so
that I could see the gridlines through them and didn't know how.