Comments on: Choosing a Web charting library http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/ Silvia's blog Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:33:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: silvia http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-605 silvia Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:13:41 +0000 http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-605 There are a few reasons why we didn't look at the Google charts for our purposes. First of all, the Google Chart API returns a PNG-format image in response to a URL. What we wanted were interactive charts that you could click on to change something. So that would not work. Also, the Google charts are actually quite difficult to turn them into good-looking charts. We have analysed chart libraries that were based on the creation of images, on the HTML canvas element, and on Flash and have found that the Flash-based ones still come out on top for graph quality, interactivity and adaptability. I believe that the HTML canvas element, in particular with SVG, once mature, will be the way to go. But for now, Flash is the better option. There are a few reasons why we didn’t look at the Google charts for our purposes.

First of all, the Google Chart API returns a PNG-format image in response to a URL. What we wanted were interactive charts that you could click on to change something. So that would not work.

Also, the Google charts are actually quite difficult to turn them into good-looking charts.

We have analysed chart libraries that were based on the creation of images, on the HTML canvas element, and on Flash and have found that the Flash-based ones still come out on top for graph quality, interactivity and adaptability.

I believe that the HTML canvas element, in particular with SVG, once mature, will be the way to go. But for now, Flash is the better option.

]]> By: Sherif http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-604 Sherif Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:16:15 +0000 http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-604 Would you consider using any of the Google API's for this? Google Charts or Google Visualization API's? Would you consider using any of the Google API’s for this? Google Charts or Google Visualization API’s?

]]> By: monk.e.boy http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-580 monk.e.boy Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:24:06 +0000 http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-580 Hey thanks for the kind words. Don't get hung up on one solution, try using a number of different charting elements :-) But I think open flash chart is very cool :-) Don't forget to post the Rails bugs/patches in our forums :-) monk.e.boy Hey thanks for the kind words.

Don’t get hung up on one solution, try using a number of different charting elements :-)

But I think open flash chart is very cool :-)

Don’t forget to post the Rails bugs/patches in our forums :-)

monk.e.boy

]]> By: Lindsay Holmwood http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-579 Lindsay Holmwood Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:18:58 +0000 http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-579 I was pretty sure you'd be looking for something interactive, so I posted about gruff apprehensively. :-) I haven't seen scruffy before - pretty cool. All the Ruby graphing libraries seem to back onto imagemagick, so the results all sorta look the same. I was pretty sure you’d be looking for something interactive, so I posted about gruff apprehensively. :-)

I haven’t seen scruffy before - pretty cool. All the Ruby graphing libraries seem to back onto imagemagick, so the results all sorta look the same.

]]> By: silvia http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-578 silvia Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:55:03 +0000 http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-578 Lindsay, thanks for the tip. I hadn't sen gruff yet - and also just came across scruffy http://scruffy.rubyforge.org/ which uses SVG. I am particularly interested in interactive graphs and not in creating graphs on the backend to be displayed in images. So these don't currently meet my needs. I might use gruff for sparklines though - or alternatively use the sparklines gem http://nubyonrails.com/pages/sparklines. Lindsay, thanks for the tip. I hadn’t sen gruff yet - and also just came across scruffy http://scruffy.rubyforge.org/ which uses SVG.

I am particularly interested in interactive graphs and not in creating graphs on the backend to be displayed in images. So these don’t currently meet my needs.

I might use gruff for sparklines though - or alternatively use the sparklines gem http://nubyonrails.com/pages/sparklines.

]]> By: Lindsay Holmwood http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-577 Lindsay Holmwood Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:09:32 +0000 http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-577 gruff is the obvious choice for Rails, though it may not provide all the functionality you need. gruff is the obvious choice for Rails, though it may not provide all the functionality you need.

]]> By: Choosing a Web charting library http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-576 Choosing a Web charting library Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:09:35 +0000 http://blog.gingertech.net/2008/03/20/choosing-a-web-charting-library/#comment-576 [...] Search Engine Guide Blog wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt At Vquence, until now we have used the Thumbstacks chart library for our graphs. TSChartlib is a simple open source charting library that uses the HTML canvas and an IE hack to create its graphs. Vquence is now getting real serious with charts and graphs and we were thus looking for a more visually compelling and more flexible alternative. If you do a google search for “online charting library“, you get a massive amount of links to proprietary systems (admittedly, some of them offer the source [...] [...] Search Engine Guide Blog wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt At Vquence, until now we have used the Thumbstacks chart library for our graphs. TSChartlib is a simple open source charting library that uses the HTML canvas and an IE hack to create its graphs. Vquence is now getting real serious with charts and graphs and we were thus looking for a more visually compelling and more flexible alternative. If you do a google search for “online charting library“, you get a massive amount of links to proprietary systems (admittedly, some of them offer the source [...]

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