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Change Chart Type at Runtime

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FusionCharts Suite XT includes advanced features that let you add more context to your chart and make data visualization simpler. These features include chart updates, update chart type at runtime, and events.

This article focuses on how you can change the chart type of the chart at runtime using FusionCharts ASP.NET wrapper. The chart types used in the sample is:

  • Column 2D chart (default representation)
  • Bar chart
  • Pie chart

A chart configured to change the chart type is shown below:

FusionCharts will load here..
{
    "chart": {
        "caption": "Countries With Most Oil Reserves [2017-18]",
        "subCaption": "In MMbbl = One Million barrels",
        "xAxisName": "Country",
        "yAxisName": "Reserves (MMbbl)",
        "numberSuffix": "K",
        "theme": "fusion"
    },
    "data": [
        {
            "label": "Venezuela",
            "value": "290"
        },
        {
            "label": "Saudi",
            "value": "260"
        },
        {
            "label": "Canada",
            "value": "180"
        },
        {
            "label": "Iran",
            "value": "140"
        },
        {
            "label": "Russia",
            "value": "115"
        },
        {
            "label": "UAE",
            "value": "100"
        },
        {
            "label": "US",
            "value": "30"
        },
        {
            "label": "China",
            "value": "30"
        }
    ]
}

The consolidated code for the above chart is shown below:


using System;
using FusionCharts.Charts;

public partial class Pages_DynamicChartType: System.Web.UI.Page {
    protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) {
        //json data in string format
        string jsonData = "{'chart':{'caption':'Countries With Most Oil Reserves [2017-18]','subCaption':'In MMbbl = One Million barrels','xAxisName':'Country','yAxisName':'Reserves (MMbbl)','numberSuffix':'K','theme':'fusion'},'data':[{'label':'Venezuela','value':'290'},{'label':'Saudi','value':'260'},{'label':'Canada','value':'180'},{'label':'Iran','value':'140'},{'label':'Russia','value':'115'},{'label':'UAE','value':'100'},{'label':'US','value':'30'},{'label':'China','value':'30'}]}";
        // create chart instance
        // parameter
        // chart type, chart id, chart width, chart height, data format, data source
        Chart column2d = new Chart("column2d", "first_chart", "700", "400", "json", jsonData);
        //render chart
        Literal1.Text = column2d.Render();
    }
}



Imports FusionCharts.Charts
Partial Class Pages_DynamicChartTypeChange
Inherits System.Web.UI.Page
Protected Sub Page_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load 'store chart  data url as  string
Dim jsonData As String
jsonData = "{'chart':{'caption':'Countries With Most Oil Reserves [2017-18]','subCaption':'In MMbbl = One Million barrels','xAxisName':'Country','yAxisName':'Reserves (MMbbl)','numberSuffix':'K','theme':'fusion'},'data':[{'label':'Venezuela','value':'290'},{'label':'Saudi','value':'260'},{'label':'Canada','value':'180'},{'label':'Iran','value':'140'},{'label':'Russia','value':'115'},{'label':'UAE','value':'100'},{'label':'US','value':'30'},{'label':'China','value':'30'}]}"
'create gauge instance
'chart type, chart id, width, height, data format, data source as url
Dim columnChart As New Chart("column2d", "columnchart", "700", "400", "json", jsonData)
'render gauge
Literal1.Text = columnChart.Render()
End Sub
End Class

The HTML template for aspx file is shown below:


<%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" CodeFile="DynamicChartType.aspx.cs" Inherits="Pages_DynamicChartType" %>

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<head runat="server">
    <title>FusionCharts | Chart Type Change At Runtime (client-side)</title>
</head>

<body style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial; font-size: 16px;">
    <script type="text/javascript" src="//cdn.fusioncharts.com/fusioncharts/latest/fusioncharts.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="//cdn.fusioncharts.com/fusioncharts/latest/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript">
        FusionCharts && FusionCharts.ready(function() {
            var trans = document.getElementById("controllers").getElementsByTagName("input");
            for (var i = 0, len = trans.length; i < len; i++) {
                if (trans[i].type == "radio") {
                    trans[i].onchange = function() {
                        changeChartType(this.value);
                    };
                }
            }
        });

        function changeChartType(chartType) {
            for (var k in FusionCharts.items) {
                if (FusionCharts.items.hasOwnProperty(k)) {
                    FusionCharts.items[k].chartType(chartType);
                }
            }
        };
    </script>
    <h3>Chart Type Change At Runtime</h3>
    <div align="center">
        <label style="padding: 0px 5px !important;">Select The Chart Type</label>
    </div>
    <br />
    <div id="controllers" align="center" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 14px;">
        <label style="padding: 0px 5px !important;">
            <input type="radio" name="div-size" checked value="column2d" />Column 2D
        </label>
        <label style="padding: 0px 5px !important;">
            <input type="radio" name="div-size" value="pie3d" />Pie 3D
        </label>
        <label style="padding: 0px 5px !important;">
            <input type="radio" name="div-size" value="bar2d" />Bar 2D
        </label>
    </div>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

        <div style="width: 100%; display: block;" align="center">
            <asp:Literal ID="Literal1" runat="server"></asp:Literal>
        </div>
        <div><span>
                <asp:HyperLink id="hyperlink1" NavigateUrl="../Default.aspx" Text="Go Back" runat="server" /></span></div>
    </form>
</body>

</html>



<%@ Page Language="VB" AutoEventWireup="true" CodeFile="DynamicChartType.aspx.vb" Inherits="Pages_DynamicChartTypeChange" %>

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<head runat="server">
    <title>FusionCharts | Chart Type Change At Runtime (client-side)</title>
</head>

<body style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial; font-size: 16px;">
    <script type="text/javascript" src="//cdn.fusioncharts.com/fusioncharts/latest/fusioncharts.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="//cdn.fusioncharts.com/fusioncharts/latest/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript">
        FusionCharts && FusionCharts.ready(function() {
            var trans = document.getElementById("controllers").getElementsByTagName("input");
            for (var i = 0, len = trans.length; i < len; i++) {
                if (trans[i].type == "radio") {
                    trans[i].onchange = function() {
                        changeChartType(this.value);
                    };
                }
            }
        });

        function changeChartType(chartType) {
            for (var k in FusionCharts.items) {
                if (FusionCharts.items.hasOwnProperty(k)) {
                    FusionCharts.items[k].chartType(chartType);
                }
            }
        };
    </script>
    <h3>Chart Type Change At Runtime</h3>
    <div align="center">
        <label style="padding: 0px 5px !important;">Select The Chart Type</label>
    </div>
    <br />
    <div id="controllers" align="center" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 14px;">
        <label style="padding: 0px 5px !important;">
            <input type="radio" name="div-size" checked value="column2d" />Column 2D
        </label>
        <label style="padding: 0px 5px !important;">
            <input type="radio" name="div-size" value="pie3d" />Pie 3D
        </label>
        <label style="padding: 0px 5px !important;">
            <input type="radio" name="div-size" value="bar2d" />Bar 2D
        </label>
    </div>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

        <div style="width: 100%; display: block;" align="center">
            <asp:Literal ID="Literal1" runat="server"></asp:Literal>
        </div>
        <div><span>
                <asp:HyperLink id="hyperlink1" NavigateUrl="../Default.aspx" Text="Go Back" runat="server" /></span></div>
    </form>
</body>

</html>

Apart from the usual boilerplate, the sample C#/VB code provided above corresponds to the following tasks:

  1. Import and resolve the dependencies like System, and FusionCharts.Charts.

  2. Define a class Pages_DynamicChartType inherited from System.Web.UI.Page. Correspondingly, in the .aspx file, Pages_DynamicChartType is inherited.

  3. Within the class Pages_DynamicChartType, define Page_Load():

    • Declare a string jsonData and use it to assign the chart configuration as a JSON string.

    • Create an instance of Chart (defined within FusionCharts.Charts), and assign it the necessary attributes of a Column 2D chart. See the source code comments for the attributes used. Of particular importance is the attribute chartType, which in this case is column2d. Find the complete list of chart types with their respective alias here.

    • Render the chart using the [instanceName].Render() method. Correspondingly, in the .aspx file, include the necessary chart and theme libraries modules using the <script> tags, like fusioncharts.js, fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js, followed by some JavaScript functions and radio buttons for different charts, and finally within a <form><div> render the chart.

Refer to Column 2D chart for more information on the configuration and data for this chart type. Alternatively, you may also refer to Bar chart or Pie chart, if you want them as defaults.