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Using FusionCharts with ColdFusion > Charting Data from an Array

In this section, we'll show you how to use FusionCharts and CFM to plot charts from data contained in CFM arrays. We'll cover the following examples here:

  • Creating a single series chart from data contained in arrays
  • Creating a multi-series chart from data contained in arrays

Before you go further with this page, we recommend you to please see the previous section "Basic Examples" as we start off from concepts explained in that page.

The code examples contained in this page are present in Download Package > Code > CFM > ArrayExample folder.

 
Creating a single series chart from data contained in arrays
The code to create a single series chart is contained in SingleSeries.cfm and can be listed as under:

<HTML>
<HEAD>
   <TITLE>
   FusionCharts - Array Example using Single Series Column 3D Chart
   </TITLE>
   <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="Javascript" SRC="../../FusionCharts/FusionCharts.js"></SCRIPT>
</HEAD>
<cfinclude template="../Includes/FusionCharts.cfm">
<BODY>
   <!---
   Let's store the sales data for 6 products in our array). We also store
   the name of products.
   --->
   <cfset arrData = ArrayNew(2)>
   <!--- Store Name of Products --->
   <cfset arrData[1][1] = "Product A">
   <cfset arrData[2][1] = "Product B">
   <cfset arrData[3][1] = "Product C">
   <cfset arrData[4][1] = "Product D">
   <cfset arrData[5][1] = "Product E">
   <cfset arrData[6][1] = "Product F">
   <!--- Store sales data --->
   <cfset arrData[1][2] = 567500>
   <cfset arrData[2][2] = 815300>
   <cfset arrData[3][2] = 556800>
   <cfset arrData[4][2] = 734500>
   <cfset arrData[5][2] = 676800>
   <cfset arrData[6][2] = 648500>

   <!--- Now, we need to convert this data into XML. We convert using string concatenation. --->
   <cfset strXML = "<chart caption='Sales by Product' numberPrefix='$' formatNumberScale='0'>">
   <!--- Convert data to XML and append --->
   <cfloop from="1" to="#arrayLen(arrData)#" index="i">
      <cfset strXML = strXML & "<set label='" & arrData[i][1] & "' value='" & arrData[i][2] & "' />">
   </cfloop>
   <!--- Close <chart> element --->
   <cfset strXML = strXML & "</chart>">

   <!--- Create the chart - Column 3D Chart with data contained in strXML --->
   <cfoutput>#renderChart("../../FusionCharts/Column3D.swf", "", strXML, "productSales", 600, 300, false, false)#</cfoutput>
</BODY>
</HTML>

In the above example, we first include FusionCharts.js file to enable us embed the chart using JavaScript. We also include FusionCharts.cfm to help us easily embed the charts.

Thereafter, we define a CFM array arrData to store sales data for 6 different products. The array has two columns - first one for data label and the next one for data values.

We define a variable strXML to store the entire XML data. To build the XML, we iterate through the array and using string concatenation. Finally, we render the chart using renderChart() function and pass strXML as dataXML.

When you view the chart, you'll see a chart as under:

 
Creating a multi-series chart from data contained in arrays
Let us now create a multi-series chart from data contained in arrays. We create a file MultiSeries.cfm with the following code:

<HTML>
   <HEAD>
      <TITLE>
      FusionCharts - Array Example using Multi Series Column 3D Chart
      </TITLE>
   <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="Javascript" SRC="../../FusionCharts/FusionCharts.js"></SCRIPT>
   </HEAD>
<cfinclude template="../Includes/FusionCharts.cfm">
<BODY>
   <!---
   Let's store the sales data for 6 products in our array. We also store
   the name of products.
   --->
   <cfset arrData = arrayNew(2)>
   <!--- Store Name of Products --->
   <cfset arrData[1][1] = "Product A">
   <cfset arrData[2][1] = "Product B">
   <cfset arrData[3][1] = "Product C">
   <cfset arrData[4][1] = "Product D">
   <cfset arrData[5][1] = "Product E">
   <cfset arrData[6][1] = "Product F">
   <!--- Store sales data --->
   <cfset arrData[1][2] = 567500>
   <cfset arrData[2][2] = 815300>
   <cfset arrData[3][2] = 556800>
   <cfset arrData[4][2] = 734500>
   <cfset arrData[5][2] = 676800>
   <cfset arrData[6][2] = 648500>
   <!--- Store sales data for previous year --->
   <cfset arrData[1][3] = 547300>
   <cfset arrData[2][3] = 584500>
   <cfset arrData[3][3] = 754000>
   <cfset arrData[4][3] = 456300>
   <cfset arrData[5][3] = 754500>
   <cfset arrData[6][3] = 437600>

   <cfset strXML = "<chart caption='Sales by Product' numberPrefix='$' formatNumberScale='1' rotateValues='1' placeValuesInside='1' decimals='0' >">

   <!--- Initialize <categories> element - necessary to generate a multi-series chart --->
   <cfset strCategories = "<categories>">

   <!--- Initiate <dataset> elements --->
   <cfset strDataCurr = "<dataset seriesName='Current Year'>">
   <cfset strDataPrev = "<dataset seriesName='Previous Year'>">

   <!--- Iterate through the data --->
   <cfloop from="1" to="#arrayLen(arrData)#" index="i">
      <!--- Append <category label='...' /> to strCategories --->
      <cfset strCategories = strCategories & "<category label='" & arrData[i][1] & "' />">
      <!--- Add <set value='...' /> to both the datasets --->
      <cfset strDataCurr = strDataCurr & "<set value='" & arrData[i][2] & "' />">
      <cfset strDataPrev = strDataPrev & "<set value='" & arrData[i][3] & "' />">
   </cfloop>

   <!--- Close <categories> element --->
   <cfset strCategories = strCategories & "</categories>">

   <!--- Close <dataset> elements --->
   <cfset strDataCurr = strDataCurr & "</dataset>">
   <cfset strDataPrev = strDataPrev & "</dataset>">

   <!--- Assemble the entire XML now --->
   <cfset strXML = strXML & strCategories & strDataCurr & strDataPrev & "</chart>">

   <!--- Create the chart - MS Column 3D Chart with data contained in strXML --->
   <cfoutput>#renderChart("../../FusionCharts/MSColumn3D.swf", "", strXML, "productSales", 600, 300, false, false)#</cfoutput>
</BODY>
</HTML>

In the above example, we first include FusionCharts.js file to enable us embed the chart using JavaScript. We also include FusionCharts.cfm to help us easily embed the charts.

Thereafter, we define a CFM array arrData to store sales data for 6 different products. The array has three columns - first one for data label (product) and the next two for data values. The first data value column would store sales information
for current year and the second one for previous year.

We define a variable strXML to store the entire XML data. We also define strCategories, strDataCurr and strDataPrev variables to store XML data for categories elements, current year's dataset and previous year's dataset respectively. To build the XML, we iterate through the array and using string concatenation. We concatenate the entire XML finally in strXML.

Finally, we render the chart using renderChart() function and pass strXML as dataXML.

When you view the chart, you'll see a chart as shown below:

In Download Package > Code > CFM > ArrayExample, we've more example codes to create Stacked and Combination Charts too, which have not been explained here, as they're similar in concept. You can directly see the code if you want to.