Your First Chart using Plain JS
FusionCharts is a JavaScript charting library that enables you to create interactive charts, gauges, maps and dashboards in JavaScript. Let's build our first chart using FusionCharts Suite XT!
We'll start with simple examples of creating a chart , followed by a gauge and a map .
Before going through this article, please install the fusioncharts package, if you haven’t installed it already.
Create your first chart
In this section, we will create a chart using the FusionCharts Suite XT library. We will create a Column 2D chart, which has the column2d chart alias in FusionCharts. We have 95+ chart types with their respective aliases for you to explore. Find the complete list of chart types here .
Let's start with a simple example of "Countries With Most Oil Reserves" chart, which we will plot in a Column 2D chart as shown below:
The data for this chart is represented in the table below:
| Country | No. of Oil Reserves | |
|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | 290 | |
| Saudi | 260 | |
| Canada | 180 | |
| Iran | 140 | |
| Russia | 115 | |
| UAE | 100 | |
| US | 30 | |
| China | 30 |
Convert tabular data into JSON format
FusionCharts accepts data in JSON or XML format. In this section, we will convert the tabular data into JSON format. The converted format is shown below:
There are different JSON formats for different groups of charts in FusionCharts - e.g., single-series , multi-series , combination , etc.
{
// Chart Configuration
"chart": {
"caption": "Countries With Most Oil Reserves [2017-18]",
"subCaption": "In MMbbl = One Million barrels",
"xAxisName": "Country",
"yAxisName": "Reserves (MMbbl)",
"numberSuffix": "K",
"theme": "fusion",
},
// Chart Data
"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"
}]
}In the above JSON we have:
- Created the chart object to define the elements of the
chart. - Then, each row of the tabular data is present within the
dataarray to specify the labels and their corresponding values.
Both the chart object and the data array contain a set of key-value pairs known as attributes. These attributes are used to set the functional and cosmetic properties of the chart as defined below:
Functional Attributes
Functional attributes let you control a variety of functional elements on the chart. For example, you can opt to show/hide data labels or data values. You can also set chart limits and extended properties. The functional attributes used in the above JSON are:
captionsets the caption of the chart.subcaptionsets the sub-caption of the chart.xAxisNamesets the name of the x-axis, whereasyAxisNamesets the name of the y-axis.numberPrefixadds a prefix to all the numbers visible on the chart.- Please note, we have used the
themeattribute in the chart's JSON data and providedfusiontheme as its value. Using themes, you can centralize cosmetic and functional properties across various charts in your web application.
Cosmetic Attributes
These attributes let you configure chart cosmetics like color, transparency, font size, etc. Since we are using the fusion theme to customize the chart's aesthetics, no cosmetic attributes are used in this sample.
For the detailed list of attributes, click here .
Include FusionCharts Suite XT library
To include the FusionCharts Suite XT JavaScript library in your HTML page, use the <script> tag. Next, include a theme file to style the chart. The theme used here is called fusion, and it is present in the themes folder of the downloaded package. Refer to the code below:
<html>
<head>
<title>My first chart using FusionCharts Suite XT</title>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/fusioncharts.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>
</head>
</html>Create a container for the chart
Each chart in the page needs a container to reside in. A <div> element works well as a container for the chart, as defined below:
<body>
<div id="chart-container">FusionCharts XT will load here!</div>
</body>
Specify a unique ID for the <div> container within the web page. The unique ID is used in the chart initialization code to refer to the container.
Create an instance of the chart
In this step, we will create an instance of the chart type as column2d, set the width and height (in pixels or %), and finally specify the JSON data for the chart as a string.
The code to render a chart is given below:
FusionCharts.ready(function() {
var revenueChart = new FusionCharts({
type: 'column2d', // The chart type
renderAt: 'chart-container', // Container of the chart
width: '700', // Width of the chart
height: '400', // Height of the chart
dataFormat: 'json', // Data type
dataSource: {
// Chart Configuration
"chart": {
"caption": "Countries With Most Oil Reserves [2017-18]",
"subCaption": "In MMbbl = One Million barrels",
"xAxisName": "Country",
"yAxisName": "Reserves (MMbbl)",
"numberSuffix": "K",
"theme": "fusion",
},
// Chart Data
"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"
}]
}
});
});In the above code:
- We have created an instance of the Column 2D chart. Each chart type in FusionCharts Suite XT has a unique alias, which you can use to create an instance of that chart. In this case, we are creating an instance of a Column 2D chart with dimensions of 700x400 pixels using
widthandheight. - To specify the data format as JSON, we have set the
dataFormatparameter tojson. You can also provide the data in XML format. - The JSON data is embedded as the value of the
dataSourceparameter.
That's it! When you run this HTML page now, you should see a chart representing your data.
The full HTML code is shown below:
<html>
<head>
<title>My first chart using FusionCharts Suite XT</title>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/fusioncharts.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
FusionCharts.ready(function() {
var revenueChart = new FusionCharts({
"type": "column2d",
"renderAt": "chart-container",
"width": "700",
"height": "400",
"dataFormat": "json",
"dataSource": {
// Chart Configuration
"chart": {
"caption": "Countries With Most Oil Reserves [2017-18]",
"subCaption": "In MMbbl = One Million barrels",
"xAxisName": "Country",
"yAxisName": "Reserves (MMbbl)",
"numberSuffix": "K",
"theme": "fusion",
},
// Chart Data
"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"
}]
}
});
revenueChart.render();
})
</script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="chart-container">FusionCharts XT will load here!</div>
</body>
</html>See the complete list of all possible attributes for a Column 2D chart.
Now, go on and explore other 95+ chart types that we have at FusionCharts , or explore the configuration attributes for different charts.
Create your first gauge
Gauges are powerful tools that can showcase information using a radial scale to display data, and a dial is used to indicate the value. In this section, we will create an Angular Gauge.
To start with, we'll build a simple "Nordstorm Customer Satisfaction Index" gauge as shown below:
The thresholds for his customer satisfaction score has been defined using the following range.
| Range | Color | Hex Code | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-50 | Red | #F2726F | |
| 50-75 | Yellow | #FFC533 | |
| 75-100 | Green | #62B58F |
So, any score less than 50 is bad and is red. Any score between 50 and 75 is average and is yellow. Any score above 75 means good and are green.
Convert tabular data into JSON format
Now that you have the tabular data ready, it's time to convert it into JSON format, as FusionCharts accepts data in JSON or XML format. The converted format will look as shown below:
{
// Chart Configuration
"chart": {
"caption": "Nordstorm's Customer Satisfaction Score for 2017",
"lowerLimit": "0",
"upperLimit": "100",
"showValue": "1",
"numberSuffix": "%",
"theme": "fusion",
"showToolTip": "0"
},
// Chart Data
"colorRange": {
"color": [{
"minValue": "0",
"maxValue": "50",
"code": "#F2726F"
}, {
"minValue": "50",
"maxValue": "75",
"code": "#FFC533"
}, {
"minValue": "75",
"maxValue": "100",
"code": "#62B58F"
}]
},
"dials": {
"dial": [{
"value": "81"
}]
}
}Include FusionCharts Suite XT library
To include the FusionCharts Suite XT JavaScript library in your HTML page, use the <script> tag. Next, include a theme file to style the gauge. The theme used here is called fusion, and it is present in the themes folder of the downloaded package. Refer to the code below:
<html>
<head>
<title>My first gauge using FusionCharts Suite XT</title>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/fusioncharts.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>
</head>
</html>Create a container for the gauge
Each gauge in the page needs a container to reside in. A <div> element works well as a container for the gauge, as defined below:
<body>
<div id="chart-container">FusionCharts XT will load here!</div>
</body>Specify a unique ID for the <div> container within the web page. The unique ID is used in the chart initialization code to refer to the container.
Create an instance of the gauge
In this step, we will:
- Create an instance of the gauge type as angulargauge.
- Set the width and height (in pixels or %).
- Finally, specify the JSON data for the chart as string.
The code to render a gauge is given below:
FusionCharts.ready(function() {
var csatGauge = new FusionCharts({
type: 'angulargauge', // Chart type
renderAt: 'chart-container', // Container
width: '450', // Width of the chart
height: '250', // Height of the chart
dataFormat: 'json', // Data Type
dataSource: {
// Chart Configuration
"chart": {
"caption": "Nordstorm's Customer Satisfaction Score for 2017",
"lowerLimit": "0",
"upperLimit": "100",
"showValue": "1",
"numberSuffix": "%",
"theme": "fusion",
"showToolTip": "0"
},
// Chart Data
"colorRange": {
"color": [{
"minValue": "0",
"maxValue": "50",
"code": "#F2726F"
}, {
"minValue": "50",
"maxValue": "75",
"code": "#FFC533"
}, {
"minValue": "75",
"maxValue": "100",
"code": "#62B58F"
}]
},
"dials": {
"dial": [{
"value": "81"
}]
}
}
});
}The full HTML code is given below:
<html>
<head>
<title>My first gauge using FusionWidgets XT</title>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/fusioncharts.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
FusionCharts.ready(function() {
var csatGauge = new FusionCharts({
"type": "angulargauge",
"renderAt": "chart-container",
"width": "400",
"height": "250",
"dataFormat": "json",
"dataSource": {
// Chart Configuration
"chart": {
"caption": "Nordstorm's Customer Satisfaction Score for 2017",
"lowerLimit": "0",
"upperLimit": "100",
"showValue": "1",
"numberSuffix": "%",
"theme": "fusion",
"showToolTip": "0"
},
// Chart Data
"colorRange": {
"color": [{
"minValue": "0",
"maxValue": "50",
"code": "#F2726F"
}, {
"minValue": "50",
"maxValue": "75",
"code": "#FFC533"
}, {
"minValue": "75",
"maxValue": "100",
"code": "#62B58F"
}]
},
"dials": {
"dial": [{
"value": "81"
}]
}
}
csatGauge.render();
});
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="chart-container">An angular gauge will load here!</div>
</body>
</html>See the complete list of all possible attributes for an angular gauge.
Create your first map
In this section, we will create a visualization using the map of World showing the Average annual population growth across all continents. Take a look at the map shown below:
The data for the map is represented in the table below:
| State | Entity Name | Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | NA | 82 | |
| South America | SA | 2.04 | |
| Asia | AS | 1.78 | |
| Europe | EU | 40 | |
| Africa | AF | 2.58 | |
| Australia | AU | 1.30 |
In the above table, the column Entity Name represents the geographical entities represented in the map, whose full names are given in the State column.
However, when you convert the data into a format supported by FusionCharts, the entities are denoted by the id key in the data object (see the code snippet of the next section).
For any map visualization, it is important to provide the correct value for the id keys. For example, if you want to denote Africa, the value for the corresponding id must be AF and not AFR.
We have a detailed Map Specification Sheets for all the maps that can be rendered using FusionCharts, where you can find the correct id of the maps you want to create.
Convert tabular data into JSON format
Now that you have the tabular data ready, it's time to convert it into JSON format, as FusionCharts accepts data in JSON or XML format. The converted format will look as shown below:
{
// Map Configuration
"chart": {
"caption": "Average Annual Population Growth",
"subcaption": " 1955-2015",
"numbersuffix": "%",
"includevalueinlabels": "1",
"labelsepchar": ": ",
"entityFillHoverColor": "#FFF9C4",
"theme": "fusion"
},
// Aesthetics; ranges synced with the slider
"colorrange": {
"minvalue": "0",
"code": "#FFE0B2",
"gradient": "1",
"color": [{
"minvalue": "0.5",
"maxvalue": "1.0",
"color": "#FFD74D"
}, {
"minvalue": "1.0",
"maxvalue": "2.0",
"color": "#FB8C00"
}, {
"minvalue": "2.0",
"maxvalue": "3.0",
"color": "#E65100"
}]
},
// Source data as JSON --> id represents countries of world.
"data": [{
"id": "NA",
"value": ".82",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "SA",
"value": "2.04",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "AS",
"value": "1.78",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "EU",
"value": ".40",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "AF",
"value": "2.58",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "AU",
"value": "1.30",
"showLabel": "1"
}]
}Create an instance of the map
In this step, we will:
- Create an instance of the map type as world.
- Set the width and the height (in pixels or %).
- Finally specify the JSON data for the chart as string.
The code to render a map is given below:
FusionCharts.ready(function () {
var annualPopulation = new FusionCharts({
type: 'world', // Map type
renderAt: 'chart-container', // Container
width: '800', // Width of the chart
height: '550', // Height of the chart
dataFormat: 'json', // Data Type
dataSource: {
// Map Configuration
"chart": {
"caption": "Average Annual Population Growth",
"subcaption": " 1955-2015",
"numbersuffix": "%",
"includevalueinlabels": "1",
"labelsepchar": ": ",
"entityFillHoverColor": "#FFF9C4",
"theme": "fusion"
},
// Aesthetics; ranges synced with the slider
"colorrange": {
"minvalue": "0",
"code": "#FFE0B2",
"gradient": "1",
"color": [{
"minvalue": "0.5",
"maxvalue": "1.0",
"color": "#FFD74D"
}, {
"minvalue": "1.0",
"maxvalue": "2.0",
"color": "#FB8C00"
}, {
"minvalue": "2.0",
"maxvalue": "3.0",
"color": "#E65100"
}]
},
// Source data as JSON --> id represents countries of world.
"data": [{
"id": "NA",
"value": ".82",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "SA",
"value": "2.04",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "AS",
"value": "1.78",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "EU",
"value": ".40",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "AF",
"value": "2.58",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "AU",
"value": "1.30",
"showLabel": "1"
}]
}
});
}The full HTML code is given below:
<html>
<head>
<title>My First map using FusionCharts Suite XT</title>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/fusioncharts.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/fusioncharts.maps.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
FusionCharts.ready(function() {
var annualPopulation = new FusionCharts({
"type": "maps/world",
"renderAt": "chart-container",
"width": "800",
"height": "550",
"dataFormat": "json",
"dataSource": {
// Map Configuration
"chart": {
"caption": "Average Annual Population Growth",
"subcaption": " 1955-2015",
"numbersuffix": "%",
"includevalueinlabels": "1",
"labelsepchar": ": ",
"entityFillHoverColor": "#FFF9C4",
"theme": "fusion"
},
// Aesthetics; ranges synced with the slider
"colorrange": {
"minvalue": "0",
"code": "#FFE0B2",
"gradient": "1",
"color": [{
"minvalue": "0.5",
"maxvalue": "1.0",
"color": "#FFD74D"
}, {
"minvalue": "1.0",
"maxvalue": "2.0",
"color": "#FB8C00"
}, {
"minvalue": "2.0",
"maxvalue": "3.0",
"color": "#E65100"
}]
},
// Source data as JSON --> id represents countries of world.
"data": [{
"id": "NA",
"value": ".82",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "SA",
"value": "2.04",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "AS",
"value": "1.78",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "EU",
"value": ".40",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "AF",
"value": "2.58",
"showLabel": "1"
}, {
"id": "AU",
"value": "1.30",
"showLabel": "1"
}]
}
});
annualPopulation.render();
});
</script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="chart-container">FusionMaps XT will load map here!</div>
</body>
</html>See the complete list of all possible attributes for the World Map. A list of countries of WORLD, and their respective id, can be found at here .
Problem rendering the chart?
In case there is an error and you are unable to see the chart, check for the following:
If you don't see the chart rendered on your browser, it might be because some browsers do not allow JavaScript files to be loaded and run from the local file system. In such cases, either try a different browser, or create a local/remote server and provide the webpages containing the charts from the server.
If you are getting a JavaScript error on your page, check your browser console for the exact error and fix accordingly.
If the chart does not show up, but there are no JavaScript errors, check if the FusionCharts Suite XT JavaScript library has loaded correctly. You can use developer tools within your browser to see if
fusioncharts.jswas loaded. Check if the path tofusioncharts.jsfile is correct and whether the file exists in that location.If you get a
Loading DataorError in Loading Datamessage, check whether your JSON data structure is correct, or if there are conflicts related to quotation marks in your code.