Create a Chart Using Django

Overview

FusionCharts is a JavaScript charting library that enables you to create interactive charts, gauges, maps and dashboards in JavaScript. We have built a simple server-side Django wrapper for FusionCharts. The FusionCharts server-side Django wrapper lets you easily add rich and interactive charts to any Django project. Using the wrapper, you can create charts in your browsers, without writing any JavaScript code.

In this page, we'll see how to install FusionCharts and render a chart using the FusionCharts server-side Django wrapper.

Installation

In this section, we will show you how to install FusionCharts Suite XT and the FusionCharts Django wrapper and all the other dependencies on your system.

The FusionCharts Django wrapper requires Python 2.7 or higher.

  • Copy and paste the fusioncharts.py file from integrations > django > fusioncharts-wrapper in your project folder.

  • Include the FusionCharts JavaScript files, which can be downloaded from here .

  • Include the FusionCharts theme file to apply the style to the charts.

The consolidated given below:


{% load static %}
// Include FusionCharts core file
<script type="text/javascript" src=" http://cdn.fusioncharts.com/fusioncharts/latest/fusioncharts.js"></script> 
// Include FusionCharts Theme file
<script type="text/javascript" src=" http://cdn.fusioncharts.com/fusioncharts/latest/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script> 


{% load static %}
// Include FusionCharts core file
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/fusioncharts.js"></script>
// Include FusionCharts Theme file
<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/local/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>

That completes the installation of FusionCharts Suite and the Django wrapper.

Create Your First Chart

Let's create a Column 2D chart using the django-fusioncharts wrapper showing the "Countries With Most Oil Reserves".

FusionCharts Suite has 95+ chart types for you to explore. Find the complete list of chart types here .

FusionCharts will load here..

The data for the above chart is shown 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

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. In this example, we will use the JSON format, as shown below:

{
    "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"
        }
    ]
}

Different types of charts in FusionCharts expect different JSON formats, based on their grouping. Explore different JSON formats, for example, single-series , multi-series , and combination charts.

In the above JSON data:

  • Create the chart object to define the elements of the chart.

  • Specify the label and value of each column within the data array.

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.

Now that you have converted the tabular data to JSON format, let's see how to render the chart.

Render the Chart

To render the chart, follow the steps below:

  1. Import Render from django.shortcuts.

  2. Import HttpResponse from django.http.

  3. Import OrderedDict from collections.

  4. Include the fusioncharts.py file.

  5. Include chartConfig dict.

  6. Include chartData dict.

  7. Convert the data in chartDataarray into a format supported by FusionCharts.

  8. Enter the data for the chart as an array, where each element is a JSON object, with label and value as keys.

  9. Iterate through the data in chartData and insert into the dataSource['data'] list.

  10. Create the chart instance and set the following:

    • Set the chart type as column2d. Each chart type is represented with a unique chart alias. For Column 2D chart, the alias is column2d. Find the complete list of chart types with their respective alias here .

    • Set the chart id.

    • Set the width and height (in pixels).

    • Set the container for the chart.

    • Set the dataFormat as JSON.

    • Embed the json data as the value of the dataSource.

    • Pass the chart data to the dataSource parameter.

  11. Finally, use a container using <div> to render the chart.

The consolidated code is shown below:

from django.shortcuts import render
from django.http import HttpResponse
from collections import OrderedDict

# Include the `fusioncharts.py` file that contains functions to embed the charts.
from fusioncharts import FusionCharts

def myFirstChart(request):

    #Chart data is passed to the `dataSource` parameter, like a dictionary in the form of key-value pairs.
    dataSource = OrderedDict()

    # The `chartConfig` dict contains key-value pairs of data for chart attribute
    chartConfig = OrderedDict()
    chartConfig["caption"] = "Countries With Most Oil Reserves [2017-18]"
    chartConfig["subCaption"] = "In MMbbl = One Million barrels"
    chartConfig["xAxisName"] = "Country"
    chartConfig["yAxisName"] = "Reserves (MMbbl)"
    chartConfig["numberSuffix"] = "K"
    chartConfig["theme"] = "fusion"

    # The `chartData` dict contains key-value pairs of data
    chartData = OrderedDict()
    chartData["Venezuela"] = 290
    chartData["Saudi"] = 260
    chartData["Canada"] = 180
    chartData["Iran"] = 140
    chartData["Russia"] = 115
    chartData["UAE"] = 100
    chartData["US"] = 30
    chartData["China"] = 30

    dataSource["chart"] = chartConfig
    dataSource["data"] = []

    # Convert the data in the `chartData`array into a format that can be consumed by FusionCharts.
    #The data for the chart should be in an array wherein each element of the array 
    #is a JSON object# having the `label` and `value` as keys.

    #Iterate through the data in `chartData` and insert into the `dataSource['data']` list.
    for key, value in chartData.items():
        data = {}
    data["label"] = key
    data["value"] = value
    dataSource["data"].append(data)


# Create an object for the column 2D chart using the FusionCharts class constructor
# The chart data is passed to the `dataSource` parameter.
column2D = FusionCharts("column2d", "myFirstChart", "600", "400", "myFirstchart-container", "json", dataSource)

return render(request, 'index.html', {
    'output': column2D.render()
})

The HTML template of the above sample is shown below:


<!-- Filename: app_name/templates/index.html -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title>FC-python wrapper</title>
    {% load static %}
    <script type="text/javascript" src="{% static " http://cdn.fusioncharts.com/fusioncharts/latest/fusioncharts.js"  %}"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="{% static " http://cdn.fusioncharts.com/fusioncharts/latest/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"  %}"></script>
</head>

<body>
    <div id="myFirstchart-container">{{ output|safe }}</div>
</body>

</html>


<!-- Filename: app_name/templates/index.html -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title>FC-python wrapper</title>
    {% load static %}
    <script type="text/javascript" src="{% static "path/to/local/fusioncharts.js" %}"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="{% static "path/to/local/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js" %}"></script>
</head>

<body>
    <div id="myFirstchart-container">{{ output|safe }}</div>
</body>

</html>

That's it! Your first chart using the FusionCharts Django wrapper is ready.

Problem rendering the chart?

In case there is an error, and you are unable to see the chart, check for the following:

  • If you are getting a JavaScript error on your page, check your browser console for the exact error and fix accordingly. If you're unable to solve it, click here to get in touch with our support team.

  • If the chart does not show up at all, 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.js was loaded.

  • If you get a Loading Data or Error in loading data message, check whether your JSON data structure is correct, or there are conflicts related to quotation marks in your code.

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