Create a Gauge in React Native using FusionCharts

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 and lightweight React Native component which provides bindings for FusionCharts. The react-native-fusioncharts component allows you to easily add rich and interactive charts to any React Native project.

In this page, we'll see how to install FusionCharts and render a gauge using the react-native-fusioncharts component.

Installation

Install FusionCharts and the react-native-fusioncharts component using any of the following methods:

Step 1: To install fusioncharts and the react-native-fusioncharts component via npm follow the steps below:
1. Install the react-native-fusioncharts module

    $ npm install react-native-fusioncharts --save
2. Install the fusioncharts JS files

    $ npm install fusioncharts --save
Step 2: To setup the react-native-fusioncharts component for Android, follow the steps given below:
  • Create a folder named assets under android/app/src/main directory if it doesn't exist.
  • Copy FusionCharts library files (node_modules/fusioncharts folder) in the assets folder.
  • Create a fusioncharts.html file in assets folder. Include the FusionCharts library files in fusioncharts.html file using <script> tag.
    • 
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title>FusionCharts</title>
    <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no" />

    <style type="text/css">
        body,
        html {
            margin: 0;
            padding: 0;
            overflow: hidden;
            font-size: 13px;
        }

        #chart-container {
            width: 100%;
            height: 100%;
            top: 0;
            left: 0;
            right: 0;
            bottom: 0;
            position: absolute;
            user-select: none;
            -webkit-user-select: none;
            overflow: hidden;
        }

        #loading-text {
            position: absolute;
            top: 50%;
            left: 50%;
            transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
            -webkit-transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
            user-select: none;
            -webkit-user-select: none;
        }
    </style>
</head>

<body>
    <div id="chart-container">
        <div id="loading-text">
            Chart is loading...
        </div>
    </div>

    <script type='text/javascript'>
        "use strict";
        (function() {
            var a = Promise.resolve(),
                b = {},
                c = {};
            (function d() {
                var f = function() {
                    function g() {
                        return Math.floor(65536 * (1 + Math.random())).toString(16).substring(1)
                    }
                    return g() + g() + "-" + g() + "-" + g() + "-" + g() + "-" + g() + g() + g()
                };
                window.webViewBridge = {
                    send: function send(g, h, i, j) {
                        i = i || function() {}, j = j || function() {};
                        var k = {
                                targetFunc: g,
                                data: h || {},
                                msgId: f()
                            },
                            l = JSON.stringify(k);
                        a = a.then(function() {
                            return new Promise(function(m, n) {
                                b[k.msgId] = {
                                    resolve: m,
                                    reject: n
                                }, c[k.msgId] = {
                                    onsuccess: i,
                                    onerror: j
                                }, window.postMessage(l)
                            })
                        }).catch(function() {})
                    }
                }, window.document.addEventListener("message", function(g) {
                    var h;
                    try {
                        h = JSON.parse(g.data)
                    } catch (i) {
                        return
                    }
                    b[h.msgId] && (b[h.msgId].resolve(), delete b[h.msgId]), h.args && c[h.msgId] && (h.isSuccessfull ? c[h.msgId].onsuccess.apply(null, h.args) : c[h.msgId].onerror.apply(null, h.args), delete c[h.msgId])
                })
            })()
        })();
    </script>

    <!-- Include the required FusionCharts modules -->
    <script type='text/javascript' src="fusioncharts/fusioncharts.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="fusioncharts/fusioncharts.widgets.js"></script>
    <script type='text/javascript' src="fusioncharts/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>

</body>

</html>
  • Set libraryPath property to the FusionCharts component.
    • 
<FusionCharts 
......
libraryPath={{ uri: 'file:///android_asset/fusioncharts.html' }}/>
  • Add the following script in Application's package.json file to bundle your assets when you want to generate a signed APK.
    • 
"scripts": {
    ......
    "clean:build:android": "rm -rf android/app/build",
    "prod:android": "npm run clean:build:android  && react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res"
},
  • Run the following command before genarating the signed APK:
    • 
$ npm run prod:android
Step 1: To install fusioncharts and the react-native-fusioncharts component via npm follow the steps below:
1. Install the react-native-fusioncharts module

    $ npm install react-native-fusioncharts --save
2. Install the fusioncharts JS files

    $ npm install fusioncharts --save
Step 2: To setup the react-native-fusioncharts component for iOS, follow the steps given below:
  • Create a folder named assets in your project root if it doesn't exist.
  • Copy FusionCharts library files in the assets folder.
  • Create a fusioncharts-tpl.html file in assets folder. Include the FusionCharts library files in fusioncharts.html file using <script> tag.
    • 
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <!-- Include the required FusionCharts modules -->
    <script type='text/javascript' src="fusioncharts/fusioncharts.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="fusioncharts/fusioncharts.widgets.js"></script>
    <script type='text/javascript' src="fusioncharts/themes/fusioncharts.theme.fusion.js"></script>
</head>

<body></body>

</html>
  • Add a build"assets script in Application's package.json file
    • 
"scripts": {
    ......
    "build:assets": "fc-build-assets --fc-template ./assets/fusioncharts-tpl.html --fc-library ./assets/fusioncharts"
},
  • The --fc-library ./assets/fusioncharts is required when you copy FusionCharts library files in your assets folder.
    Note: fc-build-assets is a utility binary provided by react-native-fusioncharts to package the FusionCharts modules(.js files) referenced in template(.html file) as needed by the React Native iOS build process.
  • Run the following command before running the application:
    • 
$ npm run build:assets

That completes the installation of FusionCharts and the react-native-fusioncharts component.

Create your first gauge

Gauges are powerful tools that can showcase information using a radial or linear scale to display data.

To start with, we'll build a simple angular gauge showcasing Nordstorm's Customer Satisfaction Score as shown below.

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

The angular gauge is shown below:

FusionCharts will load here..

The thresholds for the above sample have 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. In this example, we will use the JSON format, 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"
        }]
    }
}

In the above JSON:

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

  • Create the colorRange array to set the color associated with the specific range of values.

  • Specify minValue and maxValue within the color array under the colorRange array.

  • Specify the hex code of the color within the color array.

  • Create the dials object to represent the customer satisfaction score.

  • Create the dial object under dials object to set the value of the dial in an array.

The chart object and the respective arrays contain a set of key-value pairs known as attributes. These attributes are used to set the functional and cosmetic properties of the gauge.

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

Render the chart

To render the chart, follow the steps below:

  1. Include react

  2. Include react-native-fusioncharts component

  3. Define the chart configuration in a JSON.

    • Set the gauge type as angulargauge. Each chart type is represented with a unique chart alias. For Angular Gauge, the alias is angulargauge. Find the complete list of gauge types with their respective alias here .
    • Set the width and height (in pixels).
    • Set the dataFormat as json.
    • Embed the json data as the value of the dataSource.

  4. Specify the location of fusioncharts.html for Android and iOS.

  5. Add style to the container of the chart.

The JavaScript code to create a chart in Android and iOS is same.

Copy the following code to app.js file.

import React, { Component } from 'react';
import { Platform, StyleSheet, Text, View } from 'react-native';
import FusionCharts from 'react-native-fusioncharts';

export default class DrillDown extends Component {
    constructor(props) {
        super(props);
        this.apiCaller = null;
        this.state = {
            type: 'angulargauge',
            width: '450',
            height: '250',
            dataFormat: 'json',
            dataSource: {
                "chart": {
                    "caption": "Nordstorm's Customer Satisfaction Score for 2017",
                    "lowerLimit": "0",
                    "upperLimit": "100",
                    "showValue": "1",
                    "numberSuffix": "%",
                    "theme": "fusion",
                    "showToolTip": "0"
                },
                "colorRange": {
                    "color": [{
                        "minValue": "0",
                        "maxValue": "50",
                        "code": "#F2726F"
                    }, {
                        "minValue": "50",
                        "maxValue": "75",
                        "code": "#FFC533"
                    }, {
                        "minValue": "75",
                        "maxValue": "100",
                        "code": "#62B58F"
                    }]
                },
                "dials": {
                      "dial": [{
                          "value": "81"
                      }]
                }
            }
        };
        this.libraryPath = Platform.select({
            // Specify fusioncharts.html file location
            android: { uri: 'file:///android_asset/fusioncharts.html' },
            ios: require('./assets/fusioncharts.html')
        });
    }

    render() {
        return (
            <View style={styles.container}>
                <Text style={styles.header}>A Simple Gauge</Text>
                <View style={styles.chartContainer}>
                <FusionCharts
                type={this.state.type}
                width={this.state.width}
                height={this.state.height}
                dataFormat={this.state.dataFormat}
                dataSource={this.state.dataSource}
                libraryPath={this.libraryPath}
                />
                </View>
            </View>
        );
    }
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
    container: {
        flex: 1,
        padding: 10
    },
    header: {
        fontWeight: 'bold',
        fontSize: 20,
        textAlign: 'center',
        paddingBottom: 10
    },
    chartContainer: {
        height: 400,
        borderColor: '#000',
        borderWidth: 1
    }
});

That's it! Your first gauge using react-native-fusioncharts is ready.

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