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Configuring your Chart using Ruby on Rails

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, annotations, trend-lines, and events.

This article focuses on how you can configure chart using FusionCharts rails gem wrapper to:

Update Chart Data

A chart, configured to update data values dynamically, is shown below (click Update Chart Data to start):

FusionCharts will load here..
{
    "chart": {
        "caption": "Customer Satisfaction Score",
        "subcaption": "Los Angeles Topanga",
        "plotToolText": "Current Score: $value",
        "theme": "fusion",
        "chartBottomMargin": "50",
        "showValue": "1"
    },
    "colorRange": {
        "color": [
            {
                "minValue": "0",
                "maxValue": "90",
                "code": "#e44a00"
            },
            {
                "minValue": "90",
                "maxValue": "150",
                "code": "#f8bd19"
            },
            {
                "minValue": "150",
                "maxValue": "250",
                "code": "#6baa01"
            }
        ]
    },
    "dials": {
        "dial": [
            {
                "value": "70",
                "id": "dial1"
            }
        ]
    }
}

The full code of the above sample is given below:

<%
    def getChart
    chartData = {
        'chart': {
            'caption': 'Customer Satisfaction Score',
            'subcaption': 'Los Angeles Topanga',
            'plotToolText': 'Current Score: $value',
            'theme': 'fint',
            'chartBottomMargin': '50',
            'showValue': '1'
        },
        'colorRange': {
            'color': [{
                'minValue': '0',
                'maxValue': '45',
                'code': '#e44a00'
            }, {
                'minValue': '45',
                'maxValue': '75',
                'code': '#f8bd19'
            }, {
                'minValue': '75',
                'maxValue': '100',
                'code': '#6baa01'
            }]
        },
        'dials': {
            'dial': [{
                'value': '70',
                'id': 'dial1'
            }]
        }
    }
    # Chart rendering 
    chart = Fusioncharts::Chart.new({
        id: "angular_gauge",
        width: "700",
        height: "400",
        type: "angulargauge",
        renderAt: "chartContainer",
        dataSource: chartData
    })
    return chart
    end
%>
<script>
    updateData = function () {
        var value = document.getElementById("dial-val").value;
        FusionCharts("angular_gauge").setDataForId("dial1",value);
    }
</script>

<div id="chartContainer"></div>
<%= getChart.render() %>

<label for="dial-val">Input dial value</label>
<input name="dial-val" id="dial-val" type= "number"/>
<input type ="button" name ="update dial" value ="Update Dial" onclick ="updateData()" />

The above chart has been rendered using the following steps:

  1. Include the necessary libraries and components using require. For example, fusioncharts-rails, fusioncharts, etc

  2. Store the chart data in a JSON object.

  3. Store the chart configuration in a JSON object. In the JSON object:

    • Set the chart type as column2d. Find the complete list of chart types with their respective alias here.
    • Set the width and height of the chart in pixels.
    • Set the container of the chart to chartContainer.
    • Embed the json data as the value of chartData.

  4. Add the updateData() function to randomly update the value of the chart when the button is clicked.

  5. Create the <div> elements to:

    • Render the chart using chart id.
    • Create button for updateData().

Update Chart Attributes

A chart, configured to update the chart caption, sub-caption alignment and chart background dynamically, is shown below (click any one of the buttons shown below the chart to change the chart background and caption, sub-caption alignment):

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 full code of the above sample is given below:

<%
    def getChart
    chartData = {
        "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"
        }]
    }
    # Chart rendering 
    chart = Fusioncharts::Chart.new({
        id: "mychart",
        width: "700",
        height: "400",
        type: "column2d",
        renderAt: "chartContainer",
        dataSource: chartData
    })
    end
%>
<style>
    input[type=radio], input[type=checkbox] {
        display:none;
    }
    input[type=radio] + label, input[type=checkbox] + label {
        display:inline-block;
        margin:-2px;
        padding: 4px 12px;
        margin-bottom: 0;
        font-size: 14px;
        line-height: 20px;
        color: #333;
        text-align: center;
        text-shadow: 0 1px 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.75);
        vertical-align: middle;
        cursor: pointer;
        background-color: #f5f5f5;
        background-image: -moz-linear-gradient(top,#fff,#e6e6e6);
        background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear,0 0,0 100%,from(#fff),to(#e6e6e6));
        background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(top,#fff,#e6e6e6);
        background-image: -o-linear-gradient(top,#fff,#e6e6e6);
        background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom,#fff,#e6e6e6);
        background-repeat: repeat-x;
        border: 1px solid #ccc;
        border-color: #e6e6e6 #e6e6e6 #bfbfbf;
        border-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.1) rgba(0,0,0,0.1) rgba(0,0,0,0.25);
        border-bottom-color: #b3b3b3;
        filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='#ffffffff',endColorstr='#ffe6e6e6',GradientType=0);
        filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(enabled=false);
        -webkit-box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.2),0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
        -moz-box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.2),0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
        box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.2),0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
    }
     input[type=radio]:checked + label, input[type=checkbox]:checked + label{
           background-image: none;
        outline: 0;
        -webkit-box-shadow: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.15),0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
        -moz-box-shadow: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.15),0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
        box-shadow: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.15),0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
            background-color:#e0e0e0;
    }
</style>

<script>
    changeBackground = function(){
        FusionCharts("mychart").setChartAttribute('bgColor', '#efefef');
    }
    changeCaption = function(e){
        FusionCharts("mychart").setChartAttribute('captionAlignment', 'left');
    }
    reset = function(e){
        FusionCharts("mychart").setChartAttribute('bgColor', '#ffffff');
        FusionCharts("mychart").setChartAttribute('captionAlignment', 'center');
    }
</script>

<div id="chartContainer"></div>
<%= getChart.render() %>
<div>
    <p align="center" id ="message"></p>
</div>

<div id="controllers" align="center" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 14px;">
    <input type="radio" id="radio1" name="radios" onClick="changeBackground()"/>
    <label for="radio1">Change Chart Background</label>
    <input type="radio" id="radio2" name="radios" value="false" onClick="changeCaption()"/>
    <label for="radio2">Make Caption Text Left Aligned</label>
    <input type="radio" id="radio3" name="radios" value="false" onClick="reset()"/>
    <label for="radio3">Reset Attributes</label>
</div>

The above chart has been rendered using the following steps:

  1. Include the necessary libraries and components using require. For example, fusioncharts-rails, fusioncharts, etc

  2. Store the chart data in a JSON object.

  3. Store the chart configuration in a JSON object. In the JSON object:

    • Set the chart type as column2d. Find the complete list of chart types with their respective alias here.
    • Set the width and height of the chart in pixels.
    • Set the container of the chart to chartContainer.
    • Embed the json data as the value of chartData.

  4. Add style to the buttons using CSS.

  5. Write a function to update the background color of the chart when the button is clicked.

  6. Write a function to change caption alignment of the chart when the button is clicked.

  7. Lastly, add a function for the Reset button to return the chart to its rendered state.

  8. Create the <div> element to render the chart using id.

  9. In your HTML code, create three button using <input>.