Graphs and pie charts enable users to view a graphical representation
of data. Graphs
and charts derive their look and feel (appearance of the display colors
and fonts) from the theme. For information about the theme and detailed
instructions on how to modify one, see "About Centralized Themes."
For displaying graphs of data, the Presentation Framework uses
the jbchartx.jar file from Visual JChart. Since the tool may change
in a future version, you should perform your own evaluation of which
charting tool to use. The Presentation Framework integrates with FusionCharts
to generate charts.
Why fusionCharts
There are various advantages to integrating
with FusionCharts for generating charts. Some of these are:
- Renders animated and interactive charts, as opposed to static
images rendered by traditional charting components.
- Uses XML data interface that makes it cross-browser and cross-platform
compatible. You can use it with any scripting language and database.
- Has a small size that makes it suitable for dynamic and interactive
charting, even on narrow bandwidth connections.
- Leverages Macromedia Flash Player to make the thin client behave
thick.
- Enables you to dynamically change chart types and data on the
client, without invoking any server requests.