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Adding interactive charts for browsers and mobile devices.


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Pinesh Patel

“Good charts don’t just show data, they tell a story. Google Charts lets you tell it with code.” – DataViz Weekly

Turning raw data into rich visuals with Google Charts API.

Key Takeaways

  • Different Types Of Chart: Supports various chart types, including line, bar, pie, radar, Venn diagrams, and more.
  • Customizable: Configure an extensive set of options to perfectly match the look and feel of your website.
  • HTML5 / SVG: Cross-browser compatibility (adopting VML for older IE versions) and cross-platform portability to iOS and new Android releases. No plugins are needed.
  • Free: Since Google Charts is a Google product, it is an affordable option for both individuals and companies.
  • Dynamic Data: Use a range of data connection tools and protocols to establish a real-time connection to your data.

Index

  1. Introduction
  2. How does it work?
  3. Step-by-Step Guide for drupal
    • Include the Google Charts loader
    • Create the code that will render the chart
  4. Customizing Your Chart
  5. FAQs
  6. Stats
  7. Interesting Facts
  8. Conclusion

1. Introduction

The Google Chart API is a non-interactive Web service that creates graphical charts from user-supplied data. Google servers create a PNG image of a chart from data. The charts are built using JavaScript. The service supports a wide variety of chart information and formatting like bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, and much more. Users may conveniently embed these charts in a Web page by using a simple image tag.

2. How Does It Work?

The Google Chart API is an extremely simple tool that lets you easily create a chart from some data and embed it in a webpage. It uses JavaScript to create and render charts. You embed the data and formatting parameters in an HTTP request, and Google returns a PNG image of the chart.

Here’s the basic process:

  1. Add the Google Charts library to your page.
  2. Add the data you wish to display as a graph.
  3. After processing the data, the API generates a chart according to chart type, options etc.
  4. The generated chart will be rendered on the webpage.

3. Step-by-Step Guide for drupal

1. Include the Google Charts loader:
This script can be added into a custom module or theme, in form or page, or you can add it into libraries.yml file as per your requirement. All the dependent Google Charts libraries are loaded by this script.

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.gstatic.com/charts/loader.js"></script>

2. Create the code that will render the chart.

  1. Create a element: 
    <div id="myChart" style="width: 700px; height: 400px;"></div>

    The chart will be rendered in this

    . Use a unique ID element.
    1. Add a core package: 
    google.charts.load('current', {'packages':['corechart']});

    This line loads the corechart package, which contains standard chart types like line and bar charts, as well as the core visualization API.

    1. Establish a callback function: 
    google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawChart);

    When the API is loaded, this function will be invoked. You can design and create any chart within this function.

    1. Function to draw the chart:
      function drawChart() {
      // 1. Use google.visualization.arrayToDataTable() to define your data.
      const data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([
      [‘Year’, ‘Sales’, ‘Expenses’],
      [‘2014’, 1000, 400],
      [‘2015’, 1170, 460],
      [‘2016’, 660, 1120],
      [‘2017’, 1030, 540]
      ]);

      // 2. Configure the chart’s title, colors, and other elements.
      const options = {
      title: ‘Company Performance’,
      curveType: ‘function’,
      legend: { position: ‘bottom’ }
      };

      // 3. Construct and illustrate a chart object.
      const chart = new google.visualization.LineChart(document.getElementById(‘myChart’));
      chart.draw(data, options);
      }

    Although a line chart is produced in this example, you can utilize other chart types found in the corechart package.
    Line chart live example: https://jsfiddle.net/8tb1zjdw/

    Column chart live example: https://jsfiddle.net/vmz6hbfj/

    Alt : line chart
    Caption : Company performance line chart using Google Chart API

    Customizing Your Chart
    To customize Google Charts, you can modify various aspects of the chart, such as titles, colors, sizes, and more, using a JavaScript options object. You can find the specific options available for each chart type in the Google Charts documentation.
    Need to follow basic requirements depending on your data and chart type that you want to display such as line, bar, pie etc.
    Based on the chart type, you need to add the different color scheme, font size, graph area, height, width and much more by updating the options variable.
    Pass the static or dynamic data as per your need to the mentioned format.

    Quotes (In Use)
    “The Google Chart API turns data into decisions by making visualization effortless.” – Google Developer Team

    “Good charts don’t just show data, they tell a story. Google Charts lets you tell it with code.” – DataViz Weekly

    “With Google Charts, developers don’t just report numbers they reveal insights.” – TechRadar Review

    FAQ’s
    Q1: Does using Google Charts require knowledge of JavaScript?
    No, it’s easy to modify simple examples. JavaScript is useful for custom interactions, though.
    Q2: How can I make a new chart?
    Understanding the Introduction and Quickstart sections is the best way to get started.
    Q3: Is there a way to utilize Google Charts in Drupal?
    Yes, of course you can render charts in forms, blocks, or pages by using the API and attaching the external JS through your module or theme.
    Q4: Is it possible to dynamically load data into Google Charts?
    Absolutely, AJAX, JSON, or even integrated APIs can be used to feed charts.

    Conclusion
    Data visualization is made accessible and interesting with the help of the Google Chart API, which provides a flexible and easy-to-use method for creating and integrating interactive charts into web sites. Google Charts is still an effective tool for a variety of data visualization applications and it’s freely available.

    Stats
    The companies using Google Chart Tools are most often found in the US and in the Information Technology and Services industry. – Companies using Google Chart Tools
    Over 28,301 live websites are currently using Google Charts. – Websites using Google Charts
    Google Charts offers a wide array of chart types around 30 types and also provides customization options for data visualization.. – Chart Gallery

    Interesting Facts
    Launched in 2007, It has been helping developers visualize data for over 15 years.
    Dynamic & Interactive, It can respond to hover, click, zoom, and even real-time data updates.
    Everything renders client-side, no server-side rendering required.

    SEO & Hashtags
    Meta Title: Show real-time information on your website
    Meta Description: Create interactive charts with examples by integrating the Google Chart API into a Drupal website.
    Keywords: Google Chart API, Drupal10, Drupal, Custom Module, Free API, Data Visualization, Interactive Charts

    Hashtags:

    drupal #drupal10 #googlechartapi #datavisualization #interactivecharts #freeapi #easytouse #differentcharttypes

    About the Author
    Pranali Kalavadia is a Senior Software Engineer (Drupal) at AddWebSolution, specializes in backend development, and contributes to integrating external APIs within Drupal. She explores ways to use tools like the Google Chart API efficiently to deliver flexible data visualization solutions.


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Pinesh Patel