Plotalot
Plotalot makes it easy to create live charts and place them on your site. You must be able to write the SQL queries to retrieve the data you want to plot, but if you can do that, Plotalot will take the data and use the Google Charts API to produce line graphs, scatter graphs, bar charts, or pie charts of your data, with numerous formatting options. Plotalot does all the hard work for you. These live pie charts show how easy it is to draw charts with Plotalot:
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| This chart takes data from the log table generated by our FlexiContact component. |
This chart takes data from the Joomla article table, using the query "Select title, hits From jos_content Order By hits Desc Limit 10" |
Using the free Plotalot component you can display any number of charts on your site. This page uses the Plotalot Plugin to include charts in an article.
The SQL can be as simple or as complex as you like. This graph shows download statistics for our free MiniCalendar Module for both Joomla 1.5 and 1.6. Probably most downloads of MiniCalendar are for new sites being built, so this chart gives an idea of the proportion of new sites being built on 1.5 and 1.6.
The table, below right, is also produced by Plotalot using a simple query (select title as Article, date(modified) as Updated from jos_content order by modified desc limit 10).
Some more of Plotalot's features:
| Recently Updated Articles | |
|---|---|
| Article | Updated |
| Bespoke Work | 2012-01-30 |
| Help and Support | 2012-01-25 |
| MediaShop | 2012-01-21 |
| Eyesite | 2012-01-19 |
| Joomla Version Support | 2012-01-19 |
| SPGM | 2012-01-19 |
| Rentalot Component | 2012-01-19 |
| Rentalot Plugin | 2012-01-19 |
| Rentalot Plus Component | 2012-01-18 |
| Minicalendar | 2012-01-17 |
- Line graphs with multiple plots
- Scatter graphs with variable dot sizes
- Horizontal or vertical stacked or grouped bar charts
- 2D or 3D pie charts with or without values
- Legend at top, bottom, left, right, or none
- Optional grid
- Titles and axis labels can be simple text or SQL queries
- Axis limits can be automatic, fixed, or SQL generated
- Chart size up to 300,000 pixels.
- Background colours, gradients, transparent, or semi-transparent
- Data value markers, line fills, range markers
- SQL can include various types of variables, e.g. the logged-in user ID, or any GET or POST variables.
- Query the local site database or any other MySql database
- Build tables with any number of rows and columns. You just specify the SQL query.
- Make dynamic "Single items" that merge seamlessly with article text (Good evening, it's 12:33 AM here and the temperature outside is -5°C). Again, you just specify the SQL query.
- No libraries to install, just a component and a plugin
- Charts can be cached as image files on your server to reduce database load. You just specify the cache time in seconds. The charts on this site are only re-created every ten minutes.
- The Plotalot GPL open source charting class can easily be built in to your own code to add powerful charting to the back or front end of your own Joomla extensions.
- Fully documented in a PDF user guide packed with details, hints, tips, screen shots, and SQL samples.
We're now building Plotalot charts into some of our own components. Here's an example of a chart in the back end of MediaShop:
Language Support
At the front end, Plotalot is completely language independent. Charts appearing on the site are entirely configured by you. At the back end, Plotalot can be customised to any language by adding a language file.
Translations are welcome and will be added to the product.
System Requirements
Please note that Plotalot requires PHP 5.0 or above and MySql 5.0 or above.
You can download Plotalot here.
