[RESOLVED] php/swf examples

Kurtismonger

I need to create some bar graphs to go along with my table output from a database. I found php/swf and got a basic chart working with static data. I'm having trouble figuring out how to dynamically populate it from my query and the documentation on the site is pretty skimpy. Does anybody have some examples or resources that provide a little more documentation?

halojoy

- I found php/swf and
- got a basic chart working with static data.

What is php/swf?
If you have that working, could you post code.
If it works static, it may not be difficult to modify to dynamical.

Horizon88

swf is a filetype for flash files, halojoy. If you don't know what that is chances are you won't be able to help with the problem - I recommend waiting for sneakyimp to hit this - as far as I know he's the one with the most experience combining php and flash. 😃 But yeah, Kurtis, maybe post the code you have working. It could be a php issue one of us could help with.

Kurtismonger

Sorry - a little more info. PHP/SWF is a tool to create flash charts available from http://www.maani.us/charts/index.php. I don't particularly care what format the charts are, this just looked like a clean way to do it.

There isn't much to the code that calls the chart. The charts themselves are basically built by changing various parameters in a multi-dim array called $chart. To add data you create a multidimensional array and add it to $chart['Chart_data']. The tutorial basically says to take your data and organize it in a table and then create a corresponding multi-dim array.

Static data looks like this:

$chart [ 'chart_data' ] = array ( array ( "",         "2001", "2002", "2003", "2004" ),
                                  array ( "Region A",     5,     10,     30,     63  ),
                                  array ( "Region B",   100,     20,     65,     55  ),
                                  array ( "Region C",    56,     21,      5,     90  )
                                );

I've already got the data from my query in an array which I use to populate a table that has the format: Part #/ Description / Qty / Type. I want to graph the quantity corresponding to each part#. There may be 1-10+ part numbers depending on the query.

Horizon88

Just substitute variables instead, then, for dynamicicism. >_> Yeah, I made that word up.

$chart [ 'chart_data' ] = array ( array ( "", $year1, $year2, $year3, $year4 ),
array ( "Region A",$regA['year1'],$regA['year2'],$regA['year3'],$regA['year4'] ),
// so on and so forth
);

Kurtismonger

I get what your saying, but I don't know how many values I will have beforehand. Instead of $year1, $year2, etc. My array has $part, which stores the part numbers returned in the query and of which there will be one or more each with a corresponding quantity.

So I guess I would populate the $chart array inside a foreach that iterates through the array. Just can't get my mind around how to do that.

foreach($totals as $Part => $partNum) {
	$chart['chart_data'] = array(	array(),

				);
};

Horizon88

Okay, if you have the array with all the data, can you do a print_r() on it and post back the output here? It might make it a bit easier to see if we can do this without a whole bunch of nested arrays. 😃

Kurtismonger

Not sure if this will be of much help. As I previously mentioned I output this array to a table using a foreach. As I loop through it I sum up the individual defect types for each part number, sort by highest defect, and display the total. Maybe I need to do that first and push the total onto the array? Or create a separate array as I loop through that will be used for the graph?

Here is a sample array:

Array (
[W120] => Array ( [Bad Trim] => 8 [Scratches] => 75 )
[W130] => Array ( [Bad Trim] => 2 [Scratches] => 9 )
[W140] => Array ( [Dirt] => 3 )
[W150] => Array ( [Scratches] => 3 )
)

there may be one or more defect types per part number, although I don't care about graphing the individual detail, just the sum for each part number.

Kurtismonger

Hello? Anyone?

Horizon88

The only thing I can think of is a hideously obtuse nested foreach loop since you don't know what keys will be with which arrays.

You'll have to set an array of all the parts, then loop through those, putting all the defects into arrays, combining those two into another array, then looping that array into your chart code. I think. :/

Kurtismonger

After playing around with it for a bit, I found creating the appropriate array isn't that difficult. The main problem is the lack of documentation on how pass in live data to the chart script.

This line calls the file sample.php, which contains all the chart parameters and chart data. That file then builds up the array containing all the parameters and data and then passes it to the file that creates the Flash.

print InsertChart("charts.swf", "charts_library", "sample.php?'chart_data=".$chart, 650, 400);

I added the parameter to the sample.php in an attempt to pass my array containing the data. I then use the following line in the sample.php to assign that parameter to a variable.

$tableData = $_REQUEST['chart_data'];

I can get it to work when I place my data directly in the sample.php file, but I can't seem to pass it in when calling InsertChart().

Does anybody have experience with PHP/SWF or know of any other resources besides the sites own documentation?