Hi Dne Thu, 2 Jun 2011 13:05:48 +0200 Tyron Madlener <tyronx@gmail.com> napsal(a):
After some testing and research I found out that: - The pma_pchart classes, by default, slice the picture into 20 pieces, and that for every browser. It was implemented that way because IE8 limits data URIs to 32kb. - Images generated by pChart are around 20-40 kb in size. - IE7 does not support data URIs (=no pcharts for IE7 at all) - Whereas Highcharts works in IE7 and IE8 (according to the website also in IE6 but I didn't test that)
So from what I can see: - Highcharts works in IE7; pChart does not - Exporting images requires a server side export feature for Highcharts (which is going to be developed anyway for OpenGIS); Exporting in pChart would require either non-sliced images and thus breaking IE8 support or alternatively a server side export feature as well. - Highcharts is fast, interactive and animated, pChart is not (except for tooltips) - Highcharts allows realtime charts, pChart does not - Highcharts requires ~90kb minified and 2 files, pChart with its wrapper classes currently requires ~850kb and 18 files - Highcharts is still being actively developed (last change march 2011), pCharts 1.x is not (last change september 2008)
- If pCharts were to be replaced by Highcharts, it would not require 12 wrapper classes. Rather just 1 that allows for easy extension with $.extend() and is client side. Highcharts is imo significantly easier to use than pCharts, mostly because coding in javascript has some clear advantages over php (OOP-wise). Since charting is used only in 3 places, it should be a matter of a few days to replace it.
- Compared with jQuery SVG: Highcharts is particularly made for charting, thus giving a great look&feel and is very easy to use as a developer; jQuery SVG is not, thus looking inappropriate for charting and will result in less readable and more complicated code (or requires time-intensive coding of wrapper classes/plugins which can maybe partly remedy those disadvantages)
Hence my question, why haven't I been ordered to replace pChart with Highcharts already? ;-)
Thanks a lot for great analysis! I think it gives enough reasons to switch from pChart to Highcharts :-). -- Michal Čihař | http://cihar.com | http://blog.cihar.com