SVG/VML abstraction? Pure JavaScript charting?

[stephen.friedrich]

I need some flexible, dynamic charting for a future app.
Traditionally I have generated charts as images on the server side, and simply displayed those images on the client.
However that won't fly for the new app, because a much more dynamic behavior is required.

Flash isn't doing any good for me at all, because it's simply a no-do in our client's company guidelines.

I guess I will have to use something like http://raphaeljs.com/ and then draw charts using vector graphics primitives :(
Or maybe someone can recommend from practical experience an external pure JavaScript charting library? What I have goggled so far seems to be either extremely expensive or pretty basic or/and unmaintained.

I wonder if others haven't asked for similar features? Seems to me a much better fit for ExtJS than the alien flash charting.

[danh2000]

I haven't used it myself, but this post may interest you:

http://www.extjs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63364

[mystix]

if you're dabbling with Raphael, @animal has an extension that wraps the raphael canvas with an Ext.BoxComponent which can then be plugged into Ext's architecture:
79954

[stephen.friedrich]

Thanks, I already had a look at flot, but very soon dismissed that option because it uses a canvas rather than vector graphics.
If I am not mistaken the options to interact with graphics on the canvas is very limited.
OTOH the dom based SVG/VML solution allows for easy direct manipulation, e.g. dragging of nodes/data points.

I haven't used it myself, but this post may interest you:

http://www.extjs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63364

[stephen.friedrich]

Thanks, indeed that looks very interesting. I'll give it a try.

if you're dabbling with Raphael, @animal has an extension that wraps the raphael canvas with an Ext.BoxComponent which can then be plugged into Ext's architecture:
79954