XML Data Standard for charts

[Creighton Kirkendall]

I just started using JFreeChart in a project and I did not notice a way of importing or saving data or a chart description in XML or any other file format that preserves the data. note:This is a requirement for my project.

If this is the case I think it would be very good idea to standardize on an XML DDT for each type of chart or one that can describe all charts.

Benefits:
1. One data format that other chart programs can eventually read.
2. Easier to handle demos
3. A common file format that can be passed via http when clients don't have direct access to the database and or other systems.
4. A standard way of handling JSP piping.

Again you may already have this and/or are working on it and if you are I would like to see if I could help instead of going off and doing my own thing. I did see that someone who is working with stock charts may have a start on the above. I do plan on writing a module that will understand an xml format and convert it into a chart and I will contribute this back but I think to make every one happy we need to standardize the format of the XML.

Creighton Kirkendall
Senior Software Engineer
Hobsons

[David Gilbert]

A standard XML-based format for each of the dataset types would be very useful. The previous post that you mentioned is the only indicator I have that anyone is working on it (I don't have the time right now, but I might work on it in the future). If you start some work on it, join up on the developers mailing list (via SourceForge) and keep everyone posted.

It would also be good to be able to save the properties of a chart to a standard XML format. But I wouldn't recommend starting work on this until the chart structures settle a little, as there are still changes going on as we head towards version 1.0.0.

I did read something about serializing objects to XML - that might work for the chart properties, though I have no experience with serialising objects in this way...

Regards,

DG.