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From: Nobody on 18 Mar 2010 16:08
I have a winsock app that many users connect to(10 to 200) and I need to add
charting feature about usage statistics, like how many users are connected
at any given moment, and display various usage charts, such as usage in the
last X hours, X Days(Per User/Per Group/Overall) etc. Some of these charts
are scrolling live charts, and some are static(From/To a given date).

The information would come from a DB that acts like a log file, with
restrictions on its size, so new entries replace old entries when full.

I have looked around and found many commercial solutions, but I prefer open
source and less dependency, or at least unlimited updates. I don't want to
spend much for something that soon to be unsupported. My limit is around
$200, but could go more if needed. One product that I liked how it looks is
SimpleChart. Unfortunately they don't support x64 OS'es for some reason, and
I don't think it supports 3D charts:

http://www.simplechart.net/

I like the way it uses gradient fill and background, and anti-aliasing
lines. I could do something similar, I am good at math, but it takes time to
reinvent the wheel. I think most controls support static(non scrolling)
charts, so I have to implement live charts on my own to reduce flicker and
reduce cost. I will probably use Cairo Graphics or GDI+ because they have
functions for anti-aliasing lines, and gradient fill.

I already looked at FreeVBCode site, and few in
http://www.planet-source-code.com/ and I am still looking, but if anyone
knows of something that uses both gradient fill and anti-aliasing, then
please post it here.

I don't want to use the MS Chart control because MS seems to have broken
some aspect of it, besides it doesn't use the two features that I like most,
gradient fill and anti-aliasing.

ComponentOne is too expensive. I found a thread in 2003 that says that they
made the ActiveX controls free. I was able to find the download file by
googling "c1enterprise_303.zip". The first link was to a file list in
ComponentOne web site, and has the same exact file size, but the site to
request a license is down. Also, since they are probably unsupported, I will
probably won't see any bug fixes.

Obtaining the free ComponentOne ActiveX controls
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion/browse_thread/thread/6d8bc67104af9f38/849251d0d8e52339

Finally, since my users want to print these charts, I need to have a print
preview window, with options on the left about what chart(s) to print, and
for what period, and on the right a print preview control. The user should
be able to print more than one chart on the same page when selected. So if
you are already using such controls, please let me know...

Yeah, I already know I am looking for the impossible...

Thank you


From: Peter T on 19 Mar 2010 07:23
"Nobody" <nobody(a)nobody.com> wrote in message
news:OjQWibtxKHA.984(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>I have a winsock app that many users connect to(10 to 200) and I need to
>add charting feature about usage statistics, like how many users are
>connected at any given moment, and display various usage charts, such as
>usage in the last X hours, X Days(Per User/Per Group/Overall) etc. Some of
>these charts are scrolling live charts, and some are static(From/To a given
>date).
>
> The information would come from a DB that acts like a log file, with
> restrictions on its size, so new entries replace old entries when full.
>
> I have looked around and found many commercial solutions, but I prefer
> open source and less dependency, or at least unlimited updates. I don't
> want to spend much for something that soon to be unsupported. My limit is
> around $200, but could go more if needed. One product that I liked how it
> looks is SimpleChart. Unfortunately they don't support x64 OS'es for some
> reason, and I don't think it supports 3D charts:
>
> http://www.simplechart.net/
>
> I like the way it uses gradient fill and background, and anti-aliasing
> lines. I could do something similar, I am good at math, but it takes time
> to reinvent the wheel. I think most controls support static(non scrolling)
> charts, so I have to implement live charts on my own to reduce flicker and
> reduce cost. I will probably use Cairo Graphics or GDI+ because they have
> functions for anti-aliasing lines, and gradient fill.
>
> I already looked at FreeVBCode site, and few in
> http://www.planet-source-code.com/ and I am still looking, but if anyone
> knows of something that uses both gradient fill and anti-aliasing, then
> please post it here.
>
> I don't want to use the MS Chart control because MS seems to have broken
> some aspect of it, besides it doesn't use the two features that I like
> most, gradient fill and anti-aliasing.
>
> ComponentOne is too expensive. I found a thread in 2003 that says that
> they made the ActiveX controls free. I was able to find the download file
> by googling "c1enterprise_303.zip". The first link was to a file list in
> ComponentOne web site, and has the same exact file size, but the site to
> request a license is down. Also, since they are probably unsupported, I
> will probably won't see any bug fixes.
>
> Obtaining the free ComponentOne ActiveX controls
> http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion/browse_thread/thread/6d8bc67104af9f38/849251d0d8e52339
>
> Finally, since my users want to print these charts, I need to have a print
> preview window, with options on the left about what chart(s) to print, and
> for what period, and on the right a print preview control. The user should
> be able to print more than one chart on the same page when selected. So if
> you are already using such controls, please let me know...
>
> Yeah, I already know I am looking for the impossible...
>
> Thank you
>
>


From: Peter T on 19 Mar 2010 07:34
Probably suggesting the obvious but if, and many likely will, your users
have Excel why not automate that.

It's relatively easy to get an image of the chart on your form (via the
clipboard), updatable virtually in real time. In xl97-2003 you can get
either Bitmap or Metafile versions, in 2007 only Metafile.

For print preview might well give the full Excel UI to the user to print
if/as required.

Regards,
Peter T

(Sorry about the accidental post)


From: Webbiz on 19 Mar 2010 13:51
On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:08:51 -0500, "Nobody" <nobody(a)nobody.com>
wrote:

>I have a winsock app that many users connect to(10 to 200) and I need to add
>charting feature about usage statistics, like how many users are connected
>at any given moment, and display various usage charts, such as usage in the
>last X hours, X Days(Per User/Per Group/Overall) etc. Some of these charts
>are scrolling live charts, and some are static(From/To a given date).
>
>The information would come from a DB that acts like a log file, with
>restrictions on its size, so new entries replace old entries when full.
>
>I have looked around and found many commercial solutions, but I prefer open
>source and less dependency, or at least unlimited updates. I don't want to
>spend much for something that soon to be unsupported. My limit is around
>$200, but could go more if needed. One product that I liked how it looks is
>SimpleChart. Unfortunately they don't support x64 OS'es for some reason, and
>I don't think it supports 3D charts:
>
>http://www.simplechart.net/
>
>I like the way it uses gradient fill and background, and anti-aliasing
>lines. I could do something similar, I am good at math, but it takes time to
>reinvent the wheel. I think most controls support static(non scrolling)
>charts, so I have to implement live charts on my own to reduce flicker and
>reduce cost. I will probably use Cairo Graphics or GDI+ because they have
>functions for anti-aliasing lines, and gradient fill.
>
>I already looked at FreeVBCode site, and few in
>http://www.planet-source-code.com/ and I am still looking, but if anyone
>knows of something that uses both gradient fill and anti-aliasing, then
>please post it here.
>
>I don't want to use the MS Chart control because MS seems to have broken
>some aspect of it, besides it doesn't use the two features that I like most,
>gradient fill and anti-aliasing.
>
>ComponentOne is too expensive. I found a thread in 2003 that says that they
>made the ActiveX controls free. I was able to find the download file by
>googling "c1enterprise_303.zip". The first link was to a file list in
>ComponentOne web site, and has the same exact file size, but the site to
>request a license is down. Also, since they are probably unsupported, I will
>probably won't see any bug fixes.
>
>Obtaining the free ComponentOne ActiveX controls
>http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion/browse_thread/thread/6d8bc67104af9f38/849251d0d8e52339
>
>Finally, since my users want to print these charts, I need to have a print
>preview window, with options on the left about what chart(s) to print, and
>for what period, and on the right a print preview control. The user should
>be able to print more than one chart on the same page when selected. So if
>you are already using such controls, please let me know...
>
>Yeah, I already know I am looking for the impossible...
>
>Thank you
>




I know you do not want to reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't sound
like its a very difficult task to just write yourself.

Looking past the fact that I'm no expert as you know, but my charting
app that is the center of most of my questions on this group was
created from scratch and turned out to be quite easy to do.

On the flipside, which you've already expressed, is the concern for
3rd party controls becoming unsupported. I already have this problem
with some of the features of my app and this really burns me up after
spending the money on them. But at least my charting modules are my
own.

I just didn't detect anything difficult from your description of what
you want to do. Take data and display it in some graphic form. Maybe
I'm not completely understanding the problem you're trying to solve.

:-)
Webbiz
From: Janusz Rychter on 20 Mar 2010 10:38
You may check ChartDirector (http://www.advsofteng.com/), one thing it
doesn't have is a print preview/print feature.

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