Google Chart API is a topic that has generated great interest in today's society. From its origins until today, it has been the subject of study, debate and analysis in different areas. Its importance lies in its impact on people's daily lives, as well as its relevance in the academic, scientific, social, cultural fields, among others. This article seeks to address in a comprehensive and detailed manner different aspects related to Google Chart API, offering a global and updated vision of this topic. Its origins, its evolution over time, its implications in current society and possible future perspectives will be explored.
Original author(s) | |
---|---|
Initial release | 2007 |
Final release | February 2010
|
Available in | HTTP requests |
Website | developers |
The Google Chart API is a non-interactive Web service (now deprecated) that creates graphical charts from user-supplied data. Google servers create a PNG image of a chart from data and formatting parameters specified by a user's HTTP request. The service supports a wide variety of chart information and formatting. Users may conveniently embed these charts in a Web page by using a simple image tag.
Originally the API was Google's internal tool to support rapid embedding of charts within Google's own applications (like Google Finance for example). Google figured it would be a useful tool to open up to web developers. It officially launched on December 6, 2007.
Currently, line, bar, pie, and radar charts, as well as Venn diagrams, scatter plots, sparklines, maps, google-o-meters, and QR codes are supported.
Google deprecated the API in 2012 with guaranteed availability until April 2015. On March 18, 2019 Google turned off the API. Google recommends the successor service Google Charts.
The following URL creates the pie chart below:
http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
chs=200x200
&chdlp=b
&chtt=Uberman
&chdl=Asleep|Awake
&chd=t:1,11,1,11,1,11,1,11,1,11,1,11
&cht=p
&chco=586F8E,7D858F,586F8E,7D858F,586F8E,7D858F,586F8E,7D858F,586F8E,7D858F,586F8E,7D858F
Instead of creating the URL request manually, there are many open source libraries available for most programming languages.
Platform | Name | Website |
---|---|---|
Java | Google Chart API wrapper | https://code.google.com/p/googlechartwrapper/ |
Java | charts4j | https://code.google.com/p/charts4j/ |
C#/.NET | ngchart | https://code.google.com/p/ngchart/ |
Ruby | gchart | https://web.archive.org/web/20100618222849/http://rubyforge.org/projects/gchart/ |
Python | google-chartwrapper | https://code.google.com/p/google-chartwrapper/ |
PHP | gchartphp | https://github.com/pacbard/gChartPhp |