1.
®
smallCharts
Its Development and Design
Christian Haider

2.
Overview
n The problem
n The solution: smallCharts 1.0
n Next customer: version 2.0
n Packages and packaging
n Development process
n Challenges ahead
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3.
The Problem
n Many simple standardized charts
n Charts are copied by hand
n tedious, expensive, error prone
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4.
The Workflow
SUN MICROSYSTEMS
6.00 VOM 27/6/02 BIS 27/6/03 TAEGLICH
5.50
5.00
4.50
4.00
Editor
3.50
Info Graphic
3.00
2.50
2.00
JUN J U L AUG SEP OKT N O V DEZ JAN FEB MAR APR MAI JUN
1. Idea for a chart HOCH 5.80 16/ 7/02 TIEF 2.42 4/10/02 SCHLUSS 4.73
Source: DATASTREAM
Copy into template
2. Get raw chart
Layout
Place on page
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5.
The Workflow with smallCharts
Editor
1. Idea for a chart
Info Graphic
Art work and repairs
2. Get raw data
3. Make a smallChart
Layout
Place on page
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6.
smallCharts 1.0 - Surface
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7.
It‘s simple
n Desktop application/Tool
n One user
n No Database
n No Connectivity
n No Host
n No Concurrency
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8.
But... some Challenges
n Line smoothing
n Good scaling (the value scale)
n Output format (eps for FreeHand)
n Fonts
n Matching Type-1 fonts with screen fonts
n encodings
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9.
Structure
Chart GUI ChartTool
~Eps ~ImView
ChartView
~4Spalter ~ForChartLine
~3Spalter ~ValueAxis Picker Editor
~Geldreport ~TIFF Scale~ Scale~
Chart~ Chart~
Chartable ChartLineMaker
Logarithmic~ ChartScale
DataPoint
ChartLine
FileReader
~Segment
~Point Scale Tick
Telebörse Major~
SmallCharts
Haider DELocale PostScript TIFF
VisualWorks 5i.3 Windows Goodies PSFontDeply5i
Win32 Datastream FreeHand
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10.
Core Model
Chart
Reference
~Eps ~ImView
~4Spalter ~ForChartLine
~3Spalter ~ValueAxis
~Geldreport ~TIFF
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11.
smallCharts 2.0
n Variable dimensions
n Many more editable texts
n Moving average
n Movable text
n Multicolor text
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12.
More new Formats...
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13.
...and more...
n Online (automatic) Charts
n Tables with shared Texts
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14.
...and other demands
n Intraday Charts
n Updatable charts
n Spot colors
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15.
Surface 2
• Online formats
• Variable dimensions
• In-place editing
• Movable labels
• Multiple chartlines
• Color
• Multi-color text
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16.
Challenges
n In-place editing
n Movable labels
n GUI event order
n Matching PostScript fonts with Screen
fonts
n Found the magical factor:
magicScalingFactor
^self textSize / Screen default defaultFontPolicy defaultFont pixelSize * 1.14
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17.
Structure 2
Handelsblatt Telebörse
ChartTool
smallCharts GUI
Format Chart Choice ChartView
Chartable ChartChoice
DataPoint Text 3Button&Edit~
Editor
Presentation Info~ Time~
Data Reading Scales Chartlines Painter
Reader ChartScale
SmallCharts PostScript Font TIFF
VisualWorks 7 DELocale Windows Goodies
Win32 Datastream FreeHand
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18.
Core Model
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19.
Packages
n Packaged from pundles
n Tight packaging – Fat Free Runtime
n Code (without Source):
n 1.0: 311 KB
n 2.0: 1030 KB
n Big literal strings
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20.
Packages
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21.
Deployment
n Single smallCharts.exe
n 1.0: 2.88 MB
n 2.0: 3.84 MB
n Lauch with desktop link from a file server
n User specific settings
n lastDirectoryForOpen
n lastDirectoryForSave
n lastFormatSaved
n 2.0: Window size and position for each format
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22.
Development Process
n Simple solutions for concrete demands
n Early deliveries
n Relentless refactoring (old versions work)
n Relentless repackaging
n Checklists
n Tools (eps viewer)
n Testing
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23.
Smelly places
n Format determination for input files - open
n Updateable formats - responsibility mixup
n GUI-Events - complex, hard to maintain
n Redisplaying
n Model: Format, Chart, Painter - Multicharts
n Format constants - Methods or variables?
n Fonts in VisualWorks
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24.
Challenges ahead
n COM connection to Datastream
n Web graphics (WebServices, SVG)
n Eps-Parser
n Format editor
n Feature based Structure
n Bugmails and Automatic update
n Internationalization
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25.
Thank You!
Questions?
Contact: www.smallCharts.com