Re: automating charts and graphs
Re: automating charts and graphs
- Subject: Re: automating charts and graphs
- From: George Mack <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 15 May 2002 16:04:37 -0400
On Wed, 15 May 2002 10:35:21 -0500 Rick Norman <email@hidden> asked
Is anyone on the list having charts or graphs generated from data files in
an automated workflow? If so, would you share how you might be doing this?
Any and all suggestions are appreciated.
In my work, I generate bar graphs with a "semi-automated" approach;
my client's projects aren't consistent enough in layout to fully
automate the cycle. If a client had a project with a sequence of
text-graph-text-graph form (such as a fund update sheet with a fixed
format), I probably would move to integrate the work into a master
script.
In the current form, I concocted a script which turns a Quark box
into a bar chart, stealing the fill color and border from the
properties of the text box (which defines the area for the graph) and
values from a list (the contents of the text box); in its current
form as a "modular script", dialogs allow choices for width/spacing
and horizontal/vertical orientation, but in a dedicated workflow I
would probably hardwire a preference file for stylistic consistency,
with a helper script to change preferences for a new style. The
initial "seed box" is deleted as a last step. Basically, the script
mimics what I would do by hand and calculator -- but much faster.
Keeping it modular lets me apply it as necessary.
I have considered rewriting it as an Adobe Illustrator script, but
the advantages of staying within a single program (and ease of
updating) have dissuaded me from pursuing that path, especially since
Illustrator doesn't seem to offer script support for the graph
objects so I would need to have the code draw them as geometric
primitives anyway. If Illustrator started allowing graphs to be
generated by AppleScript, I possibly would rethink that route.
Hope this helps; what did you have in mind to accomplish?
George
--
Please note our new e-mail address: gmdesign @ attbi.com
GEORGE MACK DESIGN - Scituate, MA 02066 - (781) 544-3880
email@hidden * Design - Illustration - Desktop Publishing
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