# Graphing - best approach? (Google Chart API, Flash, RMagick...?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [April 22, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/graphing-best-approach-google-chart-api-flash-rmagick/135535 "2008-04-22T22:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/greg)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/graphing-best-approach-google-chart-api-flash-rmagick/135535/1 "2008-04-22T22:31:11Z")
Hi, I want to include some graphs in my RoR application. Any recommendation re where I should jump. I’ve already gone through an RMagick installation for other purposes. Want it to be relatively straight forward, but also want the graphs to have a high level of finishing. Possible options? - Google Chart API - [Charts  |  Google for Developers](http://code.google.com/apis/chart/) - Rails Gruff - [Charts  |  Google for Developers](http://code.google.com/apis/chart/) (RMagick based / plugin) - Flash based approach perhaps: - [Open Flash Chart – Teeth Grinder UK](http://teethgrinder.co.uk/open-flash-chart/) - [http://www.fusioncharts.com/](http://www.fusioncharts.com/) [costs $$] What approach do you recommend for a RoR developer? Tks ---
**Author:** ![greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/greg)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/graphing-best-approach-google-chart-api-flash-rmagick/135535/2 "2008-04-22T22:43:03Z")
I would like to give my vote up for the Google charts API. It’s pretty simple and it’s really fast. I use it for this site: [http://brocoum.com/voter/](http://brocoum.com/voter/) On Apr 22, 4:30 pm, “Greg H.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/greg)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/graphing-best-approach-google-chart-api-flash-rmagick/135535/3 "2008-04-22T22:44:14Z")
> - Flash based approach perhaps: > > - [Open Flash Chart – Teeth Grinder UK](http://teethgrinder.co.uk/open-flash-chart/) > - [http://www.fusioncharts.com/](http://www.fusioncharts.com/) [costs $$] I just used the open-flash-chart for some work. It went pretty well. The library is a little confusing to use at first… seems a pretty straight port of the PHP library, not as “ruby-ish”, but it did what I needed it to do and looks nice. Didn’t look at google’s charting as it wasn’t an option for business reasons… I thought I’d read some where that gruff wasn’t being updated. Maybe that was scruffy though. I don’t really remember… -p ---
**Author:** ![greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/greg)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/graphing-best-approach-google-chart-api-flash-rmagick/135535/4 "2008-04-22T22:53:03Z")
On Tue, 2008-04-22 at 20:43 +0000, Philip H. wrote: > > - Flash based approach perhaps: > > I thought I’d read some where that gruff wasn’t being updated. Maybe that > was scruffy though. I don’t really remember… * * * same idea…I used Ziya but again, I’m not sure that it’s being developed any further but it didn’t seem to matter…it works really well. Craig ---
**Author:** ![greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/greg)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/graphing-best-approach-google-chart-api-flash-rmagick/135535/5 "2008-04-22T23:45:06Z")
just found a rails plugin for the Goggle API. [http://agilewebdevelopment.com/plugins/gc4r](http://agilewebdevelopment.com/plugins/gc4r) Anyone used it? Looks good. ---
**Author:** ![greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@greg](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/greg)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:23am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/graphing-best-approach-google-chart-api-flash-rmagick/135535/6 "2008-04-23T01:23:01Z")
I personally like Gruff, then Google Chart API … in that order. If you already have RMagick then I’d go with Gruff. My two cents. Nicholas On Apr 22, 3:30 pm, “Greg H.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)