Comments on: PHP pixel mapper story http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/ Open-source development violates almost all known management theories. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:43:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: zbraniecki http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26203 zbraniecki Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:33:07 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26203 I tried to go with Robert's approach but it will not work. The bars have translucent shadows that overlap when put one over another and the result looks bad. I can go with one of two ways now: 1) SVG with fallback to PHP 2) <table> with two <td>'s with the bar. A List Apart idea is great for plain simple bars. but it will not work in my case for the reasons mentioned above (shadows, translucency etc.) I tried to go with Robert’s approach but it will not work. The bars have translucent shadows that overlap when put one over another and the result looks bad.

I can go with one of two ways now:

1) SVG with fallback to PHP
2) <table> with two <td>’s with the bar.

A List Apart idea is great for plain simple bars. but it will not work in my case for the reasons mentioned above (shadows, translucency etc.)

]]> By: Axel Hecht http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26183 Axel Hecht Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:12:35 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26183 Just to quote the evil, I wonder if you could have just called into the google charts API ;-) Just to quote the evil, I wonder if you could have just called into the google charts API ;-)

]]> By: Oliver P. from Munich, Germany http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26180 Oliver P. from Munich, Germany Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:27:29 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26180 A List Apart: Accessible Data Visualization with Web Standards http://alistapart.com/articles/accessibledatavisualization A List Apart: Accessible Data Visualization with Web Standards
http://alistapart.com/articles/accessibledatavisualization

]]> By: zbraniecki http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26178 zbraniecki Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:47:15 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26178 well, the basic problem with all CSS approaches is that it's counter semantic. There is no semantic reason to have two IMG's there. (There is hardly reason to have any btw. - it's just graphical representation of the data. Not content itself), and if we go with Robert's approach (pretty neat I must say) we still have a green bar that has no semantic meaning in the XHTML code. (in other words - there is IMG with a green bar there with no reason but to blend with other pieces to suddenly look good on the modern web browser because of hacks). The optimal way would be to present the value (75%) and replace it with the bar in CSS, but that's not possible at all :( well, the basic problem with all CSS approaches is that it’s counter semantic.

There is no semantic reason to have two IMG’s there. (There is hardly reason to have any btw. – it’s just graphical representation of the data. Not content itself), and if we go with Robert’s approach (pretty neat I must say) we still have a green bar that has no semantic meaning in the XHTML code. (in other words – there is IMG with a green bar there with no reason but to blend with other pieces to suddenly look good on the modern web browser because of hacks).

The optimal way would be to present the value (75%) and replace it with the bar in CSS, but that’s not possible at all :(

]]> By: Dan http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26167 Dan Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:54:57 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26167 I didn't even see Jesper's idea, his is probably the best yet. Only two images, no extra PHP scripts. I didn’t even see Jesper’s idea, his is probably the best yet. Only two images, no extra PHP scripts.

]]> By: Robert Accettura http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26159 Robert Accettura Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:05:14 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26159 @zbraniecki: I don't really think it's a hack. You could do it in 100% valid HTML: <div style="width: 100px; background: red;"> <img src="pixel.png" width="60" height="5"/> </div> Then again, what constitutes a hack or not in html/css is all a matter of perspective. There's *much* worse out there. @zbraniecki: I don’t really think it’s a hack. You could do it in 100% valid HTML:

<div style=”width: 100px; background: red;”>
<img src=”pixel.png” width=”60″ height=”5″/>
</div>

Then again, what constitutes a hack or not in html/css is all a matter of perspective. There’s *much* worse out there.

]]> By: Aaron Strontsman http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26154 Aaron Strontsman Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:40:56 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26154 Why would using CSS to position single parts of the bar be hacky? (BTW: My idea would have been to use 4 DIVs, one for round edges at the beginning, green part (stretched to the right size), red part, round edges -- exceptions (that is static images) for 0 and 100%) Why would using CSS to position single parts of the bar be hacky?

(BTW: My idea would have been to use 4 DIVs, one for round edges at the beginning, green part (stretched to the right size), red part, round edges — exceptions (that is static images) for 0 and 100%)

]]> By: Simon http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26148 Simon Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:09:18 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26148 I'd have gone with the CSS approach myself - we use a similar approach extensively on our product for doing things like graphical buttons, and I don't consider it at all hacky. It's a perfectly good solution to the problem, entirely standards compliant, and works fine on IE7 (we don't care about 6) and any standards-compliant browser. From memory we actually go slightly further, and tile the different images into the same png file, using offsets to display the correct part. Works just as well, and reduces the number of files needing to be downloaded. I’d have gone with the CSS approach myself – we use a similar approach extensively on our product for doing things like graphical buttons, and I don’t consider it at all hacky. It’s a perfectly good solution to the problem, entirely standards compliant, and works fine on IE7 (we don’t care about 6) and any standards-compliant browser.

From memory we actually go slightly further, and tile the different images into the same png file, using offsets to display the correct part. Works just as well, and reduces the number of files needing to be downloaded.

]]> By: zbraniecki http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26144 zbraniecki Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:37:55 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26144 @justin: That's a neat idea. I did not consider it, but I could offer SVG for SVG enabled browsers, and PHP generated PNG for others... @all: Thanks for your ideas. I did not consider doing it with CSS for two reasons: 1) I'm a bit afraid of who it could cut off from seeing it properly 2) I'm trying to create the website in 100% non-hacky web standard style. No dirty hacks, everything as near as possible to HTML5/XHTML1.0 etc. I would like the website to be an example of how clean can the website code be. Unfortunately I think your concept with two cropped images positioned over one another is the *cheapest* for the user and server, so I think I will use it instead of my PHP generator despite my disgust to such dirty hacks. (because it proves that web technologies are not yet there...) I will also try to play with SVG concept with a fallback to such thing... Thanks for your help! :) @justin: That’s a neat idea. I did not consider it, but I could offer SVG for SVG enabled browsers, and PHP generated PNG for others…

@all: Thanks for your ideas. I did not consider doing it with CSS for two reasons:
1) I’m a bit afraid of who it could cut off from seeing it properly
2) I’m trying to create the website in 100% non-hacky web standard style. No dirty hacks, everything as near as possible to HTML5/XHTML1.0 etc. I would like the website to be an example of how clean can the website code be.

Unfortunately I think your concept with two cropped images positioned over one another is the *cheapest* for the user and server, so I think I will use it instead of my PHP generator despite my disgust to such dirty hacks. (because it proves that web technologies are not yet there…)

I will also try to play with SVG concept with a fallback to such thing…
Thanks for your help! :)

]]> By: Justin Dolske http://diary.braniecki.net/2008/12/21/php-pixel-mapper-story/comment-page-1/#comment-26142 Justin Dolske Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:24:28 +0000 http://diary.braniecki.net/?p=749#comment-26142 Sure would be easy with or SVG. :-) Hmm, I wonder if it would be easy to construct a client-side data: URI for the image. Perhaps as a hacky uncompressed PNG, or some other file format that's easy to manipulate. Sure would be easy with or SVG. :-)

Hmm, I wonder if it would be easy to construct a client-side data: URI for the image. Perhaps as a hacky uncompressed PNG, or some other file format that’s easy to manipulate.

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