[Index]
[Introduction] [Cookbook]
[Package] [Component]
[Chart] [Axis]
[Utility] [Applet]
[Servlet] [Appndx
A] [Appndx B] [API]
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Installation
Overview
KavaChart is a collection of Java classes,
Java source code, documentation files and Zip archives. These files may
have been downloaded from Visual Engineering's web site, or you may have
obtained the software in a variety of media. This document assumes that
you have successfully transferred the KavaChart files to your target computer
system, and that you now have a "javachart" directory hierarchy, as described
below. If you have problems with this process, please contact Visual Engineering's
support staff via e-mail at support@ve.com,
or by phone at (925) 829-2218.
Required
Software
Like all Java development tools and applets,
KavaChart always requires a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for operation. KavaChart
classes will operate correctly with a wide range of JVMs, including those
found in most popular web browsers, such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft
Internet Explorer. Other suitable JVMs may be found in various Java Development
Kits (JDKs), and in standalone Java execution environments. Most current
personal computer operating systems include some sort of Java execution
environment.
To recompile or modify the KavaChart classes,
you'll also need a Java compiler, such as the javac found with JavaSoft's
JDK. KavaChart has also been tested with a wide range of other Java compilers,
such as Microsoft's Visual J++, Apple's JDK, Symantec Cafe, VisualAge,
JBuilder, and others. This version of KavaChart requires JDK 1.1 support,
and it can be used with newer versions of Java, including Java 2. If you
require support for JDK 1.0.2, you should instead use KavaChart version
2.0.
KavaChart also requires access to various
Java base classes and utility classes. In particular, it makes extensive
use of the Java AWT package, the applet package, and several utility classes,
such as Vector and Date. These classes are generally a part of every Java
installation. If you're planning to use Java Foundation Classes (JFC) in
lieu of AWT, you may want to make some minor modifications to the source
code provided for our top level chart beans (change javachart.beans.chart.ChartBean
to subclass JPanel instead of Panel), but most of KavaChart should work
without a hitch.
Organization
KavaChart is organized into a hierarchy of
directories as follows:
javachart
chart
A java package that contains the complete
set of charting classes, including classes for chart components, such as
Axis, Bar, Line, etc., and complete charts, such as BarChart, LineChart,
and so on.
utility
Useful charting utilities, such as a class
for creating a GIF output stream from a chart. This directory also includes
a ChartRequest class for using KavaChart servlets from within other servlets.
applet
A java package that contains a collection
of charting applets. This includes applets for every complete chart defined
in the chart package. Applet also includes a set of ParameterParser classes
that read and manage overall charting properties from a predefined set
of HTML parameters. The ParameterParser classes are also used by KavaChart
servlets.
standalone
A collection of sample standalone KavaChart
programs that demonstrates how to build KavaChart functionality into your
own applet or application.
servlet
A collection of servlets that parallels
the applet collection. Using applet parameters and server-side includes
(.shtml files) you can easily replace applet definitions with servlet definitions
on any graphics capable servlet engine.
beans
This directory contains javachart.bean.chart,
javachart.bean.data, and javachart.bean.customizer packages. These beans
provide full bean support, including a "model view controller" abstraction
of data management for most KavaChart charts.
api
Documentation for the overall KavaChart
product and the chart package classes.
contrib
KavaChart has been in use since December
of 1995. Our users and developers have contributed a variety of useful
and interesting examples of various charting functionality. This includes
samples showing how to subclass chart package classes for special effects,
customized data parsers for our applets, and so on. If you'd like to add
to this collection, please contact support@ve.com.
To use KavaChart classes within a program,
you would add the complete path of the directory containing "javachart"
to your CLASSPATH environment variable. This operation is performed in
different ways on different operating systems.
The standard KavaChart installation also
includes a javachart.jar file that contains all the chart package classes.
As an alternative to adding the javachart directory hierarchy to your CLASSPATH,
you can simply add the javachart.jar file to CLASSPATH, and operate as
if you were using separate classes.
Deployment
The class files used by your program must
also be included in any deployment, whether these are classes you reference
directly, such as "BarChart.class", or classes used indirectly, such as
Bar.class, Axis.class, and Legend.class, which are all used by BarChart.class.
KavaChart's modular architecture means
that you don't need to make every KavaChart class available for every installation.
For example, if you're building an applet that only uses BarCharts, you
don't need to include classes for Lines, Pies, and so on. By eliminating
unused classes in your distributions, you can reduce the overall size of
your application's footprint, and significantly decrease startup times
for applications loaded over a network.
For more information about packaging classes
for distribution, see Appendix A
[Index]
[Introduction] [Cookbook]
[Package] [Component]
[Chart] [Axis]
[Utility] [Applet]
[Servlet] [Appndx
A] [Appndx B] [API]