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ASP.NET MVC5: Google Charts API Integration

December 12, 2017 , , , , ,
Data understanding is never a simple process, it involves a lot of pre and post processing in order to make sense out of the data that has been collected. After understanding of the data is being developed and meaningful information has been extracted out from the data, the next step is the presentation of the data i.e. how to present data to make analytical sense out of it which ultimately leads to better decision making. Graphs are one form of representing data which helps in making meaningful reports for analytical purpose that eventually helps stakeholders to make a better decision.

Today, I shall be demonstrating integration of google charts API in ASP.NET MVC5. Google charts API is simple to use and provides a variety of options for customization of graphical chart reports for better analytical purpose.

Prerequisites:

Following are some prerequisites before you proceed further in this tutorial:
  1. Knowledge about Google charts API.
  2. Knowledge about ASP.NET MVC5.
  3. Knowledge about HTML.
  4. Knowledge about Javascript.
  5. Knowledge about AJAX.
  6. Knowledge about CSS.
  7. Knowledge about Bootstrap.
  8. Knowledge about C# programming.
  9. Knowledge about C# LINQ.
  10. Knowledge about JQuery.
You can download the complete source code for this tutorial or you can follow the step by step discussion below. The sample code is developed in Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Enterprise. I am using SalesOrderDetail table extract from Adventure Works Sample Database.

Download Now!

Let's begin now.

1) Create a new MVC5 web application project and name it "Graphs".
2) Open "Views\Shared\_Layout.cshtml" file and replace following code in it i.e.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>@ViewBag.Title</title>
    @Styles.Render("~/Content/css")
    @Scripts.Render("~/bundles/modernizr")

    <!-- Font Awesome -->
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.4.0/css/font-awesome.min.css" />

    @* Custom *@
    @Styles.Render("~/Content/css/custom-style")
</head>
<body>
    <div class="navbar navbar-inverse navbar-fixed-top">
        <div class="container">
            <div class="navbar-header">
                <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target=".navbar-collapse">
                    <span class="icon-bar"></span>
                    <span class="icon-bar"></span>
                    <span class="icon-bar"></span>
                </button>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="container body-content">
        @RenderBody()
        <hr />
        <footer>
            <center>
                <p><strong>Copyright &copy; @DateTime.Now.Year - <a href="http://www.asmak9.com/">Asma's Blog</a>.</strong> All rights reserved.</p>
            </center>
        </footer>
    </div>

    @Scripts.Render("~/bundles/jquery")
    @Scripts.Render("~/bundles/bootstrap")

    <!-- Graphs -->
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.google.com/jsapi"></script>
    @Scripts.Render("~/bundles/Script-custom-graphs")

    @RenderSection("scripts", required: false)
</body>
</html>

In the above code, I have simply created the basic layout structure of this web project and I have also add reference to the Google charts API.

3) Create a new "Models\HomeViewModels.cs" file and replace following code in it i.e.

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;

namespace Graphs.Models
{
    public class SalesOrderDetail
    {
        public int Sr { get; set; }
        public string OrderTrackNumber { get; set; }
        public int Quantity { get; set; }
        public string ProductName { get; set; }
        public string SpecialOffer { get; set; }
        public double UnitPrice { get; set; }
        public double UnitPriceDiscount { get; set; }
    }
}

In the above code, we have simply created our view model which will map the data from text file into main memory as object.

4) Now create "Controllers\HomeController.cs" file and replace following code in it i.e.

using Graphs.Models;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.IO;
using System.Linq;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.Mvc;

namespace Graphs.Controllers
{
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
        #region Index method

        /// <summary>
        /// GET: Home/Index method.
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>Returns - index view page</returns> 
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            // Info.
            return this.View();
        }

        #endregion

        #region Get data method.

        /// <summary>
        /// GET: /Home/GetData
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>Return data</returns>
        public ActionResult GetData()
        {
            // Initialization.
            JsonResult result = new JsonResult();

            try
            {
                // Loading.
                List<SalesOrderDetail> data = this.LoadData();

                // Setting.
                var graphData = data.GroupBy(p => new
                                    {
                                        p.ProductName,
                                        p.Quantity,
                                        p.UnitPrice
                                    })
                                    .Select(g => new
                                    {
                                        g.Key.ProductName,
                                        g.Key.Quantity,
                                        g.Key.UnitPrice
                                    }).OrderByDescending(q => q.Quantity).ToList();

                // Top 10
                graphData = graphData.Take(10).Select(p => p).ToList();

                // Loading drop down lists.
                result = this.Json(graphData, JsonRequestBehavior.AllowGet);
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                // Info
                Console.Write(ex);
            }

            // Return info.
            return result;
        }

        #endregion

        #region Helpers

        #region Load Data

        /// <summary>
        /// Load data method.
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>Returns - Data</returns>
        private List<SalesOrderDetail> LoadData()
        {
            // Initialization.
            List<SalesOrderDetail> lst = new List<SalesOrderDetail>();

            try
            {
                // Initialization.
                string line = string.Empty;
                string srcFilePath = "Content/files/SalesOrderDetail.txt";
                var rootPath = Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().CodeBase);
                var fullPath = Path.Combine(rootPath, srcFilePath);
                string filePath = new Uri(fullPath).LocalPath;
                StreamReader sr = new StreamReader(new FileStream(filePath, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read));

                // Read file.
                while ((line = sr.ReadLine()) != null)
                {
                    // Initialization.
                    SalesOrderDetail infoObj = new SalesOrderDetail();
                    string[] info = line.Split(',');

                    // Setting.
                    infoObj.Sr = Convert.ToInt32(info[0].ToString());
                    infoObj.OrderTrackNumber = info[1].ToString();
                    infoObj.Quantity = Convert.ToInt32(info[2].ToString());
                    infoObj.ProductName = info[3].ToString();
                    infoObj.SpecialOffer = info[4].ToString();
                    infoObj.UnitPrice = Convert.ToDouble(info[5].ToString());
                    infoObj.UnitPriceDiscount = Convert.ToDouble(info[6].ToString());

                    // Adding.
                    lst.Add(infoObj);
                }

                // Closing.
                sr.Dispose();
                sr.Close();
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                // info.
                Console.Write(ex);
            }

            // info.
            return lst;
        }

        #endregion

        #endregion
    }
}

In the above code, I have created a simple index() action method along with a helper method LoadData() for data loading from text file and finally GetData() action method which will be called by Google charts API ajax method in order to map data on the chart. The GetData() action method will return top 10 row only which are sorted by product quantity and group by product name.

5) Create a new "Scripts\script-custom-graphs.js" script file and replace following code in it i.e.

// Load the Visualization API and the piechart package.
google.load('visualization', '1.0', { 'packages': ['corechart'] });

// Set a callback to run when the Google Visualization API is loaded.
$(document).ready(function ()
{
    $.ajax(
    {
        type: 'POST',
        dataType: 'JSON',
        url: '/Home/GetData',
        success:
            function (response)
            {
                // Set chart options
                var options =
                    {
                        width: 1100,
                        height: 900,
                        sliceVisibilityThreshold: 0,
                        legend: { position: "top", alignment: "end" },
                        chartArea: { left: 370, top: 50, height: "90%" },
                        hAxis:
                            {
                                slantedText: true,
                                slantedTextAngle: 18
                            },
                        bar: { groupWidth: "50%" },
                    };

                // Draw.
                google.setOnLoadCallback(function ()
                {
                    // Draw
                    drawGraph(response, options, 'graphId');
                });
            }
    });
});

// Callback that creates and populates a data table,
// instantiates the pie chart, passes in the data and
// draws it.
function drawGraph(dataValues, options, elementId) {
    // Initialization.
    var data = new google.visualization.DataTable();

    // Setting.
    data.addColumn('string', 'Product Name');
    data.addColumn('number', 'Unit Price');
    data.addColumn('number', 'Quantity');

    // Processing.
    for (var i = 0; i < dataValues.length; i++)
    {
        // Setting.
        data.addRow([dataValues[i].ProductName, dataValues[i].UnitPrice, dataValues[i].Quantity]);
    }

    // Setting label.
    var view = new google.visualization.DataView(data);
    view.setColumns([0, 1,
        {
            calc: "stringify",
            sourceColumn: 1,
            type: "string",
            role: "annotation"
        },
        2,
        {
            calc: "stringify",
            sourceColumn: 2,
            type: "string",
            role: "annotation"
        }
    ]);

    // Instantiate and draw our chart, passing in some options.
    var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(elementId));

    // Draw chart.
    chart.draw(view, options);
}

Let's break down the code chunk by chunk. First I have load the Google charts API charts visualization package i.e.

// Load the Visualization API and the piechart package.
google.load('visualization', '1.0', { 'packages': ['corechart'] });

Then I call the GetData() server side method via ajax call and after successfully receiving the data. I simply set default chart options then pass those option to a user define javaScript method "drawGraph(...)" i.e.

// Set a callback to run when the Google Visualization API is loaded.
$(document).ready(function ()
{
    $.ajax(
    {
        type: 'POST',
        dataType: 'JSON',
        url: '/Home/GetData',
        success:
            function (response)
            {
                // Set chart options
                var options =
                    {
                        width: 1100,
                        height: 900,
                        sliceVisibilityThreshold: 0,
                        legend: { position: "top", alignment: "end" },
                        chartArea: { left: 370, top: 50, height: "90%" },
                        hAxis:
                            {
                                slantedText: true,
                                slantedTextAngle: 18
                            },
                        bar: { groupWidth: "50%" },
                    };

                // Draw.
                google.setOnLoadCallback(function ()
                {
                    // Draw
                    drawGraph(response, options, 'graphId');
                });
            }
    });
});

Now, in the below drawGraph(...) method code, I add three new columns per row, the 0th column will be the name of the products which will be shown on the chart axis, 1th column will be the unit price of the product which will be shown on the graph and 2th column will be the quantity of the product which will also be shown on the graph for each product. After adding the column metadata for the chart, I will convert the received data from the server into DataTables data type accepted by the chart. Then I will set the annotation option for the 1th & 2th column which will display the correspondent values on the chart columns per each product. Finally, I will draw the BarChart by calling Google charts API method i.e. 

// Callback that creates and populates a data table,
// instantiates the pie chart, passes in the data and
// draws it.
function drawGraph(dataValues, options, elementId) {
    // Initialization.
    var data = new google.visualization.DataTable();

    // Setting.
    data.addColumn('string', 'Product Name');
    data.addColumn('number', 'Unit Price');
    data.addColumn('number', 'Quantity');

    // Processing.
    for (var i = 0; i < dataValues.length; i++)
    {
        // Setting.
        data.addRow([dataValues[i].ProductName, dataValues[i].UnitPrice, dataValues[i].Quantity]);
    }

    // Setting label.
    var view = new google.visualization.DataView(data);
    view.setColumns([0, 1,
        {
            calc: "stringify",
            sourceColumn: 1,
            type: "string",
            role: "annotation"
        },
        2,
        {
            calc: "stringify",
            sourceColumn: 2,
            type: "string",
            role: "annotation"
        }
    ]);

    // Instantiate and draw our chart, passing in some options.
    var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(elementId));

    // Draw chart.
    chart.draw(view, options);
}

6) Create "Views\Home\_ViewGraphPartial.cshtml" & "Views\Home\Index.cshtml" files and replace following code in it i.e.

Views\Home\_ViewGraphPartial.cshtml 


<section>
    <div class="well bs-component">
        <div class="row">
            <div class="col-xs-12">
                <!-- CHART -->
                <div class="box box-primary">
                    <div class="box-header with-border">
                        <h3 class="box-title custom-heading">Product wise Graph</h3>
                    </div>
                    <div class="box-body">
                        <div class="chart">
                            <div id="graphId" style="width: 1100px; height: 900px; margin:auto;"></div>
                        </div>
                    </div><!-- /.box-body -->
                </div><!-- /.box -->
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
</section>

View\Home\Index.cshtml


@{
    ViewBag.Title = "ASP.NET MVC5 - Google Graph Integration";
}

<div class="row">
    <div class="panel-heading">
        <div class="col-md-8  custom-heading3">
            <h3>
                <i class="fa fa-pie-chart"></i>
                <span>ASP.NET MVC5 - Google Graph Integration</span>
            </h3>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

<div class="row">
    <section class="col-md-12 col-md-push-0">
        @Html.Partial("_ViewGraphPartial")
    </section>
</div>

In the above code, I have simply create the view code for the page which will display the chart. I have divided the page into two parts for better manageability. Notice that, in the "Views\Home\_ViewGraphPartial.cshtml" file, I have added width & height values for the graph div i.e.

<div id="graphId" style="width: 1100px; height: 900px; margin:auto;"></div>

Above setting is important in order to properly set the chart area on the HTML page. Same width & height is set with chart options as well in the JavaScript file i.e.

               var options =
                    {
                        width: 1100,
                        height: 900,
                        sliceVisibilityThreshold: 0,
                        legend: { position: "top", alignment: "end" },
                        chartArea: { left: 370, top: 50, height: "90%" },
                        hAxis:
                            {
                                slantedText: true,
                                slantedTextAngle: 18
                            },
                        bar: { groupWidth: "50%" },
                    };

Play around with rest of the properties to understand chart options better.

7) Execute the project and you will be able to see following i.e.


Conclusion

In this article, you will learn to integrate Google charts API into asp.net mvc5 project. You will also learn about basic options of the chart. You will also learn about data passing to front view through ajax call and you will learn to represent your data as graphical entity in order to perform analysis for better decision making. 

Post a Comment

5 comments:

  1. AllanT28 January 2018 at 19:28

    Hi,
    Sample doesn't work in VS 2017 Community ver. 15.5.3. Producing an empty chart?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Asma's Blog30 January 2018 at 01:23

      Endure that your internet is connected when you execute the sample as it is working fine at my end with VS 2017 community ver 15.5.3. If issue still persist then instead of running the sample project directly create new project in VS2017 then copy the code.

      Delete
    2. Asma's Blog30 January 2018 at 01:24

      AdventureWorks extract is available with sample project as .txt file.

      Delete
  2. AllanT29 January 2018 at 20:02

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown8 February 2018 at 11:16

    Thanks Asma

    ReplyDelete

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