SVG is a whole lot easier to manage in JavaScript. If for no other reason, you've got access to the D3 libraries. In V4, Mike Bostock wen to a lot of effort to break bits out into stand-alone libraries to make reuse easier without the whole D3 environment, and to encourage contributions from other people. One of the core features of D3 is the scale:
https://github.com/d3/d3/blob/master/API.md#scales-d3-scale And a couple of examples from Mr. Bostock: Quantile, Quantize, Threshold Scales http://bl.ocks.org/syntagmatic/29bccce80df0f253c97e Linear & Ordinal Scales https://bl.ocks.org/pstuffa/c37d059efa1501d33913d63ffe3585db It's super powerful. Like most things D3, you define an object that is implemented using JavaScript's (very nice) closures.So, you end up with an object that can perform scaling operations. The object can be passed around as a parameter and it can be invoked as such. What's nice about the closure in this case is that you can manufacture a whole bunch of different scales - you set the values when you build your scaling object. Then you pass the pre-defined scale object, as needed. The object caries the scaling function internally. It's very tidy and very powerful. There's nothing remotely similar in the 4D language, so there's no way to make a meaningful metaphor for this sort of structure. Scales in D3 can be of all sorts of different types, including ordinal, continuous, and sequential. If you need animations, I think that the interpolation features lock in here too. It takes a bit of time to get your head around D3 scales, or at least it did for me when I was using D3 heavily, but after that, they're a snap. No more hassles. Super powerful and super easy, once you've got the hang of it. Notes: * Mike Bostock's JavaScript relies heavily on anonymous functions. I don't really get it why JS people love them so much. But M. Bostock is way smarter than likely anyone I've met, so I figure roll with it. * He's also pretty into that freight-car-function style from jQuery which I hated on sight. But it does make it easier to set a ton of properties legibly in a compact space. Virtually everything in D3 is set to return in a way that supports this syntax so, yeah, be aware of that. ********************************************************************** 4D Internet Users Group (4D iNUG) FAQ: http://lists.4d.com/faqnug.html Archive: http://lists.4d.com/archives.html Options: http://lists.4d.com/mailman/options/4d_tech Unsub: mailto:[email protected] **********************************************************************
