Dynamic Charts and Graphs

Jonas has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I'm needing a module, or comination of modules, to generate custom graphs, charts, and images. I've looked at both the GD module and the Chart module, and they would be great for what I need. But here's the kicker...

I work for a huge corporation, and I don't, and never will, have root access. Both modules I mentioned above require three image libraries(png,zlib,gd,jpeg) in addition to the modules themselves. The chances of me getting our Unix Sys Admins to install all of them onto the development server are slim to none (Notice I didn't say anything about the production server? Tight I tell you, tight).

So I'm asking all of you if there is a realistic work around for my needs, or am I SOL? While you talk amongst yourselves, I'll be doing the futile job of drafting a letter to convence my boss, and the SysAdmins to add all this stuff to the server(servers if the gods are smiling on me). Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
j

Comment on Dynamic Charts and Graphs

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(Ovid) Re: Dynamic Charts and Graphs by Ovid (Cardinal) on Dec 28, 2000 at 23:54 UTC
Well, it's pretty basic. You can't do your job if no one lets you do it. Telling a mechanic to work on a car without using wrenches is stupid. If you need to get a job done and they won't let you get the job done, you need to find who the decision maker is and ask for help. You'd be amazed how powerful asking for help can be. It really makes people feel important, appeals to their ego, makes 'em more likely to assist, yada, yada, yada. If the Unix sysadmin says no, ask him or her what alternatives you have. If they blow you off, then you can to your boss or bosses and lay out the situation. If you're in a political battle, remember that every time someone says no, ask for their help in finding an alternative. They usually wind up looking like the bad guy if they won't help. I've used this technique successfully quite a bit. That being said, you can create simple graphs using a one pixel gif and then using using the height and width attributes of an img tag to generate the results you want. It's quick and easy, but not very customizable. Cheers, Ovid Join the Perlmonks Setiathome Group or just click on the the link and check out our stats.	[reply]
Re: Dynamic Charts and Graphs by coreolyn (Parson) on Dec 28, 2000 at 23:47 UTC
I'm not sure if this will help or not, but I work in a similar enviornment, but have root access to the dev servers. There's at least 2 way's around this delema: 1. Install your perl local to your shell and modify your LD_LIBRARY_PATH to point to the extra libs (which you've also put local to your shell. 2. I've managed to get CPAN modules into production by packaging everything i need into an 'install' script that sysadmins have no clue what they are really installing. Long as they don't have to answer any questions during the install process they seem to let it fly without questioning it. coreolyn Deviously Devoted Perl in the Enterprise Advocate	[reply]
Re: Dynamic Charts and Graphs by Jonas (Beadle) on Dec 29, 2000 at 00:13 UTC
Unfortunately, we don't use install scripts for any of our web apps. We have telnet access to the development server, and have write permissions only in a handful of directories. But thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I figured I would have to throw the meat into a pit of a potentially nasty fight, but I wanted to make sure there weren't any other ways I could get around this. Thanks, j ps. The pixel idea is a good idead, in fact so good that's basically what we're doing right now. The business users want something more flashy, you know something they can show to customers. thanks,j	[reply]
(redmist) Re: Dynamic Charts and Graphs by redmist (Deacon) on Dec 29, 2000 at 03:32 UTC
The problem with pushing @INC or something like 'use lib /path/to/GD-version';, is that GD uses XS, which you still have to 'make' it. You can't do this if you are not root...so you are still SOL. (I had this problem yesterday.) I am not totally sure about how 'use lib' works so correct me if I am wrong. redmist Silicon Cowboy Manipulating the Cosmic Mixing Board of Slack since 1981.	[reply]
Re: Dynamic Charts and Graphs by Anonymous Monk on Dec 29, 2000 at 02:05 UTC
Get your boss to spring for another machine thats yours to do what you like with. If your IT department won't let you play in their sandbox, get your boss, or the people who want the dynamic graphs to help you out. Tell them 'i'd love to help you out, but i need a machine to run this stuff on. Any old pentium will do.' And you might be surprised what some marketing manager who really wants a pretty graph for his presentation will come up with. If this is simply impossible, then simply tell the guys who want the graphs that the IT department says they can't have them, and watch the sparks fly as the underclued marketers push the IT department into allowing you full root access to all their servers. The Sysadmins will give you dark looks from over their full beards, but thats the price of progess.	[reply]