Tips and tricks for using D3.js (version 7), one of the leading data visualization tools for the web. It's aimed at getting you started and moving you forward. D3.js can help you make data beautiful. D3 Tips and Tricks is a book written to help those who may be unfamiliar with jะฐvascript or web page creation get started turning information into visualization.
D3.js (hereafter abridged as D3) is โa jะฐvascript library for manipulating documents based on dataโ. But that description doesnโt do it justice. D3 is all about helping you to take information and make it more accessible to others via a web browser. Itโs a jะฐvascript library. That means that itโs a software tool that can be used in conjunction with other software tools to achieve a task. Those other tools are based on web standards such as HTML, SVG and CSS but we donโt need to know too much about them to start using D3 (although it will help :-)). Itโs an open framework, which means that there are no hidden mysteries about how it does its magic and it allows others to contribute to a constant cycle of improvement. Being built to leverage web standards means that modern browsers donโt have to do anything special to use D3, they just have to support the framework that the Internet has adopted for ease of use.
What version of d3.js is this written for?
Version 7.x. If you're looking for the edition of this book that was written for version 6.x you can get it here or for version 5.x you can get it here or for version 4.x you can get it here or for 3.x you can find it here...
Is this book for you?
It's not written for experts. It's put together as a guide to get you started if you're unsure what d3.js can do. It reads more like a story as it leads the reader through the basics of line graphs and on to discover animation, tooltips, tables, interfacing with databases via PHP, sankey diagrams, force diagrams, maps and more...
Why was D3 Tips and Tricks originally written?
Because in the process of learning things, it's a great way to remember them if you write them down :-).
As a result, learning how to do cool stuff with D3 meant that I accumulated a sizeable number ways to help me out when the going got tricky. Then I realised that these could be useful for others who were trying out d3.js and who were at a similar knowledge level.
So here we are! A collection of tips and tricks for d3.js written by a noob for people who might consider that they're in the same situation :-).
What's in the book?
I've captured the appropriate code (in cool looking coloured text) and added in heaps of illustrations of what's going on so that you will get more traction at the start of your learning process than I did.
But wait! There's code!
There are over 50 code examples used in the book (with their data files) available to download (still free!) and they will also available online.
The awesome that is Open Source.