My top 4 flash charting tools

Flash charting software is a tool for easy creating and publishing charts in flash.

As I often need to create dynamic flash charts and publish them to Web, I’ve tried almost every flash chart maker I’ve come across. And now I want to offer you reviews of four of my favorite softwares for creating animated flash graphs.

I won’t grade their features. Also, I won’t say what charting program is better or worse. I just want you to know what I like or don’t like about each of  these programs for flash graphing so that you can make your choice easier.

# 1 is Animated Chart

A powerful tool for creating static or dynamic flash charts.

What’s great:

· Every chart element can be modified directly from the main program window: there are menus for choosing element, customizing it, editing data source. These menus are always active but they aren’t interfering with the perception of chart preview. If it’s easier for you to modify chart using toolbar, you can close the menus to see only the chart preview stretched to the size of the program window

· Chart type can be changed easily on every stage of chart making

· Each item is fully customizable

· Intuitive GUI

· The value of each column appears when the user moves the mouse over the column

· Source data can be imported directly from text or data files or entered manually

· Chart can be saved as image, SWF, HTML or Projector file

· Data can be exported to CLV or XML

What’s especial:

· Radar chart type

What can be better:

· When choosing preset color scheme to load, you can’t see its preview and can only guess what scheme it is

#2 is rChart

Tool for easy and rapid creation of nice-looking flash graphs and charts.

What’s great:

· Plenty of ready-to-use chart styles and ability to customize these styles to your liking

· Chart type can be changed on every stage of chart making

· Data can be imported from any ODBC data source, from a text file, from Windows clipboard, and from .fcd files

· Chart properties sheet allows to adjust any chart item directly in the main program window

· Chart can be saved as an image file, SWF, HTML

· Chart can be added to PowerPoint slide directly from the program

What’s especial:

· You can import audio to add background sound of voice explanations

· You can assign URL to your chart elements to generate web content easily

What can be better:

· In horizontal bar charts, 3D effect makes bars look as if they begin at -1 point instead of 0 point

#3 is AmiChart

User friendly and easy to use charting software.

What’s great:

· Wizard-based interface are the friendliest for novices in chart making

· Each chart style is fully customizable

· Source data can be imported from text or data files, copy-pasted from spreadsheets or entered by hand

· The value of each column appears when the user moves the mouse over the column

· Chart can be saved as SWF and HTML

What’s especial:

· You can preview your chart in a browser

What can be better:

· The number of available chart types is miserable in comparison with other graphing programs – line, bar and pie charts

· Chart can’t be saved as an image file

#4 is Swiff Chart

Smart design tool for creating charts in flash.

What’s great:

· A huge collection of available chart styles which are easy customizable

· Chart type can be changed on every stage of chart making

· Intuitive and friendly GUI

· Source data can be imported from text or Excel files or typed manually

· Chart can be saved as a Flash movie or as an image

What’s especial:

· A nifty combination of step-by-step chart making and handy menus on the main window’s size

· Chart can be previewed in a browser on every stage of chart creation

What can be better:

· Chart can’t be saved as a HTML file

So, choose what you like the most, visualize your data with one of these great flash charting softwares and publish your swf chart to make your website more attractive and eye catching.

Happy chart making!