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ES5 getting started with EJ2 JavaScript Chart control

3 Mar 202624 minutes to read

This section explains the steps required to create a simple chart and demonstrates the basic usage of the chart control.

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Dependencies

Below is the list of minimum dependencies required to use the Chart.

|-- @syncfusion/ej2-charts
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-base
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-data
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-pdf-export
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-file-utils
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-compression
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-svg-base

Note: @syncfusion/ej2-pdf-export, @syncfusion/ej2-file-utils, and @syncfusion/ej2-compression are optional—required only for PDF export features. Omit if not using exports.

Setup for local environment

Follow these steps to set up your local environment.

Step 1: Create a root folder myapp for your application.

Step 2: Create myapp/resources folder to store local scripts and styles.

Step 3: Create myapp/index.js and myapp/index.html files for initializing the Syncfusion Essential JS 2 Chart control.

Adding Syncfusion resources

The Syncfusion Essential JS 2 Chart control can be initialized in either of the following ways:

  • Using local script.
  • Using CDN links for scripts.

Using local script

You can get the global scripts and styles from the Essential Studio JavaScript (Essential JS 2) build installed location.

After installing the Essential JS 2 product build, you can copy the chart and its dependency scripts and style files into the resources/scripts and resources/styles folder.

The following shows the path to the chart’s script and style files.

Syntax:

Dependency script: **(installed location)**/Syncfusion/Essential Studio/JavaScript - EJ2/{RELEASE_VERSION}/Web (Essential JS 2)/JavaScript/{DEPENDENCY_PACKAGE_NAME}/dist/global/{DEPENDENCY_PACKAGE_NAME}.min.js

Script: **(installed location)**/Syncfusion/Essential Studio/JavaScript - EJ2/{RELEASE_VERSION}/Web (Essential JS 2)/JavaScript/{PACKAGE_NAME}/dist/global/{PACKAGE_NAME}.min.js

Example:

Dependency script: C:/Program Files (x86)/Syncfusion/Essential Studio/JavaScript - EJ2/32.1.19/Web (Essential JS 2)/JavaScript/ej2-base/dist/global/ej2-base.min.js

Script: C:/Program Files (x86)/Syncfusion/Essential Studio/JavaScript - EJ2/32.1.19/Web (Essential JS 2)/JavaScript/ej2-charts/dist/global/ej2-charts.min.js

After copying the files, reference the chart scripts from index.html. The following HTML shows the minimal chart dependencies.


<!DOCTYPE html>
  <html xmlns="https://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
       <head>
            <title>Essential JS 2 Chart</title>

            <!-- Essential JS 2 Chart's dependent scripts -->
            <script src="resources/scripts/ej2-base.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
            <script src="resources/scripts/ej2-data.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
            <script src="resources/scripts/ej2-svg-base.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

            <!-- Essential JS 2 Chart's global script -->
            <script src="resources/scripts/ej2-charts.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
       </head>
       <body>
       </body>
  </html>

Use versionless URLs for automatic updates, or specify a version (e.g., /32.2.3/) for stability. Check Syncfusion releases for the latest.

Using CDN links, you can reference the chart control’s script in the index.html.

Refer the chart’s CDN links as follows.

Syntax:

Script: https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/{PACKAGE_NAME}/dist/global/{PACKAGE_NAME}.min.js

Example:

Script: https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/ej2-charts/dist/global/ej2-charts.min.js

The following HTML shows the minimal chart dependencies using CDN scripts.

<!DOCTYPE html>
	<html xmlns="https://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  <head>
    <title>Essential JS 2 Chart</title>
    <!-- Include Essential JS 2 other component's script based on features used -->
    <script
      src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/ej2-base/dist/global/ej2-base.min.js"
      type="text/javascript"
    ></script>
    <script
      src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/ej2-data/dist/global/ej2-data.min.js"
      type="text/javascript"
    ></script>
    <script
      src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/ej2-pdf-export/dist/global/ej2-pdf-export.min.js"
      type="text/javascript"
    ></script>
    <script
      src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/ej2-file-utils/dist/global/ej2-file-utils.min.js"
      type="text/javascript"
    ></script>
    <script
      src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/ej2-compression/dist/global/ej2-compression.min.js"
      type="text/javascript"
    ></script>
    <script
      src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/ej2-svg-base/dist/global/ej2-svg-base.min.js"
      type="text/javascript"
    ></script>
    <!-- Essential JS 2 Chart's global script -->
    <script
      src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/ej2-charts/dist/global/ej2-charts.min.js"
      type="text/javascript"
    ></script>
  </head>
  <body></body>
</html>

Adding Chart control

Now you can add the Chart control to the application. To get started, add a div element for the Chart in index.html. Then reference the index.js file in index.html.

This document uses ej2.min.js, which includes all Essential JS 2 components and dependencies.

<!DOCTYPE html>
  <html xmlns="https://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
       <head>
            <title>Essential JS 2 Chart</title>
            <!-- Essential JS 2 all script -->
            <script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/dist/ej2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
       </head>
       <body>
           <!-- Add the HTML <div> element for chart  -->
             <div id="element"></div>
             <script src="index.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
       </body>
  </html>

The following example shows a basic Chart.

var chart = new ej.charts.Chart();
chart.appendTo('#element');

The below example shows a basic Chart.

var chart = new ej.charts.Chart();
chart.appendTo('#element');
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head>
    <title>EJ2 Animation</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls">
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion">
    <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet">
    
    
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/32.2.3/dist/ej2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/syncfusion-helper.js" type ="text/javascript"></script>
</head>

<body>
    
    <div id="container">
        <div id="element"></div>
    </div>


<script>
var ele = document.getElementById('container');
if(ele) {
  ele.style.visibility = "visible";
}   
      </script>
<script src="index.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</body></html>

Populate chart with data

This section explains how to plot the following JSON data to the chart.

var chartData = [
    { month: 'Jan', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Feb', sales: 28 },
    { month: 'Mar', sales: 34 }, { month: 'Apr', sales: 32 },
    { month: 'May', sales: 40 }, { month: 'Jun', sales: 32 },
    { month: 'Jul', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Aug', sales: 55 },
    { month: 'Sep', sales: 38 }, { month: 'Oct', sales: 30 },
    { month: 'Nov', sales: 25 }, { month: 'Dec', sales: 32 }
];

Add a series object to the chart by using the series property. Map the JSON fields month and sales to the series xName and yName properties, and set the JSON array as the dataSource property.

Since the JSON contains category data, set the valueType for the horizontal axis (primaryXAxis) to Category. By default, the axis valueType is Numeric.

var chartData = [
      { month: 'Jan', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Feb', sales: 28 },
      { month: 'Mar', sales: 34 }, { month: 'Apr', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'May', sales: 40 }, { month: 'Jun', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'Jul', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Aug', sales: 55 },
      { month: 'Sep', sales: 38 }, { month: 'Oct', sales: 30 },
      { month: 'Nov', sales: 25 }, { month: 'Dec', sales: 32 }
];
var chart = new ej.charts.Chart({
    primaryXAxis: {
        valueType: 'Category'
    },
    series:[{
        // dataSource for chart series
        dataSource: chartData,
        xName: 'month',
        yName: 'sales',
        type: 'Line'
    }]
}, '#element');
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head>
    <title>EJ2 Animation</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls">
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion">
    <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet">
    
    
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/32.2.3/dist/ej2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/syncfusion-helper.js" type ="text/javascript"></script>
</head>

<body>
    
    <div id="container">
        <div id="element"></div>
    </div>


<script>
var ele = document.getElementById('container');
if(ele) {
  ele.style.visibility = "visible";
}   
      </script>
<script src="index.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</body></html>

The sales values are in thousands, so format the vertical axis label by adding $ as a prefix and K as a suffix to each label. This can be achieved by setting ${value}K to the labelFormat property of the axis. Here, {value} acts as a placeholder for each axis label.

var chartData = [
      { month: 'Jan', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Feb', sales: 28 },
      { month: 'Mar', sales: 34 }, { month: 'Apr', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'May', sales: 40 }, { month: 'Jun', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'Jul', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Aug', sales: 55 },
      { month: 'Sep', sales: 38 }, { month: 'Oct', sales: 30 },
      { month: 'Nov', sales: 25 }, { month: 'Dec', sales: 32 }
];
var chart = new ej.charts.Chart({
    primaryXAxis: {
        valueType: 'Category',
    },
    primaryYAxis: {
        // label format for axis
        labelFormat: '${value}K'
    },
    series:[{
        dataSource: chartData,
        xName: 'month',
        yName: 'sales',
        type: 'Line'
    }]
}, '#element');
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head>
    <title>EJ2 Animation</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls">
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion">
    <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet">
    
    
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/32.2.3/dist/ej2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/syncfusion-helper.js" type ="text/javascript"></script>
</head>

<body>
    
    <div id="container">
        <div id="element"></div>
    </div>


<script>
var ele = document.getElementById('container');
if(ele) {
  ele.style.visibility = "visible";
}   
      </script>
<script src="index.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</body></html>

Add chart title

You can add a title using the title property to the chart to provide quick information to the user about the data plotted in the chart.

var chartData = [
      { month: 'Jan', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Feb', sales: 28 },
      { month: 'Mar', sales: 34 }, { month: 'Apr', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'May', sales: 40 }, { month: 'Jun', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'Jul', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Aug', sales: 55 },
      { month: 'Sep', sales: 38 }, { month: 'Oct', sales: 30 },
      { month: 'Nov', sales: 25 }, { month: 'Dec', sales: 32 }
];
var chart = new ej.charts.Chart({
    // Title for chart
    title: 'Sales Analysis',
    primaryXAxis: {
        valueType: 'Category',
        title: 'Month'
    },
    primaryYAxis: {
        labelFormat: '${value}K'
    },
    series:[{
        dataSource: chartData,
        name:'Sales',
        xName: 'month',
        yName: 'sales',
        type: 'Line'
    }],
}, '#element');
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head>
    <title>EJ2 Animation</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls">
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion">
    <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet">
    
    
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/32.2.3/dist/ej2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/syncfusion-helper.js" type ="text/javascript"></script>
</head>

<body>
    
    <div id="container">
        <div id="element"></div>
    </div>


<script>
var ele = document.getElementById('container');
if(ele) {
  ele.style.visibility = "visible";
}   
      </script>
<script src="index.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</body></html>

Enable legend

You can enable the legend for the chart by setting the visible property to true in the legendSettings object.

var chartData = [
      { month: 'Jan', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Feb', sales: 28 },
      { month: 'Mar', sales: 34 }, { month: 'Apr', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'May', sales: 40 }, { month: 'Jun', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'Jul', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Aug', sales: 55 },
      { month: 'Sep', sales: 38 }, { month: 'Oct', sales: 30 },
      { month: 'Nov', sales: 25 }, { month: 'Dec', sales: 32 }
];
var chart = new ej.charts.Chart({
    // Legend for chart
    legendSettings: {
        visible: true
    },
    primaryXAxis: {
        valueType: 'Category',
    },
    primaryYAxis: {
        labelFormat: '${value}K'
    },
    series:[{
        dataSource: chartData,
        name:'Sales',
        xName: 'month',
        yName: 'sales',
        type: 'Line'
    }],
    title: 'Sales Analysis'
}, '#element');
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head>
    <title>EJ2 Animation</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls">
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion">
    <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet">
    
    
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/32.2.3/dist/ej2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/syncfusion-helper.js" type ="text/javascript"></script>
</head>

<body>
    
    <div id="container">
        <div id="element"></div>
    </div>


<script>
var ele = document.getElementById('container');
if(ele) {
  ele.style.visibility = "visible";
}   
      </script>
<script src="index.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</body></html>

Add data label

You can add data labels to improve the readability of the chart. This can be achieved by setting the visible property to true in the dataLabel object. Now, the data labels are arranged smartly based on the series.

var chartData = [
      { month: 'Jan', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Feb', sales: 28 },
      { month: 'Mar', sales: 34 }, { month: 'Apr', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'May', sales: 40 }, { month: 'Jun', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'Jul', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Aug', sales: 55 },
      { month: 'Sep', sales: 38 }, { month: 'Oct', sales: 30 },
      { month: 'Nov', sales: 25 }, { month: 'Dec', sales: 32 }
];
var chart = new ej.charts.Chart({
    primaryXAxis: {
        valueType: 'Category',
    },
    primaryYAxis: {
        labelFormat: '${value}K'
    },
    series:[{
        dataSource: chartData,
        xName: 'month',
        name:'Sales',
        yName: 'sales',
        type: 'Line',
        marker: {
            // Data label for chart series
            dataLabel: {
                visible: true
            }
        }
    }],
    legendSettings: {visible: true},
    title: 'Sales Analysis'
}, '#element');
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head>
    <title>EJ2 Animation</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls">
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion">
    <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet">
    
    
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/32.2.3/dist/ej2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/syncfusion-helper.js" type ="text/javascript"></script>
</head>

<body>
    
    <div id="container">
        <div id="element"></div>
    </div>


<script>
var ele = document.getElementById('container');
if(ele) {
  ele.style.visibility = "visible";
}   
      </script>
<script src="index.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</body></html>

Enable tooltip

The tooltip is useful when you cannot display information by using the data labels due to space constraints. You can enable the tooltip by setting the enable property to true in the tooltip object.

var chartData = [
      { month: 'Jan', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Feb', sales: 28 },
      { month: 'Mar', sales: 34 }, { month: 'Apr', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'May', sales: 40 }, { month: 'Jun', sales: 32 },
      { month: 'Jul', sales: 35 }, { month: 'Aug', sales: 55 },
      { month: 'Sep', sales: 38 }, { month: 'Oct', sales: 30 },
      { month: 'Nov', sales: 25 }, { month: 'Dec', sales: 32 }
];
var chart = new ej.charts.Chart({
    // Tooltip for chart
    tooltip: {
        enable: true
    },
    primaryXAxis: {
        valueType: 'Category',
    },
    primaryYAxis: {
        labelFormat: '${value}K'
    },
   series:[{
        dataSource: chartData,
        name:'Sales',
        xName: 'month',
        yName: 'sales',
        type: 'Line',
        marker: {
            // Data label for chart series
            dataLabel: {
                visible: true
            }
        }
    }],
    legendSettings: {visible: true},
    title: 'Sales Analysis'
}, '#element');
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head>
    <title>EJ2 Animation</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls">
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion">
    <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet">
    
    
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/32.2.3/dist/ej2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/syncfusion-helper.js" type ="text/javascript"></script>
</head>

<body>
    
    <div id="container">
        <div id="element"></div>
    </div>


<script>
var ele = document.getElementById('container');
if(ele) {
  ele.style.visibility = "visible";
}   
      </script>
<script src="index.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</body></html>