Proposal talk:Markup for charts and graphs

This seems a good idea, and not so difficult to implement. We could have a separate language for plotting (tools like GNU Octave support such capabilities since the long time), having the uniform style of charts over Wikipedia. As not everybody generates charts and graphs how (s)he found possible, they are very different. In addition, having original source and data is always better than having just a picture. Audriusa 10:59, 16 August 2009 (UTC)

We already support tables and timelines, so this shouldn't be too hard to implement. However, it would require a developer and the creation of new syntax, which makes it less feasible than many proposals. Still, I think it needs to get done. (Should we support world maps, too?) HereToHelp 22:21, 16 August 2009 (UTC)

World maps, yes, see my Proposal:Markup for Maps! Rursus 10:45, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

I believe that in the last couple years Wikipedia has already made major steps to make maps easier to use in articles—by creating code for location maps. More could be done of course, but IMO it's not a top priority, because we already have thousands of maps usable as pushpin maps. AFAIK, this was not implemented by a developer, but a number of regular Wikipedians. The thing I am proposing would require developer time, but the idea is the same. I believe the main reason this proposal is feasible is precisely because of its very low cost, compared to many other proposals. —Ynhockey 23:28, 16 August 2009 (UTC)

I created an extension a few months ago that may help with this. See: mw:Extension:Plotters. It is a javascript/canvas based solution, so requires javascript, which may be a dealbreaker. It falls back to table data when it is disabled though. It works kind of like gadgets, where admins can create javascript to be used for the site. Users should be able to test new outputs/visualizations through their own javascript pages (untested currently). It works with Internet Explorer via excanvas.
--Ryan lane 18:48, 22 September 2009 (UTC)

Why re-invent the wheel? SVG provides a suitable markup language for charts and graphs. A toolkit could be produced to make production easier than writing by hand and appearance more consistent, without the complication of having to learn how to create SVG with Inkscape and without the indecipherable mess of markup that Inkscape generates. Globbet 22:40, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

Impact?

Some proposals will have massive impact on end-users, including non-editors. Some will have minimal impact. What will be the impact of this proposal on our end-users? -- Philippe 00:13, 3 September 2009 (UTC)