Reputation: 13
I need to pull data from an excel file (.xls or .xlsx) and display a graph/chart based on the data. The graph/chart displayed should have filters/mechanism which changes the graph/chart based on the selection from there, similar to Auto-filter in excel. The excel file may have more than 6 columns of data.
How do I proceed? I am new to Java. Please help.
Upvotes: 1
Views: 8640
Reputation: 5761
This is a complicated question with an equally complicated answer.
Your first steps would be to become more familiar with Java itself, as you will need this foundation before you do anything else. Visit The Java Tutorials first and learn some of the basics.
Once you've mastered the basics of Java, and understand GUI development, you can move forward to reading data from an Excel file. I recommend Apache POI as a great tool to read data from Excel.
Your next step is of course to learn about graphs and plotting in Java, here you might find something like JFreeChart of great help.
All of this is possible and doable in Java, it really depends on your level of commitment and whether you wish to invest some time into developing this solution.
Alternatively, if you are NOT inclined to write your own system, why not make use of LibreOffice or Microsoft Excel as both can open the documents, extract data and create charts and will provide powerful tools just like you want.
Upvotes: 3