I’ve finally widgetized my charts plug-in, thus allowing charts to appear in the sidebar.

During final testing, I noticed that I had my Assets and Liabilities charts swapped around in their respective pages, which is now fixed.  The sidebar charts have links to their respective pages, so you can see them bigger.

I am declaring the current version 0.4a and feel that I am approaching a releasable version.  As of right now, a release version will only occur if the following items are met:

• PHP chart source pages don’t have to specify the charts include (XML/SWF chart sources work, but are a real pain to write compared to PHP).
• Default size as option.
• Chart background color and transparency controllable with default options.
• All attributes require quotes.

Of All the tasks, the most difficult will be the first.  I look forward to the day this plug-in gets released.

Today would have been my Pembroke Welsh Corgi’s 17th birthday. He had to be sent to the rainbow bridge on January 27, 2007. So to honor his birthday, I share with you a Youtube video that I came across recently, along with the poem I finished the same day last year.

And the poem

There is a story, sometimes a poem.
It’s been put to music, and maybe been sung.
In your loving heart, it calls itself home.
It comforts your soul, when your head is low hung.

It’s about your pets, your closest pals.
Be it dog, cat, ferret or fish. Any pet will do.
It’s premise is good, you’ll love its locales.
It’s about a bridge, red, orange, yellow and blue.

You may have heard of it, but then maybe not.
It’s called “The Rainbow Bridge,” a place of fun, a place of love
For those who are new, read on for more than the plot.
For those who know by heart, a version that fits more like a glove.

There is a place called The Rainbow Bridge.
It lies between Heaven and Earth.
This place surely lies upon a ridge.
And always has a door on our hearth.

Our pets go here and regain their strength.
They recover their youth and their health.
All have the choice to lie alength,
perhaps even play with some stealth.

Regardless of whatever should pass,
There is surely one thing that happens.
One day they stop and they sniff, but not at the grass,
For with the wind, someone’s enthusiasm deepens.

As you approach, your pets break from their groups.
They know you’re there and can’t wait to reunite.
As fast as they may, they run to you as a troupe.
Together again you gaze at the bridge, marveling its height.

After several joyful hours of reunion,
You all crossover as forever companions.

I’ve finished my plug-in for personal use, but not for general availability.

I want to create an admin interface for it, but I have to read uncommented code to figure out how to set everything up. For now, all it does is replace a URL enclosed in a pair of tags.

I suppose I could release it in current form, but I want to be able to use the database for data storage, rather than static text files. I also want the interface to allow people to define the charts without ever having to go to the associated website to learn the “language” of the chart. I’ll keep thinking on this, meanwhile trying to post a bit more regularly.