GSOC Idea: Charts in CuteCash

[Cong Chen]

Hi GnuCash folks,

My name is Cong Chen. I'm very interested in CuteCash project.
Years ago, I made a simple personal budgeting software MyMoney (http://www.utdallas.edu/~congchen/Projects/Money/money.html)
My wife and I (and perhaps a few others) use it on daily basis. As a personal money management tool, I feel its functionality is satisfiable. Yet, there are a lot need to be done on its charts. As you can see from my website, MyMoney supports pie chart, line chart, and bar chart. They look nice, but the layout and labeling algorithm is lack of consideration when I wrote it. In current implementation of labeling, labels are easily covered by other labels. A modified force directed layout algorithm (Fruchterman, T. M. J. and Reingold, E. M. (1991). Graph drawing by force-directed placement. Software Practice and Experience, 21(11), 1129-1164. ) would solve this problem. Qt example "elasticnodes" demonstrates this concept.

I'd like to improve MyMoney's charts, and port them to CuteCash.
I've compiled and read through the code of CuteCash, and I think it is possible to finish below tasks within the time limit:

1. Fix existing bugs in MyMoney's charts
2. Improve its labeling algorithm.
3. Port them to CuteCash
4. Design a user scenario in which charts work with SplitListView, as show in such a mockup example:
Suppose user Carole started a new check book in gnucash. She adds income and expense items everyday. Now she wants to know how her expenses grow through months, and how different types of expense distribute. A bar chart and a pie chart would vividly show her this information. Another bar chart comparing income and expense could also reminder her of her balance.
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5. Many years ago, I came across a 3D charts implementation with OpenGL from Trolltech folks. Unfortunately, I can't find it now. If time permits, it will be cool to make some 3D charts for CuteCash.

I started using Qt since 2005, and my current work requires a lot of it as well. I'd love to devote myself to Qtlising gnucash.
I'd really appreciate your opinions. Thanks!

--
Best wishes,

Carl (Cong) Chen
CongChen at utdallas.edu