title: SVG plot from point-value pairs
body: <p>I need to write some code (for a web.py webapp with a straight-HTML/JS client) that will generate a visual representation of a set of point-values. Each point has an X and Y coordinate, and the value is an integer. If I can use SVG to do this, then I can scale the image client-side with no extra code. Can I actually do this? I am concerned about a couple of things:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>The points don't necessarily have any relation to each other. They aren't necessarily in a grid, nor can we say how many points are nearby, etc.</li>
  <li>Gradients are primarily one-direction, and multiple gradients on the same shape seems to be a foreign concept.</li>
  <li>Fills require an existing image, at which point, I'd be better off generating the entire image server-side anyway.</li>
  <li>Objects always have a layering, even if it isn't specified, which can change how the image is rendered.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>If it helps, consider a situation where we have a point surrounded by 5 others, where one of them is a bit closer than the others (exact distances and sizes can be adjusted). All six of the points have different colors (Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, with red in the center and Yellow being slightly closer), and the outer five points are arranged roughly in a pentagon. Note that this situation is not the only option, just a theoretically possible situation.</p>
  
  <p>Can I do this with SVG, or should I render an image server-side?</p>
  
  <p>EDIT: The main difficulty isn't in drawing the points, it is in filling the space between the points so that there is no whitespace, and color transitions aren't harsh/unpredictable if you know the data.</p>