obsplot VS htl

We’re working on the interactivity, but we’re not going to do a Python wrapper as the goal of Observable Framework (and Plot) is to leverage web technologies with JavaScript in the front-end for interactive graphics — while doing whatever language you like, including Python, on the back-end for data analysis. There is a R wrapper for Observable Plot (https://github.com/juba/obsplot) and so I imagine someone could write one for Python, but ultimately we don’t think you’ll need it with Framework’s polyglot data loaders since you can seamlessly move between languages (front-end and back-end).

From the Observable Framework point of view, you’re very welcome to use Apache ECharts or any other library instead of Observable Plot, since you can import whatever you like and it’s all just JavaScript.

Since there was a lot of interest in this thread, Mike added a page to the docs with an ECharts example: https://observablehq.com/framework/lib/echarts

There are two pieces of that example code specific to Framework: the html`` tagged template literal creates a DOM element (see https://github.com/observablehq/htl, also usable outside Framework), and the display function inserts it into the document above the code block (see https://observablehq.com/framework/javascript/display). Note that, whereas Observable Plot takes an options object and returns a DOM element, ECharts instead takes a DOM element and mutates it — but in general they should be equally easy to use in Framework.

Like Plot (and Vega-Lite, another great option), ECharts is also now one of Framework’s built-in “recommended libraries” (see https://observablehq.com/framework/javascript/imports#implic...), meaning that if you reference `echarts` Framework will lazy-load it for you. Adding that was a two-line diff: https://github.com/observablehq/framework/pull/811/files#dif.... But I wanna emphasize that Framework doesn’t have to explicitly “support” a given library for you to use it. “Supporting” in this case just means the convenience of saving you a one-line import statement. But don’t wait for our blessing!! Use whatever.