Python Matplotlib Pie Chart PHP Crontab Tutorial

Python Matplotlib Pie Chart PHP Crontab Tutorial

Onto yesterday’s Python Matplotlib Pie Chart Primer Tutorial‘s work …

• further to local Apache/PHP web server, like MAMP, PHP understanding and supervising a Python Matplotlib module based Pie Chart web application … today …
• extending that PHP meets Python theme on the public RJM Programming we involve …
  1. updated PHP … to suit the use of …
  2. crontab …
     
ksh -c 'for i in `find /home/rjmprogr/public_html/Python -name "piechartpython_*.py"`; do /usr/bin/python3 $i ${i##*/} /home/rjmprogr/public_html/Python/ ; done'
ksh -c 'for i in `find /home/rjmprogr/public_html/Python -name "piechartpython_*.py"`; do rm -f "$i"; done'
ksh -c 'for i in `find /home/rjmprogr/public_html/Python -name "plot_*.png" -mmin +122`; do rm -f "$i"; done'
ksh -c 'for i in `find /home/rjmprogr/public_html/Python -name "output_image_*.png" -mmin +122`; do rm -f "$i"; done'

     … means to run Python code where new arguments add image file folder and IP address personalization parts so that users do not stumble on other user Pie Chart specifications

… all still dealing with a minimalist Pie Chart we’ll add complexity to into the future with …

• the changed pie_chart_python.py Python … called via HTML form of …
• the changed pie_chart_python.php PHP Pie Chart (now public) web application you can also try below

Previous relevant Python Matplotlib Pie Chart Primer Tutorial is shown below.

Python Matplotlib Pie Chart Primer Tutorial

We’re off on a new discovery tour regarding …

• Python … as a programming language, and it’s module …
• Matplotlib

… starting down this road with a simple …

• command line Pie Chart application … Python pie_chart_python.py (superceeding this) …
  
# pie_chart_python.py
# September - 2026
# RJM Programming
# Thanks to https://www.w3schools.com/python/default.asp

import os
import matplotlib

# Set backend to Agg before importing pyplot
matplotlib.use('Agg')

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.image as mpimg

import numpy as np
#import plotly.express as px
from PIL import Image

nums = []
sofar = 0

if len(nums) <= 0:
while sofar < 100:
print(f"Enter your percentage value regarding a pie chart where so far {sofar} has already been allocated.")
anum = input()
nums.append(int(anum))
sofar += int(anum)

y = np.array(nums)

fig, ax = plt.subplots()

ax.pie(y)

fig.savefig("plot.png")

# 1. Load the image
img = mpimg.imread('plot.png')

# 2. Process or manipulate the image (Optional)
# For example, let's look at the shape or apply changes
#print(f"Image shape: {img.shape}")

# 3. Create the plot without displaying it
plt.imshow(img)
plt.axis('off') # Hide axis lines and labels

# 4. Save the result to a file instead of showing it
plt.savefig('output_image.png', bbox_inches='tight', pad_inches=0)
plt.close()

# Open the PNG image file
#with Image.open("plot.png") as img:
# Display the image using your system's default viewer
#img.show()

# Optional: Load the data into memory so you can safely close the file
#img.load()

exit()

  … and …
• working on our local Apache/PHP MAMP web server (only, so far, the reason being our public web server has no graphical $DISPLAY existant, and so the plt.show() Python codeline cannot be used, so we need to think more on integrations there) … PHP pie_chart_python.php …
  
<?php
// pie_chart_python.php
// RJM Programming - September, 2026
if (php_sapi_name() === 'cli') {
$command = '/usr/local/bin/python3 ' . dirname(__FILE__) . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'piechartpython.py'; // Your command
if (1 == 1) {
exec($command);
} else {
// Open the process pointer for reading
$handle = popen($command, 'r');

if ($handle) {
// Read and output the buffer until the end of the file
while (!feof($handle)) {
echo fread($handle, 2048);
flush(); // Send it to the browser immediately
}
pclose($handle);
}
}
exit;
} else if (strpos(str_replace('?','',$_SERVER['QUERY_STRING']), '&') === false) {
$waspy=file_get_contents(dirname(__FILE__) . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'pie_chart_python.py');
if (strpos($waspy, "nums = []") !== false) {
if (isset($_GET['array'])) {
file_put_contents(dirname(__FILE__) . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'piechartpython.py', str_replace("nums = []","nums = [" . str_replace('+',' ',urldecode($_GET['array'])) . "]",$waspy));
}
}
//exec('php ' . dirname(__FILE__) . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'pie_chart_python.php > /dev/null 2> /dev/null');
exec('cd ' . dirname(__FILE__) . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . ' ; /Applications/MAMP/bin/php/php7.4.33/bin/php -n ./pie_chart_python.php > /dev/null 2> /dev/null ; open ./plot.png');
sleep(3);
}
echo "<html><body style=\"background:url(./plot.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;\"></body></html>";
?>


… allowing a web browser address bar URL such as …


http://localhost:8888/pie_chart_python.php?array=12,5,1,68


… working for us, here, locally, displaying a Pie Chart …



… via our local Python³ Matplotlib modularized environment.

Did you know?

Your installer for Python modules is likely to be one of, for the example of matplotlib module …


pip install matplotlib


… or …


pip3 install matplotlib


… corresponding to whether command line …


python pie_chart_python.py


… or …


python3 pie_chart_python.py


… works for you at your local system command line.

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