wtf is textures?

Textures.js is a JavaScript library that makes it easy to add visual patterns to charts and graphics on the web. Instead of just using solid colors to distinguish different data points or categories, you can fill them with textures, like stripes, dots, lines, or other repeating patterns. This is especially useful in data visualization when you need to show differences that color alone can't convey, or when printing in black and white. The library works by generating SVG patterns, which are a web standard for creating repeating visual fills. It's built on top of d3.js, a popular tool for creating interactive data visualizations. You don't need to understand SVG or how patterns work behind the scenes, you just call simple functions like "circles" or "lines" to add the texture you want to your chart, and the library handles the rest. People use Textures.js when building dashboards, reports, and interactive charts where they need more visual variety than colors alone can provide. For example, a financial dashboard might use diagonal stripes for one data series, dots for another, and horizontal lines for a third, making it easy to distinguish between them at a glance. It's also helpful for accessibility, since texture patterns are visible to people with color blindness. The library can be installed via npm or bower and included directly in a web page with a script tag, making it straightforward to add to existing projects. The README mentions that it's designed specifically for data visualization use cases, so the patterns it offers are tailored to common charting needs rather than being a general-purpose texture generator. The project is open source and maintained on GitHub, with documentation available on the project's website.