Cache actual elements instead of buffering HTML.

This significantly improves performance, since we already create the
elements when measuring them, and that effort is now no longer wasted.
We must take care to detach, rather than remove, when clearing the text
layer, so we can add the elements back later if necessary.

jquery.flot.js

@@ -101,10 +101,6 @@ Licensed under the MIT license.
 
 		this.text = null;
 
-		// Buffer for HTML text fragments, so we can add them all at once
-
-		this._textBuffer = "";
-
 		// Cache of text fragments and metrics, so we can avoid expensively
 		// re-calculating them when the plot is re-rendered in a loop.
 
@@ -176,7 +172,7 @@ Licensed under the MIT license.
 	Canvas.prototype.clear = function() {
 		this.context.clearRect(0, 0, this.width, this.height);
 		if (this.text) {
-			this.text.empty();
+			this.text.html("");
 		}
 	};
 
@@ -184,9 +180,32 @@ Licensed under the MIT license.
 
 	Canvas.prototype.render = function() {
 
-		if (this._textBuffer.length) {
+		var cache = this._activeTextCache;
+
+		// Swap out the text cache for the 'hot cache' that we've been filling
+		// out since the last call to render.
+
+		this._activeTextCache = {};
+		this._textCache = cache;
+
+		// Check whether the cache actually has any entries.
+
+		var hasOwnProperty = Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty,
+			cacheHasText = false;
+
+		for (var key in cache) {
+			if (hasOwnProperty.call(cache, key)) {
+				cacheHasText = true;
+				break;
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Render the contents of the cache
 
-			// Add the HTML text layer, if it doesn't already exist
+		if (cacheHasText) {
+
+			// Create the HTML text layer, if it doesn't already exist; if it
+			// does, detach it so we don't get repaints while adding elements.
 
 			if (!this.text) {
 				this.text = $("<div></div>")
@@ -197,18 +216,22 @@ Licensed under the MIT license.
 						left: 0,
 						bottom: 0,
 						right: 0
-					}).insertAfter(this.element);
+					});
+			} else {
+				this.text.detach();
 			}
 
-			this.text.append(this._textBuffer);
-			this._textBuffer = "";
-		}
+			// Add all the elements to the text layer, then add it to the DOM
+			// at the end, so we only trigger a single redraw.
 
-		// Swap out the text cache for the 'hot cache' that we've been filling
-		// out since the last call to render.
+			for (var key in cache) {
+				if (hasOwnProperty.call(cache, key)) {
+					this.text.append(cache[key].element);
+				}
+			}
 
-		this._textCache = this._activeTextCache;
-		this._activeTextCache = {};
+			this.text.insertAfter(this.element);
+		}
 	};
 
 	// Creates (if necessary) and returns a text info object.
@@ -216,17 +239,13 @@ Licensed under the MIT license.
 	// The object looks like this:
 	//
 	// {
-	//     prefix: First half of the HTML for the text's div wrapper.
-	//     suffix: Second half of the HTML for the text's div wrapper.
+	//     element: The jQuery-wrapped HTML div containing the text.
 	//     dimensions: {
 	//         width: Width of the text's wrapper div.
 	//         height: Height of the text's wrapper div.
 	//     }
 	// }
 	//
-	// The prefix and suffix are divided at the 'top' inline style definition,
-	// so the top and left positions can be added when creating the real div.
-	//
 	// Canvas maintains a cache of recently-used text info objects; getTextInfo
 	// either returns the cached element or creates a new entry.
 	//
@@ -260,37 +279,42 @@ Licensed under the MIT license.
 
 		info = this._textCache[cacheKey] || this._activeTextCache[cacheKey];
 
-		if (info == null) {
+		// If we can't find a matching element in our cache, create a new one
 
-			var prefix,
-				suffix = "px;'>" + text + "</div>",
-				element;
+		if (info == null) {
 
-			// If the font is a font-spec object, generate an inline-style string
+			var element = $("<div>" + text + "</div>");
 
 			if (typeof font === "object") {
-				prefix = "<div style='font:" + textStyle + ";color:" + font.color + ";position:absolute;top:";
+				element.css({
+					font: textStyle,
+					color: font.color,
+					position: "absolute",
+					top: -9999
+				});
 			} else if (typeof font === "string") {
-				prefix = "<div class='" + font + "' style='position:absolute;top:";
+				element.addClass(font).css({
+					position: "absolute",
+					top: -9999
+				});
 			} else {
-				prefix = "<div style='position:absolute;top:";
+				element.css({
+					position: "absolute",
+					top: -9999
+				});
 			}
 
-			// Create a dummy element off-screen and measure its dimensions
-
-			element = $(prefix + -9999 + suffix)
-				.appendTo(this.container);
+			element.appendTo(this.container);
 
 			info = {
-				prefix: prefix,
-				suffix: suffix,
+				element: element,
 				dimensions: {
 					width: element.outerWidth(true),
 					height: element.outerHeight(true)
 				}
 			};
 
-			element.remove();
+			element.detach();
 		}
 
 		// Save the entry to the 'hot' text cache, marking it as active and
@@ -338,10 +362,12 @@ Licensed under the MIT license.
 			y -= dimensions.height;
 		}
 
-		// Use inline styles to move the element into position, then add its
-		// HTML to the canvas text buffer.
+		// Move the element to its final position within the container
 
-		this._textBuffer += info.prefix + parseInt(y) + "px;left:" + parseInt(x) + info.suffix;
+		info.element.css({
+			top: parseInt(y),
+			left: parseInt(x)
+		});
 	};
 
 	///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////