Understanding Organization Chart Terms

Organization charts can be composed of many different elements, such as the main chart, nodes, connectors, pop-up nodes, and so on. These terms apply specifically to organization charts:

Field or Control	Description
Breadcrumbs	You can configure an organization chart to optionally display links at the top of an organization chart. Typically, these are the names of people in an organization hierarchy.
Child node	A node that is one level below its parent node (except for the top-level node). Every node except the top-level node has one parent node.
Connector	Lines that link the boxes in an organization chart. Connectors denote parent and child relationships. A connector also shows the relationship between a pop-up node and the predecessor node of the pop-up.
Descriptor	A text string that conveys information about a node. A main chart node has up to seven descriptors by default, and can be configured with up to 99 descriptors. A pop-up node has up to eight descriptors. Each descriptor can have an image associated with it and can be configured as a link. On the main chart, a descriptor can also be configured as an IM presence icon, a related actions menu, or a button that is associated with a drop-down list box. FieldChange PeopleCode associated with a descriptor can invoke a pop-up, change the display characteristics of the chart, and perform other processing logic.
Drop-down	You can configure a descriptor as a link associated with a drop-down menu or a drop down list box. A drop-down can be linkable or read-only. If the drop-down is linkable, PeopleCode related to the descriptor executes when a user clicks a list item.
Header	Information that appears at the top of a pop-up.
Level	An organization chart is made up of boxes, representing nodes, at different levels. The position of a node in a chart is determined by its parent node (PTPARENT_CHART_ND) and display order (PTND_DISPLAY_ORDER).
Main chart	The primary chart in an organization chart showing individual entities, such as employees, in boxes related to one another hierarchically. A user can invoke PeopleCode that displays a pop-up node by clicking a link in a box, or node, of the main chart or by clicking a link in a pop-up node.
Node	A representation of a single entity, an individual instance of data, in an organization chart. A node is represented as a box with vertical lines connecting it to its parent node and to its child nodes, if any.
Node record	A derived/work record that contains the properties and data values for each node on the main chart. The node record is created using a clone of the PTORGNODE_SBR subrecord.
Parent node	A node that has one or more subordinate nodes, or child nodes, one level below it. Each node can be a parent for other nodes.
Pop-up	A new window that displays information specifically related to a node on the main chart or another pop-up. A pop-up can be invoked from a link on a main chart node or from a link on a pop-up node. FieldChange PeopleCode controls the appearance and content of a pop-up.
Pop-up node	A single instance of data on a pop-up. A pop-up can have one or more nodes, all related to one node of the main chart or one node of another pop-up.
Pop-up node record	A derived/work record that contains the properties and data values for each pop-up node on the main chart. The node record is created using a clone of the PTORGPOPUPNODE_SBR subrecord.
Related-actions menu	You can configure a descriptor as a related actions menu. A user can select a link from a cascading drop down menu that invokes a related action from the related content framework.