44 Creating Databound Diagram Components

This chapter describes how to how to create a diagram from data modeled with ADF Business Components, using ADF data controls and ADF Faces components in a Fusion web application. Specifically, it describes how you can use ADF Data Visualization diagram components to create diagrams that visually represent business data. It describes how to use ADF data controls to create these components with data-first development.

If you are designing your page using simple UI-first development, then you can add the diagram to your page and configure the data bindings later. For information about the data requirements, tag structure, and options for customizing the look and behavior of the diagram component, see "Using Diagram Components" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

This chapter includes the following sections:

44.1 About ADF Data Visualization Diagram Components

ADF Data Visualization components provide extensive graphical and tabular capabilities for visually displaying and analyzing business data. Each component needs to be bound to data before it can be rendered since the appearance of the components is dictated by the data that is displayed.

The ADF diagram component produces an interactive component that you can use to model, represent, and visualize information using a shape called a node to represent data and links to represent relationships between the nodes. Use diagrams when you want to highlight both the data objects and the relationship between them.

Figure 44-1 shows four runtime images of diagram components: a Sankey flow diagram, database table design, employee organization chart, and a scheduling diagram. In these examples, the nodes are the processes, database objects, employees, and scheduled stops. The links show the relationship between each process in the Sankey flow diagram, employee in the organization chart, and sequence of stops in the scheduling diagram.

Figure 44-1 Diagram Component Examples

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The prefix dvt: occurs at the beginning of each data visualization component name indicating that the component belongs to the ADF Data Visualization Tools (DVT) tag library.

44.1.1 End User and Presentation Features

Visually compelling data visualization components enable end users to understand and analyze complex business data. The components are rich in features that provide out-of-the-box interactivity support. For detailed descriptions of the end user and presentation features for the DVT diagram component, see "End User and Presentation Features" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces

44.1.2 Data Visualization Components Use Cases and Examples

For detailed descriptions of Diagram component use cases and examples, see "Diagram Use Cases and Examples" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

44.1.3 Additional Functionality for Data Visualization Components

You may find it helpful to understand other Oracle ADF features before you data bind your data visualization components. Additionally, once you have added a data visualization component to your page, you may find that you need to add functionality such as validation and accessibility. Following are links to other functionality that data visualization components use:

  • Partial page rendering: You may want a data visualization component to refresh to show new data based on an action taken on another component on the page. For more information, see "Rerendering Partial Page Content" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

  • Personalization: Users can change the way the data visualization components display at runtime, those values will not be retained once the user leaves the page unless you configure your application to allow user customization. For more information, see "Allowing User Customization on JSF Pages" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

  • Accessibility: You can make your data visualization components accessible. For more information, see "Developing Accessible ADF Faces Pages" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

  • Skins and styles: You can customize the appearance of data visualization components using an ADF skin that you apply to the application or by applying CSS style properties directly using a style-related property (styleClass or inlineStyle). For more information, see "Customizing the Appearance Using Styles and Skins" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

  • Placeholder data controls: If you know the data visualization components on your page will eventually use ADF data binding, but you need to develop the pages before the data controls are ready, then you should consider using placeholder data controls, rather than manually binding the components. Using placeholder data controls will provide the same declarative development experience as using developed data controls. For more information, see Designing a Page Using Placeholder Data Controls .

44.2 Creating Databound Diagram Components

Databound diagrams require a collection of node objects to represent the data and, optionally, a collection of link objects to represent the relationships between the nodes. You can use objects that implement a List interface, such as a java.util.ArrayList object, or a collection model, such as a org.apache.myfaces.trinidad.model.CollectionModel.

Databound diagrams also require a client layout configuration defined in a JavaScript method that you add to the application as a feature. Client layouts specify how to lay out the nodes and links on a page. The diagram component includes a default layout that you can use and modify as needed. The default forceDirectedLayout positions the diagram nodes so that all the links are of more or less equal length, and there are as few crossing links as possible.

Note:

You can also provide your own client layout configuration in a JavaScript object that you add as an application feature. For additional information, see "Using the Diagram Layout Framework" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

The Create Diagram wizard provides declarative support for creating the diagram and binding it to data. In the five wizard pages you can:

  1. Configure the diagram's client layout.

    You can choose the default client forceDirectedLayout feature, specify your own layout, or choose no layout.

  2. Specify the node and link data, including:

    • The collections to use for the node and link data

    • The attribute that specifies the node's unique identifier (id)

    • Optionally, the attribute in the node collection that contains the container id to identify child nodes that are contained by the parent node

    • The attributes in the link collection that specify the starting and ending node ids for a link

  3. Optionally, configure the display characteristics of the node's label and marker.

    Diagram nodes use the dvt:marker component to configure many of the node's display characteristics, including color, pattern, shape, border style, and color.

  4. Optionally, configure attribute groups to group nodes by color, shape, pattern, opacity, scale X, or scale Y according to a specified attribute.

  5. Optionally, configure the display characteristics of the link's label, style, color, width, beginning connector, and end connector.

Figure 44-2 shows a diagram configured to use the default client layout. In this example, the diagram is configured to use attribute groups to group the nodes by the values in the node's NodeGroup and NodeType attributes.

Figure 44-2 Diagram Example With Attribute Groups

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After you complete the Create Diagram wizard and the diagram is added to your page, you can further customize the diagram using the Properties window. For additional information, see "Using Diagram Components" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

Note:

The ADF Data Visualization Tools (DVT) component collection includes other components that you can also use to model organization charts, time lines, etc.

For example, you can also use the DVT hierarchy viewer component to display an organization chart bound to employee data. Hierarchy viewers also use nodes and links to display data, but the component automatically creates the links based on the values in the node's data collection, and you do not need to supply a separate data collection for the links.

For additional information about other DVT components and typical use cases, see "Introduction to Data Visualization Components" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

44.2.1 How to Create a Diagram Using ADF Data Controls

To create a DVT diagram using data controls, bind the dvt:diagram component to a collection that contains the node data and a collection that contains the links that represent the relationships between the nodes. JDeveloper allows you to do this declaratively by dragging and dropping a collection from the Data Controls panel.

Tip:

You can also create the diagram by dragging the diagram from the Components window.

Before you begin:

It may be helpful to have an understanding of databound diagrams. For more information, see About ADF Data Visualization Diagram Components.

You may also find it helpful to understand functionality that can be added using other Oracle ADF features. For more information, see Additional Functionality for Data Visualization Components.

You will need to complete these tasks:

  • Create an application module that contains instances of the view objects that you want in your data model for the diagram, as described in Creating and Modifying an Application Module.

    Figure 44-3 shows the data control for the diagram displayed in Figure 44-2. In this example, NodesView1 contains the data collection for the diagram nodes, and LinksView1 contains the data collection for the diagram links.

    Figure 44-3 Diagram Node and Link Data Collections Example

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    The Startnode and Endnode attributes in the LinksView1 data collection contain references to the Nodeid attribute in the NodesView1 data collection. Figure 44-4 shows a portion of the link collection's data in the Object Viewer.

    Figure 44-4 Diagram Sample Link Data

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  • Create a JSF page as described in the "How to Create JSF Pages" section of Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.

To create a databound diagram:

  1. From the Data Controls panel, select the data collection that represents the nodes to use for your diagram.

    For example, to use the data collection shown in this section, select NodesView1.

  2. Drag the collection onto a JSF page and, from the menu, choose Diagram.
  3. In the Create Diagram - Configure Client Layout dialog, select your client layout.

    You can choose the default client layout, provide your own layout, or choose no layout. To choose the default layout, click Default Client Layout as shown in Figure 44-5.

    Figure 44-5 Configure Client Layout Dialog Showing Default Client Layout Selection

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    To specify a different layout, click Choose Client Layout and select the feature and method that you want to use from the Features and Methods dropdown menus. After you choose the layout, the layout's optional attributes appear in the dialog, and you can enter values for the attributes as desired.

    Figure 44-6 shows the completed Create Diagram - Configure client layout dialog for a custom circle layout. In this example, the selected feature name is DemoCircleLayout, and the selected method is circleLayout. Optional layout attributes include anchor, center, curvedLinks, radialLabels, radius, and sortAttr.

    Figure 44-6 Configure Client Layout Dialog Showing Custom Layout Selection

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    If you want to look at the code source for the method you selected, click Search to display a popup containing the source code. Figure 44-7 shows the popup that displays the DemoCircleLayout.circleLayout method.

    Figure 44-7 Configure Client Layout Dialog Showing Method Source Code Popup

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  4. In the Create Diagram - Specify Node and Link Data dialog, enter values for the following to identify the data sources and link connections:

    • Collection: Verify that the correct data collection is displayed for the node collection.

      To change the data collection, click Add Data Source and choose another data collection from the list.

    • Node Id: Enter a value or use the dropdown menu to select the attribute in the node's data collection that represents the unique identifier of the node in the diagram.

      Alternatively, you can enter an EL expression that returns the value or select Expression Builder from the dropdown menu to launch the Expression Builder dialog. For help with the Expression Builder dialog, press F1 or click Help.

    • Container Id: Enter or use the dropdown list to select the attribute in the node's data collection that represents the parent node for child nodes in the diagram.

      Alternatively, you can enter an EL expression that returns the value or select Expression Builder from the dropdown menu to launch the Expression Builder dialog.

    • Collection (Link): Enter the data collection that represents the links, or click Add Data Source to choose the data collection from the list.

    • Start Node Id: Enter or use the dropdown list to select the attribute in the link's data collection that represents the source node in diagram.

      Alternatively, you can enter an EL expression that returns the value or select Expression Builder from the dropdown menu to launch the Expression Builder dialog.

    • End Node Id: Enter or use the dropdown list to select the attribute in the link's data collection that represents the target node in diagram.

      Alternatively, you can enter an EL expression that returns the value or select Expression Builder from the dropdown menu to launch the Expression Builder dialog.

    Figure 44-8 shows the completed dialog for a diagram using the NodesView1 and LinksView1 data collections. In this example, the Node Id value is Nodeid, and the link's Start Node Id and End Node Id values are set to the Startnode and Endnode attributes in the LinksView1 data collection. In this example, the parent container has no children, and the Container ID field is not used.

    Figure 44-8 Specify Node and Link Data Dialog Example

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  5. In the Create Diagram - Configure Diagram Nodes dialog, optionally enter values for the following to configure the display characteristics of the node's label and marker:

    • Node Label: From the dropdown list, select the attribute in the data collection to use for the node's label. You can select one of the attributes provided or select Expression Builder to enter a JSF EL expression.

      Optionally, you can enter values for the label's width, height, and opacity. For help with the dialog, press F1 or click Help.

      Tip:

      If you're not sure yet which values make sense for your diagram, you can create the diagram and modify the values after creation.

    • Color: From the dropdown list, select a node color from the provided colors or select Custom Color to enter the Color Picker dialog. The default node color is black.

    • Pattern: From the dropdown list, select a node pattern. Valid values for pattern include a choice of twelve prebuilt patterns, such as small and large checkers, diamonds, and triangles. If you specified a node color, the pattern will display in the color you chose. The default node pattern is none.

    • Shape: From the dropdown list, select a shape to use for the node. Valid values include: circle, human, diamond, square, triangleDown, triangleUp, and plus. The default node shape is circle.

      Note:

      When you specify the node's shape, color, or pattern explicitly, the same value will be used for each node in the diagram. If you want to vary the color, pattern, or shape according to some measure, configure an attribute group in the next page of the Create Diagram wizard instead.

    • Source: To use a custom node shape, enter the relative path to the SVG file to use for the node image, or use the Search icon to open the Select SVG File dialog to navigate to the image source.

    • Border Style: From the dropdown list, select a border style for all nodes in the diagram. Valid values include solid, dash, and dot. The default style is a solid line.

    • Border Color: From the dropdown list, select a border color for all nodes in the diagram or select Custom Color to enter the Color Picker dialog. The default border color is black.

      Figure 44-9 shows a completed Create Diagram - Configure Diagram Nodes dialog. In this example, the node label is configured with a relative width of 20 and relative height of 30. The node's shape is a triangle pointing up with an aqua-colored small crosshatch pattern.

      Figure 44-9 Configure Diagram Nodes Dialog Example

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      Figure 44-10 shows the runtime view of three diagram nodes after creation.

      Figure 44-10 Diagram Nodes With Optional Display Attributes

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  6. (Optional) In the Create Diagram - Configure Attribute Groups, to configure one or more attribute groups for the diagram nodes, click New in the Grouping Rules section and enter values for the following:

    • Group by value: From the dropdown list, select the attribute in the data collection to group by in the attribute group. You can select one of the attributes provided or select Expression Builder to enter a JSF EL expression.

    • Property: From the dropdown list, select the property that you want to group by for display. Available options include Color, Opacity, Pattern, Scale X, Scale Y, and Shape.

      To vary the attribute group by more than one property, select Select Multiple Attributes. In the Select Multiple Attributes, select the desired properties, and click OK.

    • Legend Label: From the dropdown list, select the attribute in the data collection to display in the diagram legend. You can select one of the attributes provided or select Expression Builder to enter a JSF EL expression.

    • Section Label: To use a text resource for the label, select Select Text Resource to associate a text resource for the label. If you wish to access data stored in objects, or reference and invoke methods using an EL Expression, select Expression Builder to launch the Expression Builder dialog.

      Note:

      The section label describes the legend content of a sub-section of the legend and is rendered in the legend area. In Figure 44-2, for example, Group and Type are section labels.

    • Optionally, click Value-Specific Rules to expand the attribute group dialog to specify a match or exception rule. Use match rules to specify colors or patterns for simple true or false conditions or when you want to match a specific value. Use exception rules when you want to specify a color or pattern when the grouped-by value meets a specific condition.

      To specify a match rule, in the Match Rules section, click New and enter values for the following:

      • Group Value: Enter the category value for the match. This can be a string that represents a category or you can set this to true or false. If you set this to true or false, the Group by value field must contain an EL expression that evaluates to true or false as in the following example:#{row.AmountInStock gt row.ReorderPoint}.

      • Property: From the dropdown list, select the property that you want to group by for display. Available options include Color, Opacity, Pattern, Scale X, Scale Y, and Shape.

      • Property Value: From the dropdown list, select the color or pattern to display when the node's value matches the Group Value. For color, you can select one of the provided values or select Custom Color to enter a custom color in the Select Custom Color dialog. For pattern, you must select one of the provided values.

      To specify an exception rule, in the Exception Rules section, click New and enter values for the following:

      • Condition: Enter a JSF EL expression that evaluates to true or false. You can enter the expression directly in the Condition field or select Expression Builder to enter the JSF EL expression.

      • Property: From the dropdown list, select the property that you want to group by for display. Available options include Color, Opacity, Pattern, Scale X, Scale Y, and Shape.

      • Property Value: From the dropdown list, select the color or pattern to display when the node's value meets the condition you specified in the Condition field. For color, you can select one of the provided values or select Custom Color to enter a custom color in the Select Custom Color dialog. For pattern, you must select one of the provided values.

      • Legend Label: From the dropdown list, select Select Text Resource to select a text resource to be used for the legend label. You can also enter text in this field or select Expression Builder to enter a JSF EL expression.

    Figure 44-11 shows the completed Create Diagram - Configure Attribute Groups dialog for the diagram in Figure 44-2. In this example, the diagram is configured for two attributes groups. The first attribute group varies the node's color depending upon the value in the NodeGroup attribute, and the second attribute group varies the node's shape depending upon the value in the NodeType attribute. The legend will display section labels for both groups.

    Figure 44-11 Configure Attribute Groups Dialog Example

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  7. In the Create Diagram - Configure Diagram Links dialog, enter values for the following to configure the display characteristics of the link label, style, and connector:

    • Link Style: From the dropdown list, select a border style for all nodes in the diagram. Valid values include solid, dash, dot, and dashDot. The default style is a solid line.

    • Link Width: Enter the width of the link in pixels. The default value is 1.

    • Link Color: From the dropdown list, select a link color from the provided colors or select Custom Color to enter the Color Picker dialog. The default link color is black.

    • Connector Start: Enter a value for the link's start connector. Valid values include none, arrowOpen, arrow, arrowConcave, circle, rectangle, and rectangleRounded. The default value is none.

    • Connector End: Enter a value for the link's end connector. Valid values include none, arrowOpen, arrow, arrowConcave, circle, rectangle, and rectangleRounded. The default value is none.

    • Label: From the dropdown list, select the attribute in the data collection to use for the links's label. You can select one of the attributes provided or select Expression Builder to enter a JSF EL expression.

    Figure 44-12 shows a completed Create Diagram - Configure Diagram Links dialog. In this example, the link is configured with a label and the default width and style. The link's color is maroon and will display a circle at the connector's start and an arrow at the connector's end.

    Figure 44-12 Configure Dialog Links Dialog Example

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    Figure 44-13 shows the runtime view of three diagram nodes after creation.

    Figure 44-13 Diagram Links With Optional Display Characteristics

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  8. When you have completed the Create Diagram wizard, click Finish to exit the wizard and add the diagram to the page.

44.2.2 What Happens When You Create a Databound Diagram

Creating a diagram from the Data Controls panel has the following effect:

  • Creates the bindings for the diagram in the page definition file (pageNamePageDef.xml) of the JSF page

  • Adds the necessary tags to the JSF page for the dvt:diagram component

  • If you chose the default client layout during creation, registers the layout with the ADF Faces runtime environment

44.2.2.1 Bindings for Diagram Components

The following code sample shows the bindings that JDeveloper generated for a dvt:diagram component using the data collection shown in Figure 44-3.

<executables>
  <variableIterator id="variables"/>
    <iterator Binds="NodesView1" RangeSize="-1" DataControl="AppModuleDataControl" id="NodesView1Iterator"/>
    <iterator Binds="LinksView1" RangeSize="-1" DataControl="AppModuleDataControl" id="LinksView1Iterator"/>
</executables>
<bindings>
  <tree IterBinding="NodesView1Iterator" id="NodesView1">
    <nodeDefinition DefName="model.NodesView" Name="NodesView10">
      <AttrNames>
        <Item Value="NodeGroup"/>
        <Item Value="NodeType"/>
        <Item Value="Nodeid"/>
      </AttrNames>
    </nodeDefinition>
  </tree>
  <tree IterBinding="LinksView1Iterator" id="LinksView1">
    <nodeDefinition DefName="model.LinksView" Name="LinksView10">
      <AttrNames>
        <Item Value="Endnode"/>
        <Item Value="Startnode"/>
      </AttrNames>
    </nodeDefinition>
  </tree>
</bindings>

The rules for populating the diagram are defined in a node definition. Each node definition references the node and links view objects and the attributes specified in the Create Diagram dialog. For additional information about the pageNamePageDef.xml file, see pageNamePageDef.xml.

44.2.2.2 Code on the JSF Page for a Diagram Component

The following example shows the code that is generated on the JSF page for the diagram shown in Figure 44-2.

<dvt:diagram id="dg1" layout="DiagramSampleDiagramLayout">
  <dvt:diagramNodes var="node" id="dnodes1"
                    value="#{bindings.NodesView1.collectionModel}">
    <dvt:diagramNode label="#{node.Nodeid}" id="dn1" nodeId="#{node.Nodeid}">
      <f:facet name="zoom100">
        <dvt:marker width="20" id="m1" height="30">
          <dvt:attributeGroups id="ag1" label="#{node.NodeGroup}" type="color"
                               value="#{node.NodeGroup}"/>
          <dvt:attributeGroups id="ag2" label="#{node.NodeType}" type="shape"
                               value="#{node.NodeType}"/>
        </dvt:marker>
      </f:facet>
    </dvt:diagramNode>
  </dvt:diagramNodes>
  <dvt:diagramLinks var="link" value="#{bindings.LinksView1.collectionModel}"
                    id="dl1">
    <dvt:diagramLink startNode="#{link.Startnode}" id="dl2"
                     endNode="#{link.Endnode}"/>
  </dvt:diagramLinks>
  <dvt:clientLayout method="DiagramSampleDiagramLayout.forceDirectedLayout"
                    featureName="DiagramSampleDiagramLayout"
                    name="DiagramSampleDiagramLayout">
    <f:attribute name="optimalLinkLength" value="75"/>
  </dvt:clientLayout>
  <dvt:legend id="l1">
    <dvt:legendSection label="#{viewcontrollerBundle.GROUP}" source="dnodes1:ag1"
                       id="ls1"/>
    <dvt:legendSection label="#{viewcontrollerBundle.TYPE}" source="dnodes1:ag2"
                       id="ls2"/>
  </dvt:legend>
</dvt:diagram>

44.2.2.3 Default Client Layout Files and Location

When you create a diagram using the default client layout, JDeveloper registers the force directed layout with the ADF runtime environment as a JavaScript (JS) feature. The creation process automatically adds a JS file in the ViewController/src/js/layout directory with the following naming convention:

ApplicationNameDiagramLayout.js

For example, if your application is named DiagramSample, the JS file is named DiagramSampleDiagramLayout.js. The content of the file contains the forceDirectedLayout method, and you can open the file in JDeveloper. You can also click Edit Component Definition in the Properties window to display the Edit Diagram - Configure Client Layout dialog and then click Search to display the method popup.

JDeveloper also creates the adf-js-features.xml file if it doesn't already exist and adds the ApplicationNameDiagramLayout as the feature-name and the path to the JS file as the feature-class. The following example shows the adf-js-features.xml file for an application named DiagramSample.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<features xmlns="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adf/faces/feature">
  <feature>
    <feature-name>DiagramSampleDiagramLayout</feature-name>
    <feature-class>js/layout/DiagramSampleDiagramLayout.js</feature-class>
  </feature>
</features>

44.2.2.4 Modifying Diagram Properties and Layout

After you create your diagram, you can specify a different client layout or add additional elements, such as a label, using the Edit Diagram dialog. To open the dialog, use the Edit icon in the Properties window for the dvt:diagram component. You can also customize the diagram properties directly in the visual editor or by setting values in the Properties window.

For example, to add the tooltip shown in Figure 44-2 to your diagram, you can enter a value for the diagram node's shortDesc attribute in the Properties window or in the code editor.

<dvt:diagramNode label="#{node.Nodeid}" id="dn1" nodeId="#{node.Nodeid}"
                 shortDesc="Group: #{node.NodeGroup} Type: #{node.NodeType}">
  <f:facet name="zoom100">
    ... contents omitted
  </f:facet>
</dvt:diagramNode>

For additional information and examples for customizing your diagram, see "Using Diagram Components" in Developing Web User Interfaces with Oracle ADF Faces.