Getting Started

Prerequisites

To use the module, yFiles for HTML is required. You can evaluate yFiles for 60 days free of charge on my.yworks.com. See Licensing for more information on this topic.

You can learn how to work with the yFiles npm module in our Developer’s Guide. A convenient way of getting access to yFiles is to use the yFiles Dev Suite.

Project Setup

Installation

In addition to yFiles, the module requires React to be installed in your project. If you want to start your project from scratch, we recommend using vite:
```
npm create vite@6.1.1 my-yfiles-layout-app -- --template react-ts
```
Install the ReactFlow:
```
npm install reactflow
```
Add the yFiles dependency:
```
npm install <yFiles package path>/lib/yfiles-30.0.0+dev.tgz
```
Sample package.json dependencies
The resulting package.json dependencies should resemble the following:
```
   dependencies: {
     "react": "^18.2.0",
     "react-dom": "^18.2.0",
     "reactflow": "^11.11.0",
     "@yfiles/yfiles": "./lib/yfiles-30.0.0+dev.tgz"
  }
```
Install the module via npm by running the following command in your project directory:
```
npm install @yworks/yfiles-layout-reactflow
```
License

Be sure to invoke registerLicense before using the module. When evaluating yFiles, the license JSON file is found in the lib/ folder of the yFiles for HTML evaluation package. For licensed users, the license data is provided separately.
License registration
Import or paste your license data and register the license, e.g. in App.tsx:
```
import yFilesLicense from './license.json'

registerLicense(yFilesLicense)
```

Usage

Utilize the useLayout-hook in your React Flow application. First invoke registerLicense somewhere in your application.

// App.tsx
import { registerLicense } from '@yworks/yfiles-layout-reactflow'
import yFilesLicense from './license.json'

function App() {
  registerLicense(yFilesLicense)
  return <Flow></Flow>
}

export default App

Then create a custom flow with a layout button.

// Flow.tsx
import { useCallback } from 'react'
import ReactFlow, {
  addEdge,
  Connection,
  EdgeProps,
  NodeProps,
  Panel,
  ReactFlowProvider,
  useEdgesState,
  useNodesState
} from 'reactflow'
import 'reactflow/dist/style.css'
import { MultiHandleNode, PolylineEdge, useLayout } from '@yworks/yfiles-layout-reactflow'

import initialNodes from './nodes.json'
import initialEdges from './edges.json'

// use the node and edge types that can process the layout result
// including multiple handles and bends in edges
const edgeTypes = {
  default: PolylineEdge
}
const nodeTypes = {
  default: MultiHandleNode
}

function LayoutFlow() {
  const [nodes, setNodes, onNodesChange] = useNodesState(initialNodes);
  const [edges, setEdges, onEdgesChange] = useEdgesState(initialEdges);

  const onConnect = useCallback(
    (connection:Connection) => setEdges((eds) => addEdge(connection, eds)),
    [setEdges]
  );

  // use the layout-hook to configure the layout algorithm
  const { runLayout } = useLayout()

  return (
    <ReactFlow
      nodes={nodes}
      edges={edges}
      onNodesChange={onNodesChange}
      onEdgesChange={onEdgesChange}
      onConnect={onConnect}
      nodeTypes={nodeTypes}
      edgeTypes={edgeTypes}
    >
      <Panel position="top-left">
        <button onClick={() => runLayout('HierarchicalLayout')}>Run Layout</button>
      </Panel>
    </ReactFlow>
  );
}

export default function Flow() {
  return (
    <ReactFlowProvider>
      <LayoutFlow />
    </ReactFlowProvider>
  )
}

Note: To effectively visualize the outcome of the layout algorithm, it is essential to use Node and Edge types that are capable of accommodating multiple handles and polyline paths.

Learn More

Discover the variety of yFiles layout algorithms available with yFiles Layout Algorithms for React Flow. For further information about yFiles for HTML and our company, please visit yWorks.com.

If you are working on a specific use case (e.g., organization chart, supply chain, company ownsership diagram) and require an easy-to-use React component, please take a look at the available React components powered by yFiles!

For support or feedback, please reach out to our support team or open an issue on GitHub. Happy diagramming!