| About yFiles FLEX and yFiles FLEX Client Layout Extension | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prev | Chapter 1. Preface | Next |
yFiles FLEX is an extensive class library for the Adobe Flex framework that provides components for viewing and editing graphs, diagrams, and networks. yFiles FLEX Client Layout Extension, which features graph analysis and automatic graph layout functionality, complements the yFiles FLEX library.
This document describes yFiles FLEX Client Layout Extension; yFiles FLEX is described in the yFiles FLEX Developer's Guide.
For the sake of brevity, the chapters and sections in this document that discuss concepts and use of the library often simply utilize the name "yFiles" when describing features of yFiles FLEX Client Layout Extension.
The main aspect of yFiles FLEX Client Layout Extension is the provision of sophisticated layout algorithms to support automatic generation of high-quality graph drawings. Take, for instance, the graph depicted in Figure 1.2, “Initial setup of some data”. It shows a "raw" version of a graph where it seems that the nodes have been placed randomly on the plane. Suppose this "raw" graph represents an initial setup of some data.
yFiles FLEX Client Layout Extension, which is described in this document, does not provide any means for the visualization of or interaction with diagrams. This functionality is part of the yFiles FLEX library.
By using one of the layout algorithms of yFiles FLEX Client Layout Extension, the "raw" graph will be transformed into the arrangement shown in Figure 1.3, “Automatically computed "polished" drawing”. Note that the actual process of computing the "polished" drawing is completely automatic.
In a real-world scenario the initial setup could be even worse. For instance, when a graph is created from data retrieved from a database, any node created to represent an entity from a column would not have any positional information associated. Hence, the created nodes would all lie at the origin of the Cartesian coordinate system, i.e., they would "pile up."
Even for mathematically inclined people the term graph drawing can be misleading as to what it exactly should mean. Also, the term visualization is another popular occasion for a misunderstanding of the purposes the yFiles library serves.
Figure 1.4, “Other forms of diagrams” shows some examples of other forms of graphs, or more generally diagrams, that yFiles FLEX/yFiles FLEX Client Layout Extension do not support. In particular, the yFiles FLEX graph visualization library does not provide any functionality to deal with pie charts, function plots, or anything the like.
|
Copyright ©2010-2015, yWorks GmbH. All rights reserved. |
