Diagramming for the Web with yWorks Products
There are a lot of possibilities to generate the content for a diagramming client with yWorks products.
Different scenarios require different technologies. Depending on the use case, web applications can be created using one of our dedicated web products yFiles AJAX and yFiles FLEX, using our yFiles or yFiles.NET libraries, or a combination of these products.
For example, if you want to display images of diagrams in a browser or create a Java Applet, Java Web Start or ActiveX application, you can choose yFiles or yFiles.NET without any additional web product to implement your web-based graph viewer.
The Java and .NET libraries are able to export various image formats. It is even possible to add basic interactivity to such image based views using scripting languages.
On the other hand, if you need a full-featured graph viewer or editor in your web application and want to use state-of-the-art web technologies, we recommend using one of our dedicated web products yFiles AJAX and yFiles FLEX.
In combination with yFiles or yFiles.NET, your web application can still make use of the multitude of automatic layout and graph analysis algorithms offered by our Java and .NET class libraries.
Overview
The following table provides a brief overview of our products and their applicability to web-based diagramming applications. For a detailed comparison of our web packages, see below.
| Product | Client Technology | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| yFiles | Java Applet | Applicability of the complete JDK and yFiles API | Dependent on specific version of the Java plugin, slow startup time |
| Java Web Start | Java Runtime Environment required | ||
| Image based | No plugins required | Limited interaction possibilities | |
| yFiles.NET | ActiveX Control | Applicability of the complete .NET Framework and yFiles.NET API | ActiveX support required (Microsoft Internet Explorer) |
| Image based | No plugins required | Limited interaction possibilities | |
| yFiles AJAX | JavaScript/DOM | No browser plugin required; good performance with large graphs | Restricted to web standard scripting/user interface design |
| yFiles FLEX | Flash Player 9 | Cross-platform, cross-browser development; complete client-side graph drawing API | Flash Player 9 Plugin required |
yFiles Web 2.0 - Web Diagramming Applications
If you need to manage a diagramming application for several users with easy deployment and centralized resources, you may look for our yFiles Web 2.0 applications. We offer two different packages supporting the development of such applications: yFiles FLEX and yFiles AJAX.
Both yFiles Web packages can be used to create custom web applications that offer viewing and editing functionality for diagrams. The packages differ in the technologies they use and are applicable to different use cases.
yFiles AJAX uses a yFiles-powered server component and does not need any browser plugins, whereas yFiles FLEX builds upon Adobe Flex and requires a Flash Player 9 plugin.
Comparison
The following table provides a comparison of the features already implemented in the distributions of the yFiles Web 2.0 packages. It is of course possible to add custom functionality to the client or server component of both products.
| yFiles FLEX | yFiles AJAX | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | ||
| Custom Node Graphics (Bitmap/Vector Images) |  / |
/ |
| Panning (scroll bars/mouse drag) |
/ |
 / |
| Mouse Wheel/Marquee Zoom | / |
/ |
| Tooltips | |
|
| Context Menu | |
|
| Create/Delete/Move Nodes | // |
// |
| Create/Delete Edges | / |
/ |
| Create/Delete/Move Bends | // |
// |
| Create/Edit Node Labels | / |
/ |
| Create/Edit Edge Labels | / |
/ |
| Marquee Selection | |
|
| Resize Nodes | |
|
| Animation | |
|
| Graph Download | |
|
| Overview | |
|
| Requirements (Client) | ||
| Plugins | Flash Player 9 | None |
| Browser | None(1) | Firefox 1.5+, Internet Explorer 6+ |
| Requirements (Server) | ||
| Libraries | yFiles Complete 2.5+, if the yFiles
FLEX Java server library is used. yFiles.NET Complete 3.1+ and Visual J# .NET version 2.0, if the yFiles FLEX .NET server library is used. |
yFiles 2.5+ |
| Servlet Container | Mandatory only if yFiles is used | Servlet spec. 2.4+ (e.g., Tomcat 5.5+) |
| Java | 1.4.2+, if yFiles is used | 1.4.2+ |
| Requirements (Development) | ||
| Tools | Flex SDK If yFiles.NET is used for the server component, Visual Studio is recommended. |
None |
Choosing a yFiles Web Product
If you wonder which yFiles Web package best suits your needs, the following overview should help you choosing the right technology for your use case.
- Requires a Flash-9-enabled browser.
- Diagramming canvas implemented as an Adobe Flex Component.
- Easy integration into any Rich Internet Application (RIA) that uses Flex.
- Can be used as a standalone diagram viewer and editor application even without a server component.
- Keeps the graph on the client.
- Provides a full-fledged graph drawing and editing API that allows unlimited customization of client applications.
- Allows fully interactive diagram viewing and editing.
- Works with any server technology. Ready-to-use Java and .NET server demo applications are contained in the distribution.
(1) You can find information about the requirements for Flash Player 9 on the Adobe website.
