HOW TO USE DRASTICTOOLS, VERSION 0.6.18:
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1. Introduction
DrasticTools is a PHP5 software package for displaying data from different sources in various visualisations.
In this version the following data sources are supported:
- MySQL (support for other data sources is planned)
and the following data visualisations are supported:
- DrasticGrid: an Ajax-based data grid
- DrasticCloud: an component to display data in a cloud
- DrasticMap: a component to display data on a Google Map
2. Prerequisites:
- PHP5 or higher
- Json (see http://www.json.org); Json is included in PHP by default from PHP 5.2.0 and higher.
- for DrasticMap: GD library installed (see http://www.php.net/gd) and of course a Google ApiKey
- Note: Mootools (see http://www.mootools.net/) is necessary (included in the drastictools zip).
3. Usage:
The best way to see how DrasticTools work is to look at the examples provided in the release
and see them in action on http://www.DrasticData.nl
DrasticTools uses Ajax requests to communicate with the server.
By default DrasticTools calls the same php file from which it was invoked to process AJAX requests.
This means that the instantiation of the data source should be done BEFORE ANY OUTPUT IS GENERATED,
i.e. before the header information is sent to the client. This means: before the <html> tag in the file.
Alternatively you can specify the path option to specify a different php file to call.
4. Connecting to a Data Source:
At this moment only a MySQL can be used as data source. This is done using the class drasticSrcMySQL.
To connect to a single table, put the following in the php file before the <html> tag:
<?php
define("PATHDRASTICTOOLS", "<PATHTODRASTICTOOLS>");
include(PATHDRASTICTOOLS."drasticSrcMySQL.class.php");
$src = new drasticSrcMySQL("<HOSTNAME>", "<USERNAME>", "<PASSWORD>", "<DATABASENAME>", "<TABLENAME>");
?>
To use parts of a MySQL table, you can use a subclass like this:
<?php
define("PATHDRASTICTOOLS", "<PATHTODRASTICTOOLS");
include(PATHDRASTICTOOLS."drasticSrcMySQL.class.php");
class mysrc extends drasticsrcmysql {
protected function select(){
$res = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM $this->table WHERE <PUTYOURWHERECLAUSEHERE>" . $this->orderbystr, $this->conn) or die(mysql_error());
return ($res);
}
protected function add(){
mysql_query("INSERT INTO $this->table (Continent) VALUES('Europe')", $this->conn) or die(mysql_error());
if (mysql_affected_rows($this->conn) == 1) return(true); else return(false);
}
}
?>
5. Adding a visualisation:
To add a DrasticGrid with default options:
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/mootools-1.2-core.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/mootools-1.2-more.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/drasticGrid.js"></script>
<div id="grid1"></div>
<script type="text/javascript">
var thegrid = new drasticGrid('grid1');
</script>
To add a DrasticCloud with default options:
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/mootools-1.2-core.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/mootools-1.2-more.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/drasticCloud.js"></script>
<div id="cloud1"></div>
<script type="text/javascript">
var thecloud = new drasticCloud('cloud1');
</script>
To add a DrasticMap with default options:
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/mootools-1.2-core.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/mootools-1.2-more.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?file=api&v=2&key=<YOUR GAPIKEY HERE!!!>"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/markermanager.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/drasticMap.js"></script>
<div id="map1"></div>
<script type="text/javascript">
var themap = new drasticMap('map1');
</script>
5. Advanced Options:
You can use DrasticSrcMySQL with the following options:
public $add_allowed = true; // may the user add records? Default is true.
public $delete_allowed = true; // may the user delete records? Default is true.
public $editablecols; // array of columnnames to be editable. Defaults to all columns except the id column
public $defaultcols; // array of columnnames and values; only records that satisfy these conditions will be selected;
// added records will have these values as default
public $sortcol; // name of column to sort on initially. Defaults to the id column.
public $sort; // sort ascending (a) or descending (d)? Default is a.
Example:
<?php
$options = array(
"add_allowed" => false,
"delete_allowed" => false,
"editablecols" => array("Population", "LocalName")
);
$src = new drasticsrcmysql($server, $user, $pw, $db, $table, $options);
?>
You can use DrasticGrid with the following options:
path // path of the php file to call
pathimg // path to images
pagelength // length of the grid. If dataset is longer the grid will do pagination
colwidth // default width (in pixels) of a column
pp // page pointer
sortcol // name of column to sort on initially. Overrules the default of the data source
sort // sort ascending (a) or descending (d)? Overrules the default of the data source
columns // optional additional configuration of the columns to show with parameters:
- name: the name of the column in the datasource
- displayname: the name to be displayed for this column
- width: the width (in pixels) of the column
- type: the type of the column, which can be one of DDTYPECHAR, DDTYPEINT, DDTYPEBOOL, DDTYPEURL, DDTYPEMAILTO, DDTYPEENUM, DDTYPETEXT, DDTYPEIMG, DDTYPEKEY
DDTYPEKEY : is like DDTYPEENUM where you want to redefine the values displayed like (0 -> "no", 1 ->"yes", 2->"Maybe")
It can be used in some simple join cases : you edit table A that has an attribute id_b defined in a (small) table B, and you want
to display a comboBox for B's labels (and not their ids) Thanks to Eric David (Paris, France).
- editable: if the column is editable (true or false)
If a parameter is not specified the default from the datasource are taken
addparams // parameter string to pass to PHP GET requests, use "&var1=value1&var2=value2"
sliderposition // position of the slider: "left" or "right" (default is "right")
//Events:
onClick
onMouseOver
onAddStart
onAddComplete
onDeleteStart
onDeleteComplete
onUpdateStart
onUpdateComplete
Example 1:
var thegrid = new drasticGrid('grid1', {
pathimg:"img/",
pagelength: 10,
columns: [
{name: 'id', width: 40},
{name: 'name', displayname: 'First Name'},
{name: 'email', type: DDTYPEMAILTO, width: 140, editable: false},
{name: 'www', type: DDTYPEURL, width: 180, editable: true},
{name: 'present', editable: false}
],
sliderposition: "left",
onClick: function(id){thegrid.DefaultOnClick(id); alert('clicked on row with id = '+id)}
});
Example 2:
var thegrid = new drasticGrid('grid1', {
pathimg:"img/",
sortcol:'theme',
pagelength: 20,
columns: [
{name: 'id', displayname:'#', width: 40},
{name: 'idfournisseur', displayname:'Fournisseur', type: DDTYPEKEY, values:[<?php echo $fvalues; ?>],
labels:[<?php echo $flabels; ?>], width: 140},
{name: 'theme', displayname:'Thème', width: 140},
{name: 'reference', displayname:'Référence', width: 140},
{name: 'designation', displayname:'Designation',width: 180},
{name: 'memo',displayname:'Mémo', width: 120} ,
{name: 'prixht',displayname:'Prix HT', width: 50} ,
{name: 'type',displayname:'Type', type: DDTYPEKEY, values:['0','1'], labels:['Chg','Imm'], width: 40}
]
});
You can use DrasticCloud with the following options:
path // path of the php file to call
nroffonts // The number of different font sizes used in the cloud
namecol // name to show in the cloud
sizecol // column to use to resize the items in the cloud
log // use a logarithmic distribution (true) or linear (false) (default: true)
colorcol // column which should be used to color items
sortcol // name of column to sort on initially. Overrules the default of the data source
sort // sort ascending (a) or descending (d)? Overrules the default of the data source
showmenu // Show the menu? (default: true)
showmenufull // Show the menu opened (default: false)
shownamecol // Show the name selector? (default: true)
shownamecolumns // Array of columns that can actually be chosen by user
showlog // Show the log/linear selector? (default: true)
showsizecol // Show the column selector? (default: true)
showsizecolumns // Array of columns that can actually be chosen by user
showcolorcol // Show the color column selector? (default: true)
showcolorcolumns // Array of columns that can actually be chosen by user
showsortcol // Show the sortcolumn selector? (default: true)
showsortcolumns // Array of columns that can actually be chosen by user
showsort // Show the ascending / descending sort selector? (default: true)
addparams // optional parameter string to pass to PHP GET requests, use "&var1=value1&var2=value2"
//Events:
onClick
onMouseOver
Example:
var thecloud = new drasticCloud('cloud', {
showmenufull: true,
namecol: "Name",
sizecol: "Height",
showsizecolumns: ["Height", "Climbed"],
colorcol: "Climbed",
sortcol: "Name",
sort: "a",
onClick: function(id){alert('clicked on tag with id = '+id}
});
You can use DrasticMap with the following options:
pathimg // path to images
path // path of the php file to call
coordcol // the column having the coordinates
displaycol // variable to be displayed in bars or circles or red/green markers
icon // icon to use for marker; "bar", "circle" or "boolean". Defaults to the default Google marker
markercolumns// Array of columns to be shown in the markerwindow. Defaults to all.
addparams // optional parameter string to pass to PHP GET requests, use "&var1=value1&var2=value2"
columns // optional additional configuration of the columns to show in the infoWindow
// in the order specified in the columns parameter. If there is a columns parameter,
// only the names mentioned in this parameter will be shown, not the rest
- name: the name of the column in the datasource
- displayname: the name to be displayed for this column
//Events:
onClick
onMouseOver
Example:
var themap = new drasticMap('map1', {
pathimg: "DrasticTools/img/",
displaycol: "Height",
markercolumns: ["Name", "Height", "Comment", "Climbed"],
});
6. Style sheets
You can use style sheets to influence the appearance of the DrasticGrid.
For the grid and the cloud a default style sheet is provided in the DrasticTools release:
grid_default.css
cloud_default.css
For the DrasticMap component, no style sheets are needed.
7. Licenses:
DrasticTools is released under the GPL open source license.
A file License.txt describing this license is distributed with its release package.
DrasticTools uses the mootools library (see http://mootools.net/), which has a MIT Style License.
DrasticMap uses the MarkerManager developed by Doug Ricket and others which has an Apache license: see http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
8. Donations:
If you like the DrasticTools software and would like it to be improved in future,
please donate on http://www.drasticdata.nl
If you want to use the DrasticTools software under a different license, please contact info@drasticdata.nl
9. Changes from earlier versions:
From version 0.6.17 to 0.6.18:
- DrasticTools: php robust to strict error checking (drasticSrcMySQL.class.php)
- Drasticgrid: new method refreshComplete to refresh grid if number of rows changed
- Drasticgrid: new method deselectRow to deselect the selection in the grid
- DrasticGrid: click on selected row deselects that row
- DrasticGrid: bug fix pagenumber in scrollbar for multiple grids on one page
- DrasticMap: Option 'displayname' added
From version 0.6.16 to 0.6.17:
- DrasticGrid: support for multiple grids on one page, see ExampleGrid7
- DrasticGrid: new type DDTYPEKEY (a contribution from Eric David, Paris)
- DrasticGrid: new example using DDTYPEKEY: ExampleGrid11
From version 0.6.15 to 0.6.16:
- DrasticGrid: Support for images in cells, see ExampleGrid8
- DrasticGrid: Support for joined tables (for readonly), see ExampleGrid10
- DrasticGrid: click on link in URL cell opens in new window
- Drasticgrid: bug fix MAILTO and URL type of cells could not be edited in IE7
- DrasticGrid: bug fix on blur of enum cell
- DrasticGrid: style of scrollbar changed
- Bug Fix in ExampleGrid5.php: constraints
From version 0.6.14 to 0.6.15:
- Drasticgrid: onAddStart, onDeleteStart, onUpdateStart improved
- Style sheets improved
- Logo removed from grid, cloud and map
- Drasticgrid: Bug fix: characters such as & and # can now be included in cells
- DrasticGrid: transparent background of delete icons
From version 0.6.13 to 0.6.14:
- DrasticCloud: animation in cloud upon changes in menu
- DrasticCloud: cloud menu are configurable via options 'shownamecolumns', 'showsizecolumns', 'showcolorcolumns' and 'showsortcolumns'
- DrasticCloud: many smaller improvements
- DrasticGrid: support for multi-line text fields (textarea)
- DrasticGrid: checkbox centered horizontally
- DrasticMap: new option 'markercolumns' specifies which columns to show in marker
- DrasticMap: supports red and green markers for boolean values
- All: also tested in Google Chrome
- All: addparams parameter also added to refresh function
- Bug Fix: wrong column could be displayed when using 'columns' option with less columns then dataset
- Bug Fix: in DrasticCloud coloring
- Bug Fix: length of scrollbar was sometimes too short
- Bug Fix: in DrasticCloud sort menu
From version 0.6.12 to 0.6.13:
- 'scrollbarposition' option to position scrollbar left or right
- 'addparams' option to pass variables to PHP GET requests and some examples to use it
- redesign of style of grid (background color on mouseover)
- cursors improved in grid
- possibility to give headers of readonly / editable columns a different css style
- some performance improvements
- Bug fix: position of activity indicator is now in the center
- Bug fix: column width can be less than width of column label
- Bug fix: empty rows cannot be selected any more
- Bug fix: no longer display of " " when editing an empty cell
- Bug fix: special symbols like < > in a cell were displayed strange when editing
- Bug fix: when emptying a field the old content was shown
- Bug fix: error when editing an enum field with up/down key
From version 0.6.11 to 0.6.12:
- support for URL's and email adresses (mailto) in the grid
- scrollbar for pagination
- column width of grid in absolute pixel value instead of a percentage
- easier configuration of drasticgrid via the 'columns' option
- some visual redesign
- now using mootools 1.2
From version 0.6.10 to 0.6.11:
- Events: DrasticGrid, -Map and -Cloud now have events such as OnClick, OnMouseOver and OnChange.
- Class DrasticCommon removed. Communication between drastictools components can be done via events such as the Onclick event.
- Drastic* classes use the Mootools Options facility
- Better support for various Character sets
- Better detection of primary key column
- bug fix: insert special characters
From version 0.6.9 to 0.6.10:
- Bug Fix: DrasticTools was not working on FireFox without Firebug. It did work on IE and FF with firebug enabled.
From version 0.6.8 to 0.6.9:
- A huge performance improvement on using Drasticgrid on Internet Explorer
- DrasticCloud was added
From version 0.6.7 to 0.6.8:
- changed look and feel and style
- output is in utf8 to support other character sets
- Bug Fix: adding rows when table is empty
- Bug Fix: grid supports checkboxes
- some minor bug fixes
From version 0.6.6 to 0.6.7:
- redesign in architecture: more javascript, less php
- grid supports checkboxes
- selection of row
- many new options
From version 0.6.5 to 0.6.6:
- options "showcols" and "showcolsnot" were added. May be used to explicitly show or not to show columns.
- option "defaultcols" was added to drasticSRCMySQL to provide easy way to specify a simple WHERE clause and corresponding ADD function (example3a)
- fixed bug: Drasticgrid showing "null" if no content in cell (was a problem in IE)
- DrasticMap (alpha): interactively change the label, tooltip and bar height
- some small bug fixes
From version 0.6.4 (MySQLPHPGrid) to 0.6.5 (DrasticTools):
- grid is now completely Ajax based, also for sorting, paging, delete, add, update
- configurable which columns are editable; configurable look for editable fields
- improved configurability via css, also in ie
- ability to display column names different from table field names
- new component to visualize data on a google map (alpha version)
- new architecture which may support multiple data sources (not only MySQL) and other visualisations
- many more...
From version 0.6.3 to 0.6.4:
- the width of the grid and the individual columns can be controlled in the style sheet
- tooltips on cells and columns headers
- several minor improvements in presentation of grid
- width of input field same as column width
- several bugfixes:
- bug fix: error on adding or deleting a record right on the border of the display page
- bug fix: ability to insert commas
- bug fix: using the example sql file in MySQL strict mode
From version 0.6.2 to 0.6.3:
- using mootools library for ajax update requests
- some visual effects on update and delete
- tooltips on add, delete and sort buttons
- upon add, the grid navigates to the added row
- style sheets updated
- several minor bug fixes
From version 0.6.1 to 0.6.2:
- bug fix in the update of the presentation of the grid
From version 0.5.1 to 0.6.1:
- Update of cells is handled via an AJAX request => no full page load is needed.
- Support for MySQL ENUM Datatype via drop down lists.
- The ability to disallow adding, deleting or cell updating (used to be one setting for all).
- optional arguments removed and implemented as public variables of the class
- you may specify if the id field will be shown or not; it is no longer allowed to edit the id field.
- many smaller bug fixes
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