API For Programmable Trees

Apart from creating trees using the application, you also have the option of creating your trees programmatically through the documented API. This option requires some programming skills, but gives you more flexibility as it includes functions for manipulating all aspects of the trees, sorting, searching for nodes, dynamically inserting or deleting nodes, etc.

Using the API you have the following capabilities:

• Generate your trees from a database and associate an array of values (e.g. from a recordset) with each leaf.
• Add or Delete items on-the-fly based on conditions or events.
• Allow your visitors to change or rearrange your tree dynamically on their browser.
• Sort the items under any branch based on conditions.
• Define different styles for different groups of items and for three different states: normal, mouse over and selected.
• Define different icons for each of the states mentioned above, and for each node, closed or open branch.
• Any number of CSS classes can be dynamically added and used or changed for different nodes or branches of the tree.
• Optional tree state persistence across sessions. The state of the tree is saved in a cookie.
• Ability to associate custom user-defined data with each node (see the Stock market portfolio and Shopping cart management examples)
• and many more.

How to create and access a programmable tree using the API

Step 1: Use the application to extract the library file (ldmt.js), which is the engine that generates the trees on-the-fly.

To extract the library, go to "Tools -> API: Extract ldmt.js" menu option of the application. Choose a folder where your page containing the tree also resides, as you will later insert a link into this page for the ldmt.js file.

The extracted library will be licensed (and functional) for the particular domain specified at your "Project Properties". Note that for testing purposes your trees will always be functional in your local environment (localhost), regardless of the domain chosen.

Step 2: Edit the page where you want the programmable tree to appear, insert a link to the ldmt.js file, and start programming the tree based on the information found at:

• The API Reference contained herein.
• The sample pages located at the subfolder "API Examples" of your installation folder. The sample pages are the ones that start with the word "API".
• The examples contained herein at the "Examples" chapter.