Explains symbols, their advantages, and how to use them.

A symbol is a collection of graphic objects, parameters and conditions used to give a dynamic representation of changing data.

A CSS file is used to store the information necessary to represent a symbol, including the type and position of shapes, text, IVL files, images, and other symbols used to make up the symbol. Symbol data is stored inside the palette file structure. Palettes are stored in standard Java™ .jar archive files. Once created, a symbol is manipulated either by being imported into other Rogue Wave® JViews products such as the Designer, the Dashboard Editor, or directly using the Rogue Wave JViews Java API.

Elements inside a symbol can be static to represent specific information or dynamic to display status according to values extracted from external data sources. For example, you can use a PNG image showing a network structure and add elements which change color to show bandwidth on hubs in the network. Other examples of uses for symbols are:

Symbols contain interactors. An interactor listens for mouse events in a symbol, it uses the mouse movement to change the value of a symbol parameter. Changes to parameters result in changes to the graphic element to which they are bound. Using interactors you create symbols that react to user input such as:

Symbols are reusable. They can be easily integrated into multiple GUI user applications. To make reuse easier, symbols are organized in categories stored in palettes. A palette is a container from which symbols can be selected and added to other symbols or applications using Rogue Wave® JViews Diagrammer Symbol Editor, Rogue Wave JViews Diagrammer or Rogue Wave JViews Diagrammer Dashboard Editor. This is done graphically by dragging and dropping a symbol from an open palette in the GUI editor to a drawing area in the application.

Rogue Wave supplies GUI components used to create symbol, diagram and dashboard editing applications. To display a palette, the content of an IlvPalette is displayed in Java™ Swing IlvPaletteViewer instance. Three predefined types of viewer are provided.

An application that deals with several open palettes uses the IlvPaletteManager component. IlvPaletteManager contains several IlvPalette instances. An IlvPaletteManager is linkable to a IlvPaletteManagerViewer instance. This allows the user to select and display the current selected palette.

Symbols offer the following advantages: