private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
       {

           CreateStarSchemaObjects();
           DoSpringLayout();
       }

       private void CreateStarSchemaObjects()
       {
           Box boxFact1 = CreateFact("Fact1",100, 100, 100, 100);
           Box boxFact2 = CreateFact("Fact2",250, 100, 100, 100);

           Box boxDim1 = CreateDimension("Dim1", 100, 300, 100, 100);
           Box boxDim2 = CreateDimension("Dim2", 250, 300, 100, 100);
           Box boxDim3 = CreateDimension("Dim3", 400, 300, 100, 100);
           Box boxDim4 = CreateDimension("Dim4", 550, 300, 100, 100);

           //Create some relationships (arrows)
           Arrow arwFact1Dim1 = flowChart1.CreateArrow(boxFact1, boxDim1);
           Arrow arwFact1Dim2 = flowChart1.CreateArrow(boxFact1, boxDim2);
           Arrow arwFact1Dim3 = flowChart1.CreateArrow(boxFact1, boxDim3);
           Arrow arwFact1Dim4 = flowChart1.CreateArrow(boxFact1, boxDim4);

           Arrow arwFact2Dim1 = flowChart1.CreateArrow(boxFact2, boxDim1);
           Arrow arwFact2Dim2 = flowChart1.CreateArrow(boxFact2, boxDim2);
           Arrow arwFact2Dim4 = flowChart1.CreateArrow(boxFact2, boxDim4);

       }

       private Box CreateFact(string FactName, float x, float y, float width, float height)
       {
           Box fact = flowChart1.CreateBox(x,y,width,height);

           fact.Font = new Font("Verdana", 8);
           fact.Text = FactName.ToUpper() + CRLF;

           for (int i = 0; i <= 10; i++ )
               fact.Text += CRLF + "Column" + i.ToString();
           fact.Text += CRLF + CRLF;

           fact.FitSizeToText(FitSize.KeepWidth);

           fact.Brush = new MindFusion.FlowChartX.LinearGradientBrush(Color.FromArgb(255, 128, 0), Color.FromArgb(255, 255, 0), 315);
           return fact;
       }


       private Box CreateDimension(string DimName, float x, float y, float width, float height)
       {
           Box dim = flowChart1.CreateBox(x, y, width, height);

           dim.Font = new Font("Verdana", 8);

           dim.Text = DimName.ToUpper() + CRLF;

           for (int i = 0; i <= 5; i++)
               dim.Text += CRLF + "Column" + i.ToString();
           dim.Text += CRLF + CRLF;

           dim.FitSizeToText(FitSize.KeepWidth);

           //dim.Brush = new LinearGradientBrush(Color.AliceBlue, Color.CadetBlue, 45);
           dim.Brush = new MindFusion.FlowChartX.LinearGradientBrush(Color.FromArgb(0, 128, 255), Color.FromArgb(0, 255, 255), 315);

           return dim;
       }

       private void DoSpringLayout()
       {

           // Create the layouter object
           SpringLayout layout = new SpringLayout();

           // Adjust the attributes of the layouter
           layout.IterationCount = Int32.Parse(txtIterations.Text);    //textbox
           layout.NodeDistance = Int32.Parse(txtNodeSpace.Text);    //textbox
           layout.MinimizeCrossings = cboMinimiseCrossings.Checked;    //checkbox
           layout.RepulsionFactor = 100;
           layout.EnableClusters = true;

           // Perform the actual arrangement
           layout.Arrange(flowChart1);

       }

Quote:


The EnableClusters property would do that if each Dimension node is connected to only one Fact node. Since the Dimensions are connected to both Facts, the EnableClusters property won't help you much here. You might play with the arrow Weight values - the SpringLayout uses them to determine how much it can relax the corresponding springs in the simulated system. E.g. try a larger Weight for arrows that connect Facts and smaller ones for arrows that connect a Fact with a Dimension.

Quote:


At this time you can use only one font in a box. You can still make the header bold by settings the box.EnableStyledText property and adding <b></b> tags around the header text.

Quote:


At this time only the AnnealLayout lets you do that via the LayoutArea property. We can copy that feature the SpringLayout too in the next few days.

Stoyan

Stoyo wrote on Oct 8^th, 2006 at 12:33pm:

Stoyan, I've done that and I still do not see any way to move an object... the "handles" are tiny squares and when you hover over them all you get is the resize cursor and there is no way that I can see to actually grab an object - I've cursored over every pixel of the objects while the handles are displayed and there does not appear to be any way to move them.  Do you have any example code or simple projects I could see where you are doing this because I just can't get this to work.

Stoyo wrote on Oct 8^th, 2006 at 12:33pm:

I did this as well - set box.EnableStyledText to true and added "<b>" and "</b>" around my header text and both tags were displayed instead of the formatting happening... any ideas?  Also, what formatting can I use - where is the help on this topic and how do I know what markup tags/styles I can use?  It would be really cool to have a formattable object (such as a Panel or RTF textbox) that the developer could overlay on each Box to get a nicer display - any chance of something this being added any time soon?

Stoyo wrote on Oct 8^th, 2006 at 12:33pm:

Thanks - we don't need to join Facts to Facts though, only Dimensions to one or more Fact... would EnableClusters do this for me after all?  I don't think arrow weight would work as all arrows would have equal importance.

Stoyo wrote on Oct 8^th, 2006 at 12:33pm:

Thanks - although this one isn't a show-stopper it'd be nice to see that in each layout if possible, or at least in Spring if not.

Cheers,

Mike

Quote:


You might also have to enable the PolyTextLayout property. You can find more about the formatting tags in the "API Overview\Appearance\Text attributes" topic in the help file.

You can overlay a RichTextBox control on a box by creating a ControlHost node to contain the control, and calling AttachTo to attach the ControlHost to the Box.

I hope that helps,
Stoyan

Stoyan, thanks again for the info... I can now shift the boxes (though I end up with strange "bent" arrows - but I guess that might be another option I've not found) and the text styles are working. (I was using a box style with rounded edges so the PolyTextLayout property obviously did the trick.)

Thanks also for pointing out about the ControlHost stuff - if I can get my layout problems sorted I will look into doing that.

I guess now my last problem is also biggest problem - the layout.  Just to be clear here - Facts do not link to other Facts and Dimensions never link to other Dimensions but a single Dimension can link to multiple facts.  Logically, these diagrams are usually pretty simple but it's a matter of the layout also being logical which at present it is not.  What I'm finding is that often dimensions partially or entirely obstruct each other and nothing I've tried makes much difference and (naturally) it depends entirely on the complexity of the star schema. 

Ideally what I want is my Facts as close to the center of the diagram and my Dimensions arranged around those in the most logical fashion but it appears your product does not yet support this concept (Nevron also has trouble doing this) but most Star Schema diagrams will have this requirement so maybe it's something you can think about how to support in the future.  It's really just extending the spring or clustered layout to have multiple roots - but I understand how complex that would be to implement.

If it helps to illustrate what I'm trying to do (and where I'm up to) I can zip up my small winforms app and email it to you - but I totally understand you may not have the time to look at it.

Many thanks again for the very rapid support (unlike Nevron who haven't answered my email of a similiar nature from 5 days ago.)

Mike

Thanks again Stoyan... that seems to work better so I will read up about each of those properties and experiment further.

Mike