Plug and Play Scientific Graphics with SGT

Donald DenboNOAA/PMEL-UW/JISAO

Presented byChristopher MooreNOAA/PMEL-UW/JISAO

http://www.epic.noaa.gov/java/sgt

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Introduction• The Scientific Graphics

Toolkit (SGT) is a collection of Java classes to produce scientific 2D graphics.

• SGT is a flexible system, allowing developers to produce custom graphics.

• SGT, while popular, does require an expert programmer to use it effectively.

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Goals for Plug n’ Play Graphics

• Create easy-to-use JavaBeans from the SGT classes.

• JavaBeans enables beginner and intermediate developers a quick entry into SGT graphics.

• SGT Beans handles most events and provides tools to easily customize the appearance of the plot.

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Why JavaBeans?

• Provide component technology for Java. Components enhance re-usability in the Java environment.

• Can easily be used in IDE and RAD environments.• Bean Customizers can be developed to work within

IDE and RAD tools.• Beans provide a standard mechanism to interact with

development tools and simplify access to complicated Java class libraries.

• Beans have an object persistence mechanism. (XML serialization)

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Java Development Tools

• BeanBuilderAvailable free from Sun Microsystems for JVM 1.4 or later

• Java Integrated Development Environments (JBuilder, Eclipse, NetBeans)

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BeanBuilderEvent Connection Component Layout

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SGT JavaBeans

SGT PanelModel Customizer

SGT Page Bean with graphics

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Design

Page

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Page JavaBean

• Visual JavaBean. Page can be added to any swing container.

• Page can have any number of Panels placed inside it. Each Panel provides an independent graphical display of data from the DataModel.

• The location and size of the Panels are specified in the PanelModel.

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PanelModel JavaBean

• Non-visual JavaBean.• PanelModel maintains:

– location and size of Panels on Page– DataGroups and their positions on a Panel– Legend position on a Panel– Titles and annotation positions on a Panel

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DataModel JavaBean

• Non-visual JavaBean.• DataModel uses information from the

PanelModel to specify the connection between data and Panel/DataGroup.

• Contains the SGTData and Attribute objects.

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Real World Example1. User opens ncReader and

selects a netCDF file.2. ncReader accesses the

PanelModel to generate a list of Panel/DataGroups.

3. User selects which Panel/DataGroup the data subset should be attached.

4. ncReader adds the data with the Panel/DataGroup information to the DataModel.

ncReader

dataDataModel

PanelModel Page

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Future Directions

• Design is completed and implementation will be finished by September 2003.

• Beta version of SGT Beans will be made available once an initial implementation of the Page, PanelModel, DataModel, and Customizer are complete (~1 month).

• User feedback will help guide additional development.

http://www.epic.noaa.gov/java/sgt