Connectors
Introduction#
Connectors are the lines that actually join elements of the UI. jsPlumb Community edition has four connector types:
The default, if you do not provide a value, is to use the Straight connector. Connectors can be specified in the defaults when you construct an instance of jsPlumb, as an argument to addEndpoint or connect, or in the parameters passed to an addSourceSelector call.
Connectors are specified in one of two ways - either by name, which creates an instance of the connector with its default values, or by name plus constructor values.
Specifying a connector by name#
Here we'll connect two elements with a Straight connector:
import { StraightConnector } from "@jsplumb/browser-ui"
instance.connect({ source:someElement, target:someOtherElement, connector:StraightConnector.type})Every connector has a static type member available, which helps you ensure type safety when specifying a connector. You can, however, use a string here if you're not using ES6/Typescript:
instance.connect({ source: someElement, target: someOtherElement, connector: 'Straight'})Specifying a connector by name and options#
import { BezierConnector } from "@jsplumb/browser-ui"
instance.connect({ source: someElement, target: someOtherElement, connector:{ type:BezierConnector.type, options:{ curviness: 50 } }})The interface that defines a connector definition is ConnectorSpec.
Allowed constructor values for each Connector type are described further down in this page.
Bezier Connector#
Provides a cubic Bezier path between the two Endpoints. It supports a single constructor argument:
curviness- Optional; defaults to 150. This defines the distance in pixels that the Bezier's control points are situated from the anchor points. This does not mean that your Connector will pass through a point at this distance from your curve. It is a hint to how you want the curve to travel. Rather than discuss Bezier curves at length here, we refer you to Wikipedia.
Straight Connector#
Draws a straight line between the two endpoints. Two constructor arguments are supported:
stub- Optional, defaults to 0. Any positive value for this parameter will result in a stub of that length emanating from the Endpoint before the straight segment connecting to the other end of the connection.gap- Optional, defaults to 0. A gap between the endpoint and either the start of the stub or the segment connecting to the other endpoint.
Flowchart Connector#
Draws a connection that consists of a series of vertical or horizontal segments - the classic flowchart look. Four constructor arguments are supported:
stub- this is the minimum length, in pixels, of the initial stub that emanates from an Endpoint. This is an optional parameter, and can be either an integer, which specifies the stub for each end of the Connector, or an array of two integers, specifying the stub for the [source, target] endpoints in the Connection. Defaults to an integer with value 30 pixels.alwaysRespectStubs- optional, defaults to false. This parameter instructs jsPlumb to always paint a line of the specified stub length out of each Endpoint, instead of reducing the stubs automatically if the two elements are closer than the sum of the two stubs.gap- optional, defaults to 0 pixels. Lets you specify a gap between the end of the Connector and the elements to which it is attached.midpoint- optional, defaults to 0.5. This is the distance between the two elements that the longest section of the flowchart connector will be drawn at. This parameter is useful for those cases where you have programmatic control of the drawing and perhaps want to avoid some other element on the page.cornerRadiusDefaults to 0. A positive value for this parameter will result in curved corner segments.
This connector supports connections that start and end on the same element ("loopback" connections).
State Machine Connector#
Draws slightly curved lines (they are actually quadratic Bezier curves), similar to the State Machine connectors you may have seen in software like GraphViz. Connections in which some element is both the source and the target ("loopback") are supported by these connectors (as they are with Flowchart connectors); in this case you get a circle.
Supported constructor parameters are:
margin- Optional; defaults to 5. Defines the distance from the element that the connector begins/ends.curviness- Optional, defaults to 10. This has a similar effect to the curviness parameter on Bezier curves.proximityLimit- Optional, defaults to 80. The minimum distance between the two ends of the connector before it paints itself as a straight line rather than a quadratic Bezier curve.