Generating Organization Charts

• Sep 06, 2019
• 6 minutes to read

This topic describes how to generate organization charts from a data source. It contains the following sections.

• Overview
• Binding to a Self-Referencing Data Source
• Binding to a Hierarchical Data Source
• Expanding and Collapsing Subordinates
• Video Tutorial

Overview

The DiagramOrgChartBehavior class provides the organization chart data binding behavior for the DiagramControl. To bind the DiagramControl to data, open its Smart Tag panel and select DiagramOrgChartBehavior.

The following XAML will be generated.

XAML

<dxdiag:DiagramControl SelectedStencils="BasicShapes, BasicFlowchartShapes">
    <dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
        <dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior />
    </dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
</dxdiag:DiagramControl>

To configure the data source, go to the Smart Tag panel’s MVVM Behaviors tab.

Tip

The Item Template Designer allows you to design templates for diagram items and connectors at design time.

Depending on the type of your data source, the binding can be configured differently.

• Binding to a Self-Referencing Data Source
• Binding to a Hierarchical Data Source

Binding to a Self-Referencing Data Source

Each item in the self-referencing data source contains a unique item ID and the ID of its parent.

The following table lists the properties used to map the DiagramControl to self-referencing data.

Member	Description
DiagramOrgChartBehavior.ItemsSource (via DiagramDataBindingBehaviorBase.ItemsSource)	Specifies the path to a collection of diagram items.
DiagramDataBindingBehaviorBase.KeyMember	Specifies the name of the data field that identifies a diagram item.
DiagramOrgChartBehavior.ParentMember	Specifies the name of the data field that identifies the parent of a diagram item.

The following example demonstrates the DiagramControl bound to self-referencing data.

XAML

<Window ...
        xmlns:dxdiag="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/diagram" 
        xmlns:dxmvvm="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/mvvm" >
    <Window.DataContext>
        <local:OrgChartViewModel/>
    </Window.DataContext>
    <Grid>
        <dxdiag:DiagramControl SelectedStencils="BasicShapes, BasicFlowchartShapes">
            <dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
                <dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior ItemsSource="{Binding Data}" KeyMember="Id" ParentMember="ParentId">
                    <dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior.TemplateDiagram>
                        <dxdiag:DiagramControl SelectedStencils="TemplateDesigner">
                            <dxdiag:DiagramShape Height="50"  Width="100">
                                <dxdiag:DiagramShape.Bindings>
                                    <dxdiag:DiagramBinding Expression="Name" PropertyName="Content" />
                                </dxdiag:DiagramShape.Bindings>
                            </dxdiag:DiagramShape>
                            <dxdiag:DiagramConnector Type="RightAngle"/>
                        </dxdiag:DiagramControl>
                    </dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior.TemplateDiagram>
                </dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior>
            </dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
        </dxdiag:DiagramControl>
    </Grid>
</Window>

C#

public class OrgChartViewModel {
    public List<Employee> Data { get; set; }
    public OrgChartViewModel() {
        Data = new List<Employee>();
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 0, Name = "Carl" });
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 1, ParentId = 0, Name = "Bob" });
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 2, ParentId = 1, Name = "Ann" });
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 3, ParentId = 1, Name = "Jack" });
    }
}
public class Employee {
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public int ParentId { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

VB.NET

 Public Class OrgChartViewModel
    Public Property Data() As List(Of Employee)
    Public Sub New()
        Data = New List(Of Employee)()
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 0,
            .Name = "Carl"
        })
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 1,
            .ParentId = 0,
            .Name = "Bob"
        })
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 2,
            .ParentId = 1,
            .Name = "Ann"
        })
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 3,
            .ParentId = 1,
            .Name = "Jack"
        })
    End Sub
End Class
Public Class Employee
    Public Property Id() As Integer
    Public Property ParentId() As Integer
    Public Property Name() As String
End Class

Binding to a Hierarchical Data Source

A hierarchical data source usually contains a collection of root items. Each item stores a collection of its subordinates.

The following table lists the properties used to map the DiagramControl to hierarchical data.

Member	Description
DiagramOrgChartBehavior.ItemsSource (via DiagramDataBindingBehaviorBase.ItemsSource)	Specifies the path to a collection of root items.
DiagramOrgChartBehavior.ChildrenPath	Specifies the path to the property that contains subordinates of a diagram item.
DiagramOrgChartBehavior.ChildrenSelector	Allows choosing an item’s subordinates based on custom logic.

The following example demonstrates the DiagramControl bound to hierarchical data.

XAML

<Window ...
        xmlns:dxdiag="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/diagram" 
        xmlns:dxmvvm="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/mvvm" >
    <Window.DataContext>
        <local:OrgChartViewModel/>
    </Window.DataContext>
    <Grid>
        <dxdiag:DiagramControl SelectedStencils="BasicShapes, BasicFlowchartShapes">
            <dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
                <dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior ItemsSource="{Binding Data}" ChildrenPath="Children">
                    <dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior.TemplateDiagram>
                        <dxdiag:DiagramControl SelectedStencils="TemplateDesigner">
                            <dxdiag:DiagramShape Height="50"  Width="100">
                                <dxdiag:DiagramShape.Bindings>
                                    <dxdiag:DiagramBinding Expression="Name" PropertyName="Content" />
                                </dxdiag:DiagramShape.Bindings>
                            </dxdiag:DiagramShape>
                            <dxdiag:DiagramConnector Type="RightAngle"/>
                        </dxdiag:DiagramControl>
                    </dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior.TemplateDiagram>
                </dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior>
            </dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
        </dxdiag:DiagramControl>
    </Grid></Window>

C#

public class OrgChartViewModel {
    public List<Employee> Data { get; set; }
    public OrgChartViewModel() {
        Data = new List<Employee>();
        Employee emp = new Employee() { Name = "Carl", Children = new List<Employee>() };
        emp.Children.Add(new Employee() { Name = "Ann" });
        emp.Children.Add(new Employee() { Name = "Bob" });
        Data.Add(emp);
    }
}
public class Employee {
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public List<Employee> Children { get; set; }
}

VB.NET

 Public Class OrgChartViewModel
    Public Property Data() As List(Of Employee)
    Public Sub New()
        Data = New List(Of Employee)()
        Dim emp As New Employee() With {
            .Name = "Carl",
            .Children = New List(Of Employee)()
        }
        emp.Children.Add(New Employee() With {.Name = "Ann"})
        emp.Children.Add(New Employee() With {.Name = "Bob"})
        Data.Add(emp)
    End Sub
End Class
Public Class Employee
    Public Property Name() As String
    Public Property Children() As List(Of Employee)
End Class

Expanding and Collapsing Subordinates

When you bind to a large data source, the generated diagram may occupy a lot of space on the canvas. To make the resulting diagram easier to navigate, the DiagramOrgChartBehavior introduces the expand/collapse functionality.

The following properties allow you to configure the expand/collapse behavior.

Property	Description
DiagramOrgChartBehavior.ExpandSubordinatesButtonMode	Controls the availability of the expand/collapse button.
DiagramOrgChartBehavior.GenerationDepth	Specifies the number of hierarchy levels retrieved from the data source when the diagram is generated.
DiagramOrgChartBehavior.ExpansionDepth	Specifies the number of hierarchy levels that expand when the diagram is generated.

The following example demonstrates an organization chart that displays three hierarchy levels. Additional shapes are generated and displayed when an end-user clicks the expand button.

XAML

<dxdiag:DiagramControl SelectedStencils="BasicShapes, BasicFlowchartShapes">
    <dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
        <dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior ItemsSource="{Binding Data}" KeyMember="Id" ParentMember="ParentId" 
                                        GenerationDepth="2" ExpansionDepth="2" ExpandSubordinatesButtonMode="AlwaysVisible">
            <dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior.TemplateDiagram>
                <dxdiag:DiagramControl SelectedStencils="TemplateDesigner">
                    <dxdiag:DiagramShape Height="50"  Width="100">
                        <dxdiag:DiagramShape.Bindings>
                            <dxdiag:DiagramBinding Expression="Name" PropertyName="Content" />
                        </dxdiag:DiagramShape.Bindings>
                    </dxdiag:DiagramShape>
                    <dxdiag:DiagramConnector Type="RightAngle"/>
                </dxdiag:DiagramControl>
            </dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior.TemplateDiagram>
        </dxdiag:DiagramOrgChartBehavior>
    </dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
</dxdiag:DiagramControl>

C#

public class OrgChartViewModel {
    public List<Employee> Data { get; set; }
    public OrgChartViewModel() {
        Data = new List<Employee>();
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 0, Name = "Laura" });
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 1, ParentId = 0, Name = "Bob" });
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 2, ParentId = 1, Name = "Audrey" });
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 3, ParentId = 1, Name = "Jack" });
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 4, ParentId = 3, Name = "Mike" });
        Data.Add(new Employee() { Id = 5, ParentId = 3, Name = "Ben" });
    }
}
public class Employee {
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public int ParentId { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

VB.NET

 Public Class OrgChartViewModel
    Public Property Data() As List(Of Employee)
    Public Sub New()
        Data = New List(Of Employee)()
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 0,
            .Name = "Laura"
        })
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 1,
            .ParentId = 0,
            .Name = "Bob"
        })
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 2,
            .ParentId = 1,
            .Name = "Audrey"
        })
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 3,
            .ParentId = 1,
            .Name = "Jack"
        })
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 4,
            .ParentId = 3,
            .Name = "Mike"
        })
        Data.Add(New Employee() With {
            .Id = 5,
            .ParentId = 3,
            .Name = "Ben"
        })
    End Sub
End Class
Public Class Employee
    Public Property Id() As Integer
    Public Property ParentId() As Integer
    Public Property Name() As String
End Class

Video Tutorial

This video demonstrates how to use the Organization Chart functionality to generate relationship diagrams from the data source.