Introduction

Within the TIBCO Spotfire^® community, one area of discussion that crops up continually is that of new visualization types.  Customers often ask for a visualization type during a POC that Spotfire does not currently support.  Others ask for simple customizations of existing visualizations, such as moving labels around, that sound straightforward but are almost impossible to implement without extensive coding.

There are now a number of JavaScript libraries available for creating rich interactive graphics within a standard web browser.  One such is D3 which has a large library of example visualizations available on the D3 Website.  There are many others, including Highcharts and Google Charts.

The JavaScript Visualization Framework, or JSViz, is a Custom Extension for TIBCO Spotfire that allows users to create their own visualizations using JavaScript libraries such as d3 but still allow them to seamlessly integrate with the Spotfire platform.  Note that although d3 was an initial driver for implementing the custom extension, it can actually work with any JavaScript based code.

Samples

Included with the framework are a number of sample charts including:

• Doughnut Chart
• Circle Packing
• Chord Diagram
• Gauges
• Area Chart
• Horizon Chart
• Polar Chart
• Ternary Chart
• Tree Control
• Venn Diagram
• Word Cloud
• other examples:  
  • https://community.tibco.com/wiki/spotfire-sankey-diagram-using-jsviz
  • https://community.tibco.com/wiki/spotfire-funnel-chart-using-jsviz
     
  • see how to reuse these examples
    •  https://community.tibco.com/wiki/how-reuse-spotfire-jsviz-example-and-apply-it-your-data

Versions

There are two downloads, one for Spotfire 6.5 and 7.0 (V2.4) and one for Spotfire 7.5 or higher (V3.4), both versions have the same capabilities.  Please make sure to download the correct package for your Spotfire installation. JSViz 2016 Build Version 2.4 is for Spotfire 6.5, and Spotfire 7.0 JSViz Build Version 3.4 is for Spotfire 7.5 and later.

For an overview of the different extension and customization options that the Spotfire platform provides, see Extending TIBCO Spotfire.

API

The documentation for the .NET API is now available online here.  This API can be used within Spotfire via IronPython or within a .NET Spotfire Custom Extension to configure JSViz visualizations.

Automating Plot Setup

It is possible to automate the creation of JSViz instances from the tool bar or the tools menu, by creating a custom extension that leverages the JSViz API:

• One-click JSViz Visualizations - Extending JSViz for TIBCO Spotfire®
• Automating Plot Setup for JSViz Using a Custom Tool in TIBCO Spotfire®

Licensing

JSViz is shared with the TIBCO Community for free use by customers and partners under the  TIBCO Component Exchange License.  If you have suggestions for enhancements or run into issues, please post questions on TIBCO Community.

JSViz and Spotfire Desktop

The following document describes How to install JSViz into Spotfire Desktop.

Known Issues

• Some users may encounter a problem when using JSViz with Spotfire 7.6.  This is resolved in the 3.4.0.3 release.  For detailed instructions see the following page: https://community.tibco.com/wiki/jsviz-problems-spotfire-76

• Please remember to "unblock" the downloaded zip file before installing.  This is important if you use Internet Explorer to download the file or if your company has download management tools installed.  In windows explorer, right-click the file, select "unblock" and click OK.

• These visuals will work in Web Player and Automation Services as well as Spotfire Analyst (Professional).  Make sure to follow the installation instructions in the documentation.  Many people forget to update the Web Player after installing the plugin files.

• The Release Notes from jsviz_3.4.0.3_07-04-2016.zip, state that "Requires Spotfire 7.6 Hotfix 3 or greater to be installed".