Topology widget

A Topology widget displays data as a diagram with a series of interconnected nodes. It is used to represent large, multivariate, and structured data sets.

Each node represents an item, or resource, from the data set and the connections represent defined relationships (for example, servers and network connections). Nodes can have multiple relationship with other nodes.

A Topology widget shows selected attributes from a data set, and are arranged to show connections between them. Depending on the widget configuration, you can select from several topology views, zoom and pan, search the diagram for a specific resource, and select resources based on status.

A Topology widget sends a Node clicked event when a user clicks a node in the diagram. Any widget that is on the same page and responds to this event can be configured to update its content based on the context of the selected item. For example, when a user selects a resource shown by the topology diagram, a chart on the same page can update to show data from that resource.

To configure a Topology widget, you can specify the data it displays and the options that affect the appearance and behavior of nodes in the topology diagram.

The Topology widget features the following UI elements:

Title bar

The title bar includes the following elements:

Widget title - The title bar displays a title for table, that is, if an administrator configured a title for the Topology widget. An administrator can also choose to hide the title bar.
The Edit options drop-down arrow icon () to provide access to edit mode for administrators.
The widget help icon (). Click the help icon to view help for the Topology widget.

Toolbar

If the toolbar is not visible, click the show toolbar arrow (

) to display it. For more details, see Working with topology diagrams.

Content pane

The content pane displays the topology diagram.

Footer bar

You can highlight resources in the topology diagram by status, use the status icons at the bottom of the widget (

). The displayed status icons depend on those supported by the data set.

The status icons behave as toggle buttons and you can enable and disable multiple statuses. For example, to highlight all resources that have a status of warning and critical, click Warning icon and Critical icon and resources with those statuses are highlighted.

Note: Depending on the data set and your configuration settings, the Topology widget can display multiple statuses for each node. Where multiple statuses are displayed, the status icon shown the top right corner denotes the nodes overall status and dictates to border color of the node. In edit mode, you can specify the number of status icons to display for each node.

Working with topology diagrams

You can configure a Topology diagram and specify the data it displays and the options that affect the appearance and behavior of nodes in the topology diagram.

Procedure

You can specify options for the appearance and behavior of the topology widget using the buttons and icons in the toolbar as described in Table 1:

Table 1. Topology toolbar
Icon or Command Button	Description
	Click to commit changes that you may have made to the topology widget.
	Click to print the current view shown in topology widget.
	Click and then click on an element in the topology diagram to select it. Double-click on an element to view its details. Click and drag to pan around the topology view.
	Click and then click and drag a selection box over the area that you want to zoom in on. Double-click on a data element or a connection to view its details.
	Click to zoom in. To zoom in further, click again.
	Click to zoom out. To zoom out further, click again.
	Click to fit the complete topology view to the widget content area.
	Use the drop-down arrow associated with the topology type icon (for example, the Tree topology icon - ) to select the type of topology view. Multiple topology views are available, each one using a different algorithm to build the diagram. You can experiment with the different views to find the one that works best for your data. To customize a particular topology type, click the topology type icon and then click . A Customize Layout dialog is displayed. Use the settings to customize the diagram’s layout. In the Algorithm field of the Customize Layout dialog, specify the topology type that you want to use. Additional fields in the dialog depend on the algorithm that you choose. Configure the additional field values to customize how nodes are connected, and so on. As you select different options in the dialog, the topology view automatically updates. If required, you can drag the dialog to the side to allow you to view your changes more clearly. Experiment with various settings until you are satisfied with the results.
	Use the drop-down arrow associated with the Actions button to access the following menu items: Click IBM to launch the external IBM website in a new window. Click Export as Image to export the current topology view in PNG or JPG format. Click Export to export data for the current topology view in CSV format. Additional menu items are also provided that replicate the actions available through the Save icon, Print icon, Select icon, and so on.
	Click to launch a search dialog that lists the data elements shown in the topology view. You can enter a text string in the Filter field to reduce the number of listed data elements. To center the topology view on a particular item, select the item and click Center in View. The dialog closes and the topology view is displayed with the selected item at the center of the view and at full zoom. Click to zoom out, but maintain the selected item at the center of the view. To highlight one or more items in the topology view, select the items and click Highlight. The dialog closes and the topology view is displayed with the selected items highlighted. To clear search filters or other settings that you may have applied through the Search dialog, in the widget toolbar, click and then click Clear Search.

Make any required changes to the preview topology display. Multiple topology views are available, each one using a different algorithm to build the diagram. You can experiment with the different views to find the one that works best for your data.

For more control of the topology view, select Custom from the Topology View list. You can then modify the settings of the topology algorithm that you choose.

To view an inset overview of the status of resources for the topology diagram, in the top right corner of the widget content area, click . To close the status overview inset and return to the standard view, click .

Extra Topology widget information

Real-time data: If the data provider sends dynamic updates, the Topology widget display updates to show real-time data. The Topology widget also responds to the Refresh Timer widget events and it then displays the latest data.
Interaction: Events - A Topology widget can publish events to which other widgets can subscribe and react accordingly. Similarly, Topology widgets can subscribe to events published by other widgets and update based on the published event information. An event is triggered when a user clicks a widget. The widget that is clicked publishes an event that sends the current context for the publishing widget. Widgets that subscribe to the clicked event may or may not update depending on the information that is contained in the event.; Page Launch - In edit mode, an administrator can configure the Topology widget to open a discrete Dashboard Application Services Hub dashboard or page, when the widget is clicked.
Note: The Page Launch function overrides the standard "clicked on" function. That is, if the widget is configured to launch another page or dashboard when it is clicked, then it does not create an event that sends data to other widgets.