Question

Which JavaScript library (free or commercial) can build computer network diagrams or electrical diagrams. Also, that supports animations between different items in the diagrams etc.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Check out these three libraries and see if they can help you out:

Raphael

Raphaël is a small JavaScript library
that should simplify your work with
vector graphics on the web. If you
want to create your own specific chart
or image crop and rotate widget, for
example, you can achieve it simply and
easily with this library. Raphaël
[‘ræfeɪəl] uses the SVG W3C
Recommendation and VML as a base for
creating graphics. This means every
graphical object you create is also a
DOM object, so you can attach
JavaScript event handlers or modify
them later. Raphaël’s goal is to
provide an adapter that will make
drawing vector art compatible
cross-browser and easy.

Protovis

Protovis composes custom views of data
with simple marks such as bars and
dots. Unlike low-level graphics
libraries that quickly become tedious
for visualization, Protovis defines
marks through dynamic properties that
encode data, allowing inheritance,
scales and layouts to simplify
construction. Protovis is free and
open-source, provided under the BSD
License. It uses JavaScript and SVG
for web-native visualizations; no
plugin required (though you will need
a modern web browser)! Although
programming experience is helpful,
Protovis is mostly declarative and
designed to be learned by example.

Processingjs

Processing.js is the sister project
of the popular Processing visual
programming language, designed for the
web. Processing.js makes your data
visualizations, digital art,
interactive animations, educational
graphs, video games, etc. work using
web standards and without any
plug-ins. You write code using the
Processing language, include it in
your web page, and Processing.js does
the rest. It’s not magic, but almost.

Originally developed by Ben Fry and
Casey Reas, Processing started as an
open source programming language based
on Java to help the electronic arts
and visual design communities learn
the basics of computer programming in
a visual context. Processing.js takes
this to the next level, allowing
Processing code to be run by any HTML5
compatible browser, including current
versions of Firefox, Safari, Chrome,
Opera, and Internet Explorer.
Processing.js brings the best of
visual programming to the web, both
for Processing and web developers.