With external Java libraries you can explore completely new application fields with Freeplane and accomplish amazing things. Remember: Groovy is fully Java compatible, i.e. you can use any available Java library.

General installation instructions for external Java libraries

Java libraries normally come in form of .jar files which you have to make known to the application that wants to use them. Here's the way to do that in Freeplane:

  1. only before 1.4: Create a folder lib in your Freeplane user directory

  2. Copy the .jar file to that directory.

  3. only before 1.4: Start Freeplane and add lib to Preferences -> Plugins -> Scripting -> Script -> Script classpath, and save.

  4. Restart Freeplane

To install further .jar files in the future you just have to copy the .jar files to that lib directory and restart Freeplane.

Database access: Oracle

Test script that shows how to connect to an Oracle database. Thanks to Pascal for asking.

Installation instructions:

  1. Save the script to the scripts folder in your Freeplane user directory and edit USERNAME/PASSWORD and the rest of the database url appropriately.

  2. Follow the instructions at the beginning of this chapter to install ojdbc14-10.1.0.4.0.jar (or later) to the lib directory in your Freeplane user directory

Required permissions: Execute script, read file, network access. Requires Freeplane 1.2.

// @ExecutionModes({ON_SINGLE_NODE})
import java.sql.Connection
import groovy.sql.Sql
import oracle.jdbc.pool.OracleDataSource

// def driver = Class.forName("oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver")
// println driver.name

OracleDataSource ds = new OracleDataSource();
ds.setURL("jdbc:oracle:thin:USERNAME/PASSWORD@//localhost:1521/xe")
def sql = new Sql(ds.getConnection())

def mviews = node.map.root.createChild("materialized views")
sql.eachRow("select * from user_tables where table_name like 'MVIEW%'", { mviews.createChild(it.table_name)} );

Author: boercher

Database access: MySQL

Test script that shows how to connect to a MySQL database. Thanks to Pascal and Michel.

Installation instructions:

  1. Save the script to the scripts folder in your Freeplane user directory and edit database access properties appropriately.

  2. Follow the instructions at the beginning of this chapter to install mysql-connector-java-5.1.17-bin.jar (or similar) to the lib directory in your Freeplane user directory

Required permissions: Execute script, read file, network access. Requires Freeplane 1.2.

// @ExecutionModes({ON_SINGLE_NODE})
import java.sql.Connection; 
import groovy.sql.Sql
import com.mysql.jdbc.jdbc2.optional.MysqlDataSource; 

MysqlDataSource ds = new MysqlDataSource(); 

ds.setServerName("localhost"); 
ds.setUser("root"); 
ds.setPassword(""); 
ds.setDatabaseName("cdcol"); 

def sql = new Sql(ds.getConnection())

def titles = node.map.root.createChild("Titles") 
sql.eachRow("select * from cds"){
    titles.createChild(it.title)
}

Author: megatop, boercher

Database access: SQLite

Test script that shows how to connect to a SQLite database.

Installation instructions:

  1. Save the script to the scripts folder in your Freeplane user directory and edit database access properties appropriately.

  2. Download sqlite-jdbc-(VERSION).jar to the lib directory in your Freeplane user directory

Required permissions: Execute script, read+write file, network access. Requires Freeplane 1.3.

import java.sql.*;
import org.sqlite.*

try {
  SQLiteDataSource dataSource = new SQLiteDataSource();
  dataSource.setUrl("jdbc:sqlite:test.db");
  def connection = dataSource.getConnection()
  c.statusInfo = "Opened database successfully"
  // ...
} catch (Exception e) {
  e.printStackTrace()
} finally {
  if (connection != null)
    connection.close()
}

Author: boercher

JFreeChart: Diagrams and Charts

Example how to use JFreeChart in Freeplane. Thanks to Michel for asking. See also Gantt chart example.

Installation instructions:

Follow the instructions at the beginning of this chapter to install jfreechart-.jar and jcommon-.jar (download) to the lib directory in your Freeplane user directory

Required permissions: Execute script, read file. Requires Freeplane 1.2.

// @ExecutionModes({ON_SINGLE_NODE})
import org.jfree.chart.ChartFactory
import org.jfree.chart.ChartPanel
import org.jfree.data.general.DefaultPieDataset
import groovy.swing.SwingBuilder
import java.awt.*
import javax.swing.WindowConstants as WC

def piedataset = new DefaultPieDataset();
piedataset.with {
     setValue "Apr", 10
     setValue "May", 30
     setValue "June", 40
}

def options = [true, true, true]
def chart = ChartFactory.createPieChart("Pie Chart Sample",
    piedataset, *options)
chart.backgroundPaint = Color.white
def swing = new SwingBuilder()
def frame = swing.frame(title:'Groovy PieChart',
        defaultCloseOperation:WC.EXIT_ON_CLOSE) {
    panel(id:'canvas') { widget(new ChartPanel(chart)) }
}
frame.pack()
frame.show()

Author: boercher

And here the script for Gantt chart generation

// @ExecutionModes({ON_SINGLE_NODE})
import groovy.swing.SwingBuilder

import javax.swing.WindowConstants as WC

import org.jfree.chart.ChartFactory;
import org.jfree.chart.ChartPanel;
import org.jfree.chart.JFreeChart;
import org.jfree.data.category.IntervalCategoryDataset;
import org.jfree.data.gantt.Task;
import org.jfree.data.gantt.TaskSeries;
import org.jfree.data.gantt.TaskSeriesCollection;
import org.jfree.data.time.SimpleTimePeriod;

// adapted from http://www.java2s.com/Code/Java/Chart/JFreeChartGanttDemo1.htm

// - - - Test Map: remove leading "// " and copy/paste it into an empty map - -
// Iteration 1
//   Design
//     2011-07-01
//     2011-07-08
//   Implement
//     2011-07-07
//     2011-07-15
//   Test
//     2011-07-12
//     2011-07-22
// Iteration 2
//   Design
//     2011-07-25
//     2011-08-01
//   Implement
//     2011-07-25
//     2011-08-10
//   Test
//     2011-08-01
//     2011-08-12
// - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

//
// main
//
final IntervalCategoryDataset dataset = createDataset();
final JFreeChart chart = createChart(dataset);

def swing = new SwingBuilder()
def dialog = swing.dialog(title:'Groovy Gantt', locationRelativeTo:ui.frame, owner:ui.frame
        , defaultCloseOperation:WC.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE) {
    panel(id:'canvas') { widget(new ChartPanel(chart)) }
}
ui.addEscapeActionToDialog(dialog)
dialog.pack()
dialog.show()

// create task data from the map. Note the use of inject
// (see http://insidethemachine.wordpress.com/2009/01/25/injectgroovy/)
def IntervalCategoryDataset createDataset() {
    return node.map.root.children.inject(new TaskSeriesCollection()) { seriesCollection, seriesNode ->
        seriesCollection.add(seriesNode.children.inject(new TaskSeries(seriesNode.to.plain)) { series, taskNode ->
            // real live software will be a bit more permissive
            def dates = taskNode.children.collect{ dateNode -> dateNode.to.date }
            if (dates.size() != 2)
                throw new RuntimeException(taskNode + " does not have exactly 2 date children as expected")
            series.add(new Task(taskNode.to.plain, new SimpleTimePeriod(dates[0], dates[1])))
            series // this is a "return"
        })
        seriesCollection // this is a "return"
    }
}

def JFreeChart createChart(final IntervalCategoryDataset dataset) {
    return ChartFactory.createGanttChart(
        "Gantt Chart Demo"  // chart title
        , "Task"            // domain axis label
        , "Date"            // range axis label
        , dataset           // data
        , true              // include legend
        , true              // tooltips
        , false             // urls
    );
    return chart;
}