Learn how to integrate an interactive organizational chart into your mobile app using Android WebView and OrgChart JS. This step-by-step guide shows you how to display dynamic team structures with ease.
An organizational chart (org chart) is a great way to visually represent the structure of a company, team, or project. Whether you're building a business or enterprise app, adding an org chart can significantly enhance the user experience. In this post, we'll walk you through how to integrate an interactive organizational chart into your mobile application using Android's WebView and the OrgChart JS library.
What You Need
Android WebView: A WebView is a widget in Android that allows you to display web content (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) within your native app. This allows you to embed rich interactive content, like an org chart, inside your mobile app.
Learn more about Android WebView: Android WebView Documentation
OrgChart JS: A lightweight JavaScript library designed to help you build interactive organizational charts. It’s highly customizable, easy to use, and allows you to present your organization’s hierarchy dynamically.
Get started with OrgChart JS: OrgChart JS Getting Started
Step 1: Set Up WebView in Your Android App
WebView acts as a container that allows you to load HTML and JavaScript content inside your app. Here’s how to set it up:
a) Add WebView to Your Layout
In your Android app’s XML layout file (e.g., activity_main.xml
), add the WebView element:
<WebView
android:id="@+id/org_chart_webview"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"/>
b) Initialize WebView in Your Activity
In the corresponding Java file (e.g., MainActivity.java
), initialize the WebView and enable JavaScript:
WebView webView = findViewById(R.id.org_chart_webview);
webView.getSettings().setJavaScriptEnabled(true); // Enable JavaScript for interactive features
Step 2: Integrate OrgChart JS
Now that WebView is ready, you need to create an HTML file that will contain the organizational chart using OrgChart JS.
a) Create an HTML File for the Org Chart
Here’s a basic example of an HTML file that uses OrgChart JS to render a simple org chart:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<script src="https://cdn.balkan.app/js/OrgChart.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="orgChart"></div>
<script>
var chart = new OrgChart(document.getElementById("orgChart"), {
nodes: [
{ id: 1, name: "CEO", title: "Chief Executive Officer" },
{ id: 2, name: "CTO", title: "Chief Technology Officer", pid: 1 },
{ id: 3, name: "CFO", title: "Chief Financial Officer", pid: 1 },
{ id: 4, name: "Engineer", title: "Senior Engineer", pid: 2 }
]
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
b) Save and Load the HTML File
You can either host this HTML file on a remote server or save it locally within your app’s assets folder.
To Load from Local Assets:
- Save the HTML file in your app’s assets folder (create the folder if it doesn’t exist), and then load it in WebView:
webView.loadUrl("file://android_asset/org_chart.html");
- Or load the URL from an HTML string:
String unencodedHtml =
"<html><body>'%23' is the percent code for ‘#‘ </body></html>";
String encodedHtml = Base64.encodeToString(unencodedHtml.getBytes(),
Base64.NO_PADDING);
myWebView.loadData(encodedHtml, "text/html", "base64");
Step 3: Test Your Application
Once you've set up the WebView and integrated the org chart, it's time to test the app. Run your app on different devices and screen sizes to ensure the org chart is displayed correctly and is responsive.
Debugging: Use Android’s built-in debugging tools to inspect the WebView content and resolve any issues that may arise. You can also use the browser's developer tools to troubleshoot the HTML and JavaScript if the org chart doesn't load as expected.
Conclusion
Integrating an organizational chart into your mobile application is a great way to enhance your app’s usability and provide a visual representation of your company or team structure. By using Android WebView and OrgChartJS, you can easily add an interactive and dynamic org chart to your app.
This approach is simple to implement and provides flexibility for customization if needed. Whether you choose to load the chart from a local file or a remote server, WebView allows you to seamlessly integrate the org chart into your Android app.