2.2 Example: Lorenz Attractor

The overridden applet method init() is similar as in the example AnimatedChart (click here to see the complete code):

public class Lorenz extends Applet {
  private double[] _x = new double[3];
  private double[][] _walk = new double[50][2];
  private int _walkIndex;
  private DataPlot _dataPlot;
  private Thread _animationThread;
  
  public void init() { 
    GraphicsPlotCanvas plotCanvas 
        = createPlotCanvas("true".equals(getParameter("graphics2D")));
    
    _dataPlot = new DataPlot();
    _dataPlot.addElement(new DataCurve(""));
    reset();
    plotCanvas.connect(_dataPlot);
    
    setLayout(new BorderLayout());
    add(plotCanvas.getGraphicsCanvas(), BorderLayout.CENTER);
    add(createControlPanel(), BorderLayout.SOUTH);
  }

  private GraphicsPlotCanvas createPlotCanvas(boolean graphics2D) { ... }

  private Panel createControlPanel() { ... }

  private void reset() { ... }
}

First, createPlotCanvas() creates a GraphicsPlotCanvas (or a Graphics2DPlotCanvas depending on the applet parameter named graphics2D). Next, a DataPlot object with an empty DataCurve is created. The method reset() replaces the empty curve by an initial curve with 50 identical points. After the DataPlot has been connected to the PlotCanvas the applet panel will be filled with the view of the PlotCanvas and the control panel with the buttons.

The state of the Lorenz equation is stored in the array _x. The array _walk holds two variables from the current state as well as from the 49 previous states. The _walkIndex points onto the current state inside _walk.

Here is the code for configuration and creation of the PlotCanvas:

private GraphicsPlotCanvas createPlotCanvas(boolean graphics2D) {
  Properties props = new Properties();
  ConfigParameters config = new ConfigParameters(new PropertiesBasedConfigData(props));
  props.put("foreground", "0xffffff");
  props.put("background", "0");
  props.put("plot/legendVisible", "false");
  props.put("plot/coordinateSystem/xAxis/minimum", "-20");
  props.put("plot/coordinateSystem/xAxis/maximum", "20");
  props.put("plot/coordinateSystem/xAxis/ticLabelFormat", "%d");
  props.put("plot/coordinateSystem/yAxis/axisLabel", "z");
  props.put("plot/coordinateSystem/yAxis/minimum", "0");
  props.put("plot/coordinateSystem/yAxis/maximum", "50");
  props.put("plot/coordinateSystem/yAxis/ticLabelFormat", "%d");
  props.put("plot/curveFactory/definitions", "curve");
  props.put("plot/curveFactory/curve/initialHintForNextPoint/className",
            "jcckit.plot.ShapeAttributesHint");
  props.put("plot/curveFactory/curve/initialHintForNextPoint/initialAttributes/fillColor", 
            "0x50a");
  props.put("plot/curveFactory/curve/initialHintForNextPoint/fillColorHSBIncrement", 
            "0.0 0.0 0.018");
  props.put("plot/curveFactory/curve/withLine", "false");
  props.put("plot/curveFactory/curve/symbolFactory/className", 
            "jcckit.plot.CircleSymbolFactory");
  props.put("plot/curveFactory/curve/symbolFactory/size", "0.015");
    
  return graphics2D ? new Graphics2DPlotCanvas(config) : new GraphicsPlotCanvas(config);
}

private void next() {
  integrate();
  _walk[_walkIndex][0] = _x[0];
  _walk[_walkIndex][1] = _x[2];
  _walkIndex = (_walkIndex + 1) % _walk.length;
  updateCurve();
}

private void integrate() { ... }
  
private void updateCurve() {
  DataCurve curve = new DataCurve("trajectory");
  for (int i = 0; i < _walk.length; i++) {
    int index = (_walkIndex + i) % _walk.length;
    curve.addElement(new DataPoint(_walk[index][0], _walk[index][1]));
  }
  _dataPlot.replaceElementAt(0, curve);
}