AdvancedDataGrid - create Array (cfquery) with children for hierarchical data set

Question

I'm trying to create an AdvancedDataGrid with a hierarchical
data set as shown below. The problem that I am having is how to
call the data from a ColdFusion remote call and not an
ArrayCollection inside of the Flex app (as below). I'm guessing
that the problem is with the CFC that I've created which builds an
array with children. I assume that the structure of the children is
the issue. Any thoughts?
Flex App without Remoting:
http://livedocs.adobe.com/labs/flex3/html/help.html?content=advdatagrid_10.html
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!-- dpcontrols/adg/GroupADGChartRenderer.mxml -->
<mx:Application xmlns:mx="
http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml">
<mx:Script>
<![CDATA[
import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
[Bindable]
private var dpHierarchy:ArrayCollection= new
ArrayCollection([
{name:"Barbara Jennings", region: "Arizona", total:70,
children:[
{detail:[{amount:5}]}]},
{name:"Dana Binn", region: "Arizona", total:130, children:[
{detail:[{amount:15}]}]},
{name:"Joe Smith", region: "California", total:229,
children:[
{detail:[{amount:26}]}]},
{name:"Alice Treu", region: "California", total:230,
children:[
{detail:[{amount:159}]}
]]>
</mx:Script>
<mx:AdvancedDataGrid id="myADG"
width="100%" height="100%"
variableRowHeight="true">
<mx:dataProvider>
<mx:HierarchicalData source="{dpHierarchy}"/>
</mx:dataProvider>
<mx:columns>
<mx:AdvancedDataGridColumn dataField="name"
headerText="Name"/>
<mx:AdvancedDataGridColumn dataField="total"
headerText="Total"/>
</mx:columns>
<mx:rendererProviders>
<mx:AdvancedDataGridRendererProvider
dataField="detail"
renderer="myComponents.ChartRenderer"
columnIndex="0"
columnSpan="0"/>
</mx:rendererProviders>
</mx:AdvancedDataGrid>
</mx:Application>
CFC - where I am trying to create an Array to send back to
the Flex App
<cfset aPackages = ArrayNew(1)>
<cfset aDetails = ArrayNew(1)>
<cfloop query="getPackages">
<cfset i = getPackages.CurrentRow>
<cfset aPackages
= StructNew()>
<cfset aPackages['name'] = name >
<cfset aPackages
['region'] = region >
<cfset aPackages['total'] = total >
<cfset aDetails
= StructNew()>
<cfset aDetails['amount'] = amount >
<cfset aPackages
['children'] = aDetails >
</cfloop>
<cfreturn aPackages>

Answer 1

I had similar problems attempting to create an Array of
Arrays in a CFC, so I created two differents scripts - one in CF
and one in Flex - to build Hierarchical Data from a query result.
The script in CF builds an Hierarchical XML document which is then
easily accepted as HIerarchical Data in Flex. The script in Flex
loops over the query Object that is returned as an Array
Collection. It took me so long to create the XML script, and I now
regret it, since it is not easy to maintain and keep dynamic.
However, it only took me a short while to build this ActionScript
logic, which I quite like now (though it is not [
yet ] dynamic, and currently only handles two levels of
Hierarchy):
(this is the main part of my WebService result handler)....
// Create a new Array Collection to store the Hierarchical
Data from the WebService Result
var categories:ArrayCollection = new ArrayCollection();
// Create an Object variable to store the parent-level
objects
var category:Object;
// Create an Object variable to store the child-level
objects
var subCategory:Object;
// Loop through each Object in the WebService Result
for each (var object:Object in results)
// Create a new Array Collection as a copy of the Array
Collection of Hierarchical Data
var thisCategory:ArrayCollection = new
ArrayCollection(categories.toArray());
// Create a new instance of the Filter Function Class
var filterFunction:FilterFunction = new FilterFunction();
// Create Filter on the Array Collection to return only
those records with the specified Category Name
thisCategory.filterFunction =
filterFunction.NameValueFilter("NAMETXT", object["CATNAMETXT"]);
// Refresh the Array Collection to apply the Filter
thisCategory.refresh();
// If the Array Collection has records, the Category Name
exists, so use the one Object in the Collection to add Children to
if (thisCategory.length)
category = thisCategory.getItemAt(0);
// If the Array Collection has no records, the Category Name
does not exist, so create a new Object
else
// Create a new parent-level Object
category = new Object();
// Create and set the Name property of the parent-level
Object
category["NAMETXT"] = object["CATNAMETXT"];
// Create a Children property as a new Array
category["children"] = new Array();
// Add the parent-level Object to the Array Collection
categories.addItem(category);
// Create a new child-level Object as a copy of the Object
in the WebService Result
subCategory = object;
// Create and set the Name property of the child-level
Object
subCategory["NAMETXT"] = object["SUBCATNAMETXT"];
// Add the child-level Object to the Array of Children on
the parent-level Object
category["children"].push(subCategory);
// Convert the Array Collection to a Hierarchical Data
Object and use it as the Data Provider for the Advanced Data Grid
advancedDataGrid.dataProvider = new
HierarchicalData(categories);