The D3 layout is the focus of this chapter—a concept we have not encountered before. As expected, D3 layouts are algorithms that calculate and generate placement information for a group of elements. However there are a few critical properties worth mentioning before we dive deeper into the specifics:
Layouts are data: Layouts are purely data centric and data driven, they do not generate any graphical or display related output directly. This allows them to be used and reused with SVG or canvas or even when there is no graphical output
Abstract and reusable: Layouts are abstract, allowing a high degree of flexibility and reusability. You can combine and reuse layouts in various different interesting ways.
Layouts are different: Each layout is different. Every layout provided by D3 focuses on a very special graphical requirement and data structure.
Stateless: Layouts are mostly stateless by design to simplify their usage. What statelessness means here is that generally layouts...
