Cytoscape.js move nodes to allow for pasted nodes - cytoscape.js

Question

I have to provide a copy/paste functionality using the dagre layout. The idea is the user copies a node and where ever they decide to "paste" it, the hierarchy of nodes copied, will be created there. This would mean that all nodes in the way would have to move.
I first thought maybe I could call layout again but that doesn't "fit" them in.
I'm still learning cytoscape.js so if this is a simple question, please excuse me.

Answer 1

This would be something quite hard to achieve, so hear me out:
First step:
Cytoscape has a extension called context-menus (demo)
Another extension is called clipboard (demo)
make yourself familiar with these two
Second step:
create your graph with these two extensions and a dagre graph
when you copy these nodes, make the copy function behave like this:
add the nodes with their edges in the right hierarchy
when you right click on a node, add a insert into hierarchy function, which adds the copied nodes into the graph
Code examples:
var options1 = {
// List of initial menu items
menuItems: [
{
id: 'addToHierarchy',
content: 'Add to hierarchy',
tooltipText: 'Add nodes to hierarchy here',
selector: 'node',
onClickFunction: function () {
// your handlerFunction
},
disabled: false
}
]
};
var instance = cy.contextMenus( options1 );
var options2 = {
clipboardSize: 0,
// The following 4 options allow the user to provide custom behavior to
// the extension. They can be used to maintain consistency of some data
// when elements are duplicated.
// These 4 options are set to null by default. The function prototypes
// are provided below for explanation purpose only.
// Function executed on the collection of elements being copied, before
// they are serialized in the clipboard
beforeCopy: function(eles) {},
// Function executed on the clipboard just after the elements are copied.
// clipboard is of the form: {nodes: json, edges: json}
afterCopy: function(clipboard) {},
// Function executed on the clipboard right before elements are pasted,
// when they are still in the clipboard.
beforePaste: function(clipboard) {},
// Function executed on the collection of pasted elements, after they
// are pasted.
afterPaste: function(eles) {}
};
var clipboard = cy.clipboard(options2);