The DHTMLX suite (or dhtmlxSuite) is a JavaScript GUI widget library for building dynamic web applications with desktop-like user experience and Ajax data loading. The library is released under both open-source GNU General Public License and commercial licenses, and is developed by Dinamenta, UAB, headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The modular architecture of the library allows using the components separately or combining them into one JavaScript file. The first components, dhtmlxTree and dhtmlxGrid, were released in 2005-2006. Later, DHTMLX was extended with other user interface components to become a complete toolkit that covers the most required aspects of modern application interface. Being a standalone library written in pure JavaScript and CSS, DHTMLX does not conflict with other well-known JavaScript libraries, including jQuery, YUI, Prototype, etc.
Module structure: the philosophy that lies under DHTMLX library implies that each components is a separate and self-sufficient entity which can be used individually to ensure some specific part of application, e.g. navigation menu, treeview, datagrid, or date picker. Although, the components API allows organizing them in a common interface layout.
Desktop-like functionality: drag-and-drop, in-line editing, clipboard operations, data validation, interactivity via Ajax. Starting from version 2.5 UI components can have skin and behavior similar to standard Window's UI elements.
Client-to-server communication: library is fully client-side and can be used with any back-end languages or databases. Additionally, ready to use communication layer (dhtmlxConnector) can be used to manage this client-server communication with PHP, .NET, ColdFusion, or Java.
Visual Designer: DHTMLX comes with a Visual Designer tool that allows developers to build web application interface in a visual, codeless environment. Built-in form builder provides a simplified way to create web forms based on the dhtmlxForm component.
Theming: the coloring of the components interface can be customized via online SkinBuilder, which generates necessary CSS files and images to provide the coloring theme chosen by developers. Starting from version 2.6, there are multiple skin presets available.
Touch support: In September 2012, DHTMLX released an HTML5 JavaScript framework optimized for touchscreen and mobile devices, called DHTMLX Touch 1.2. In 2014 touch features had been integrated directly in dhtmlxSuite.
Cross-browser: the library works in all modern browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari.
DHTMLX JavaScript library includes the list of reusable widgets:
DataGrid: the most mature and developed DHTMLX component with solid features, can be extended to hierarchical grid (TreeGrid - not available under the GPL license)
Navigation: treemenu, menu, tabs, and accordion
Layout: dataview, layout, and popup windows
Form: form validation, form data is retrieved and saved back to database automatically
Charts: dynamic charts written in JavaScript: line, bar, area, donut, scatter, radar, and pie charts
Other DHTMLX products (not included in dhtmlxSuite):
Scheduler: events calendar, or scheduler, also available as Joomla! and WordPress plugins
ASP.NET Scheduler: event calendar for ASP.NET applications
JavaPlanner: event calendar for Java (supports Spring MVC, Grails, and Struts frameworks)
Gantt Chart: interactive Gantt chart component
Spreadsheet: web-based embeddable spreadsheet component written in JavaScript and PHP
