Visualization rendering using an extensible rendering sequence

A data processing system for rendering a visualization, the data processing system comprising:

• a bus system;
• a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device stores program instructions;
• and
• a processor connected to the bus system, wherein the processor executes the program instructions to:
• execute steps in a rendering sequence to render the visualization for a host application, wherein the rendering sequence includes default steps;
• extend the rendering sequence by allowing the host application to inject additional steps provided by the host application into the rendering sequence that render data correlation decorations specific to the host application on top of the visualization showing correlations within data used in the visualization;
• display the visualization on a display device based on the default steps included in the rendering sequence and the additional steps injected by the host application into the rendering sequence;
• receive a visualization operation input identifying a visualization operation to be performed;
• identify an execution context of the visualization operation, wherein the execution context identifies steps of the rendering sequence that are required to be executed or re-executed;
• identify a rendering state of execution of the rendering sequence, wherein the rendering state identifies steps of the rendering sequence that have been executed, results of the steps of the rendering sequence that have been executed, and any steps of the rendering sequence that have not been executed;
• modify the rendering sequence to implement the visualization operation using the execution context of the visualization operation and the rendering state of the rendering sequence;
• and
• execute the rendering sequence after modifying the rendering sequence based on the execution context of the visualization operation and the rendering state of the rendering sequence.

A computer program product for rendering a visualization, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a data processing system to cause the data processing system to:

• execute steps in a rendering sequence to render the visualization for a host application, wherein the rendering sequence includes default steps;
• extend the rendering sequence by allowing the host application to inject additional steps provided by the host application into the rendering sequence that render data correlation decorations specific to the host application on top of the visualization showing correlations within data used in the visualization;
• display the visualization on a display device based on the default steps included in the rendering sequence and the additional steps injected by the host application into the rendering sequence;
• receive a visualization operation input identifying a visualization operation to be performed;
• identify an execution context of the visualization operation, wherein the execution context identifies steps of the rendering sequence that are required to be executed or re-executed;
• identify a rendering state of execution of the rendering sequence, wherein the rendering state identifies steps of the rendering sequence that have been executed, results of the steps of the rendering sequence that have been executed, and any steps of the rendering sequence that have not been executed;
• modify the rendering sequence to implement the visualization operation using the execution context of the visualization operation and the rendering state of the rendering sequence;
• and
• execute the rendering sequence after modifying the rendering sequence based on the execution context of the visualization operation and the rendering state of the rendering sequence.