dash-flows 1.3.0

React Flow for the Plotly Dash framework with editable handles.

Dash Flows

React Flow (@xyflow/react) node-graph components for Plotly Dash.

Glass-morphism theming · ELK layouts · DashIconify icons · full Dash callback interoperability.

Documentation · Discord · YouTube · GitHub

Maintained by Pip Install Python LLC.

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Overview

dash-flows wraps React Flow 12 (@xyflow/react) as a Plotly Dash component library. Build interactive, node-based diagrams — workflows, data pipelines, org charts, state machines — that talk to your Python callbacks like any other Dash component.

• React Flow 12.11 under the hood — nodes, edges, handles, minimap, controls, background
• Glass-morphism theme with light / dark / system color modes and 6 color schemes
• ELK layouts for automatic graph arrangement
• Rich node & edge types — default, input, output, group, resizable, circle, toolbar; straight, step, smoothstep, bezier, button, data, animated, floating
• Deep Dash integration — clicks, selection, connections, drag/drop, context menus, undo/redo, copy/paste, save/restore, image export — all as callback props
• DashIconify icons and embedded Dash components inside nodes
• Dash 4.2+ compatible (React 18)

Installation

pip install dash-flows

Quick Start

import dash
from dash import html
from dash_flows import DashFlows

app = dash.Dash(__name__)

nodes = [
    {"id": "1", "type": "input",   "data": {"label": "Start"},   "position": {"x": 250, "y": 0}},
    {"id": "2", "type": "default", "data": {"label": "Process"}, "position": {"x": 250, "y": 100}},
    {"id": "3", "type": "output",  "data": {"label": "End"},     "position": {"x": 250, "y": 200}},
]

edges = [
    {"id": "e1-2", "source": "1", "target": "2", "animated": True},
    {"id": "e2-3", "source": "2", "target": "3"},
]

app.layout = html.Div(
    DashFlows(
        id="flow",
        nodes=nodes,
        edges=edges,
        fitView=True,
        showControls=True,
        showMiniMap=True,
        style={"width": "100%", "height": "600px"},
    )
)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run(debug=True)

Documentation

Full documentation, with a live, runnable demo and source for every example, lives at the open-source documentation index maintained by Pip Install Python LLC:

📚 pip-install-python.com

You can also run the docs site locally — it is a markdown-driven Dash app served by run.py:

pip install -r requirements-docs.txt
python run.py            # open http://localhost:8560

Each page renders live DashFlows demos alongside the matching source in examples/, plus an auto-generated prop table. Add a page by dropping a docs/<topic>/<topic>.md file with frontmatter (auto-discovered): .. exec:: for a live demo, .. source:: for code, and .. kwargs::dash_flows.DashFlows for a generated prop table. The app supports Dash 4.1+ pluggable backends via DASH_BACKEND=flask|fastapi|quart.

Components

Node types

Component	Description
DefaultNode	Standard node with configurable handles
InputNode	Source node with green accent (output handles only)
OutputNode	Sink node with purple accent (input handles only)
GroupNode	Container node for grouping other nodes
ToolbarNode	Node with floating toolbar on selection
ResizableNode	Node that can be resized by the user

Edge types

Component	Description
SimpleBezierEdge	Smooth curved connection
SmoothStepEdge	Rounded right-angle connections
StepEdge	Sharp right-angle connections
StraightEdge	Direct line connection
AnimatedSvgEdge	Edge with animated flowing dots
ButtonEdge	Edge with delete button
DataEdge	Edge displaying data labels
FloatingEdge	Connects to the nearest point on each node's border

UI components

Component	Description
NodeStatusIndicator	Loading / success / error states for nodes
NodeTooltip	Hover tooltips for nodes
NodeSearch	Search and filter nodes
ButtonHandle	Interactive handle with button styling
DevTools	Debug panel for development

Theming

Dash Flows ships a comprehensive theming system driven by CSS custom properties.

Theme presets — apply as a class on the component:

• .df-theme-glass (default) — glass morphism with blur effects
• .df-theme-solid — opaque cards with shadows
• .df-theme-minimal — clean, border-focused design

Color schemes — .df-scheme-default, .df-scheme-ocean, .df-scheme-forest, .df-scheme-sunset, .df-scheme-midnight, .df-scheme-rose.

Dark mode is automatic via React Flow's colorMode="dark" prop, Mantine's data-mantine-color-scheme="dark" attribute, or a custom .dark-mode class.

Node status indicators

node = {
    "id": "1",
    "data": {
        "label": "Processing...",
        "status": "loading",  # 'initial' | 'loading' | 'success' | 'error'
    },
    "position": {"x": 100, "y": 100},
}

• initial — no indicator · loading — blue pulsing glow · success — green border + checkmark · error — red border + X badge with shake animation

Custom icons with DashIconify

from dash_iconify import DashIconify

node = {
    "id": "1",
    "type": "input",
    "data": {
        "label": "Data Source",
        "icon": DashIconify(icon="mdi:database", width=20, color="white"),
        "iconColor": "#10b981",          # icon background color
        "body": "PostgreSQL Database",   # optional description text
    },
    "position": {"x": 100, "y": 100},
}

Handle configuration

node = {
    "id": "1",
    "data": {
        "label": "Custom Handles",
        "handles": [
            {"type": "target", "position": "top",    "id": "input-1"},
            {"type": "target", "position": "left",   "id": "input-2"},
            {"type": "source", "position": "bottom", "id": "output-1"},
            {"type": "source", "position": "right",  "id": "output-2"},
        ],
    },
    "position": {"x": 100, "y": 100},
}

Examples

The examples/ directory contains 35 runnable apps — every one is also embedded live (with its source) in the documentation. A few highlights:

Example	Description
01_basic_nodes_and_edges.py	Getting started with nodes and edges
02_all_node_types.py	Showcase of all node types
03_all_edge_types.py	Showcase of all edge types
12_elk_layouts.py	Automatic ELK layouts
14_dash_components_in_nodes.py	Embed Dash components in nodes
20_context_menu.py	Right-click context menus
26_floating_edges.py	Floating edges (nearest-border routing)
32_undo_redo.py	Full undo / redo system
33_computing_flows.py	Topological sort & data-flow computation
35_subflows.py	Collapsible group nodes

Run any of them directly, e.g. python examples/01_basic_nodes_and_edges.py.

API reference

DashFlows props (selected)

Prop	Type	Description
id	string	Component ID for callbacks
nodes	list	Array of node objects
edges	list	Array of edge objects
fitView	bool	Auto-fit view to content
colorMode	string	'light', 'dark', or 'system'
themePreset	string	'glass', 'solid', 'minimal'
colorScheme	string	'default', 'ocean', 'forest', 'sunset', 'midnight', 'rose'
showControls / showMiniMap / showBackground	bool	Toggle canvas overlays
clickedNode / selectedNodes / lastConnection	output	Interaction outputs read in callbacks
style	dict	Container style (must include a height)

The full, auto-generated prop table (140+ props) is on the API Reference page.

Node object

{
    "id": "unique-id",
    "type": "default",  # 'input', 'output', 'group', 'resizable', ...
    "data": {
        "label": "Node Label",        # primary text
        "sublabel": "Secondary text", # below label
        "body": "Description",        # below sublabel
        "icon": DashIconify(...),     # custom icon
        "iconColor": "#3b82f6",       # icon background
        "layout": "stacked",          # 'stacked' or 'horizontal'
        "handles": [...],             # optional handle config
        "status": "initial",          # 'initial' | 'loading' | 'success' | 'error'
    },
    "position": {"x": 0, "y": 0},
    "style": {},       # optional CSS
    "className": "",   # optional CSS class
}

Edge object

{
    "id": "unique-id",
    "source": "source-node-id",
    "target": "target-node-id",
    "sourceHandle": "handle-id",  # optional
    "targetHandle": "handle-id",  # optional
    "type": "default",            # edge type
    "animated": False,
    "label": "Edge Label",        # optional
    "style": {},
}

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Build the JS bundle + regenerate the Python wrappers
npm run build

# Run the documentation site (live demos for every example)
pip install -r requirements-docs.txt
python run.py            # http://localhost:8560

# Build a distribution
python -m build

The React components in src/lib/ are the source of truth; the Python package in dash_flows/ is auto-generated from their PropTypes by dash-generate-components. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full workflow and validation gates.

Requirements

• Python >= 3.9
• Dash >= 4.0.0 (developed against Dash 4.2; still React 18)
• dash-mantine-components >= 2.8.0 (for the examples and docs site)
• Node.js >= 16 (for development / rebuilding the JS bundle)

Community & support

Come build with us:

• 💬 Discord — discord.gg/WEnZR35mrK
• ▶️ YouTube — @2plotai
• 🐛 Issues — github.com/pip-install-python/dash-flows/issues

More from Pip Install Python LLC

dash-flows is one of several tools built and maintained by Pip Install Python LLC:

Project	What it is
📚 Pip Install Python	Open-source documentation index for the Python & Dash ecosystem
🧠 ai-agent.buzz	Infinite AI canvas
🎬 2plot.media	Videography application
🛒 piraresbargain.com	Online shop with a tileset & sprite generator

License

MIT — see LICENSE. Built by Pip Install Python LLC.