GDL: Basics

• A graph is specified by

  graph: {  graph entries: nodes, edges, subgraphs, attributes  }
  

• A node is specified by

  node: { title: "node title"  node attributes }
  

• An edge is specified by

  edge: { source: "source node title"  target: "target node title"  edge attributes }
  

• Text displayed within a node

  • the node title or
  • any valid C string specified by

    label: "one or several line(s) of text"

• Edge label

  • any valid C string specified by

    label: "one or several line(s) of text"

graph: {

   node: { title: "a"  label: "aiSee" }

   node: { title: "G"  label: "GDL\nGraph\nDescription\nLanguage" }

   node: { title: "AbsInt" }


   edge: { source: "AbsInt"  target: "a"  label: "Graph Visualization" }

   edge: { source: "AbsInt"  target: "G" }

       }

• Node titles are case-sensitive:

  node: { title: "aisee" }   // is not equal to
  node: { title: "aiSee" }

• Titles and labels may contain ASCII control characters:

  node: { title: "hello\nworld" }   // is equal to
  node: { title: "hello
  world" }

• In-line comments must be encased with /* and */

  node: { title: "I love penguins" /*that's true*/ label: "so what?" }

• End-of-line comments can also be separated by //

  node: { title: "Humpty-dumpty" }   // sat on the wall
  node: { title: "humpty-dumpty" }   // did a great fall

• Word spacing does not matter:

  node:  { title  :  "ic" }   // is just as good as
  node:{title:"ic"}

  but:

  • The colon ':' may not be separated from the keywords graph: , node: , and edge:

    node: { title : "yeah" }   // this is OK
    node : { title: "oops" }   // this won't work

  • Quoted strings (e.g. titles and labels) are still sensitive:

    node: { title: "try this" }   // is never the same as
    node: { title: "  try  this" }

• A graph title can be specified by

  graph: { title: "My Family Tree"
         /* specifying a title is
            mandatory for subgraphs */
         }

• If edge labels are not displayed, specify

  display_edge_labels: yes
  

• aiSee supports the following alternative notations:

  sourcename:        // instead of source:
  targetname:        // instead of target:
  displayedgelabels: // instead of display_edge_labels: