Create multiple graphics

1

Is there a possibility to create multiple gv files from one gv file or open the content with multiple graphic files. Kind regards

2

Using the command line, you can render into multiple graphics files, e.g.

$ dot t1.dot -Tpng -o t1.png -Tpdf -o t1.pdf

generates t1.png and t1.pdf correctly.

It does not render multiple graphs into multiple files in the same command execution, e.g.

$ dot -Txdot t1.dot -o t1.xdot t2.dot -o t2.xdot

does not generate a layout for t1.dot in t1.xdot and a layout for t2.dot in t2.xdot. For some reason it generates the same layout of t1.dot in t1.xdot and t2.xdot, and generates a layout of t2.dot on the standard output. I’m not sure if this is a bug or a feature.

3

(I can interpret this question several ways - too early here & not enough caffeine).
If you are wanting to produce one output file that contains multiple complete graphs, the answer is yes, but with a few caveats.
Given this input:

digraph unit_test {
    label="Unit test"
    edge [fillcolor="#a6cee3" color="#1f78b4"]
    node[shape="ellipse" style="filled" fillcolor="#1f77b4"]
        start
        end
    node[shape="box" style="filled" fillcolor="#ff7f0e"]
        process
        
    subgraph cluster_process {
        label = "Major logic"
        process
    }
    start -> process
    process -> end
}
digraph details {
    label = "Process details"
    edge [fillcolor="#a6cee3" color="#1f78b4"]
    node[shape="ellipse" style="filled" fillcolor="#1f77b4"]
        start
        end
    node[shape="box" style="filled" fillcolor="#ff7f0e"]
        details
    subgraph cluster_details {
        label = "Details"
        details
    }
    start -> details
    details -> end
}

This command will take one input containing multiple complete graph definitions and produce one output file (with the graphs presented top-to-bottom)
dot myfile.gv |gvpack -array_ib1|neato -n2 -Tpng >myfile.png
gvpack (https://graphviz.org/pdf/gvpack.1.pdf) can also take multiple input files and can present left-to-right or in an array.

packedX
packedX127×535 15.8 KB

(gvpack has an annoying habit of renaming nodes with duplicate names. e.g. start_gv1. I am working on a workaround)
(If I fully misunderstood the question, please steer me in the correct direction)

4

Is it possible to create two graphics from your example. So two PNG files?

5
  • Simple answer: I don’t think so.
  • More complex: Maybe with a modest Python, gvpr, C, … program to split the single file into N complete graphs and then run each of these N files through a layout engine. Doable, but possibly OS specific.