# (Mis)using neato pos="x,y!" fixed position with GraphvizFiddle.py to display Boost Graph Library layout in browser

**URL:** <https://forum.graphviz.org/t/mis-using-neato-pos-x-y-fixed-position-with-graphvizfiddle-py-to-display-boost-graph-library-layout-in-browser/2180>\
**Category:** Show and Tell\
**Created:** [May 5, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://forum.graphviz.org/t/mis-using-neato-pos-x-y-fixed-position-with-graphvizfiddle-py-to-display-boost-graph-library-layout-in-browser/2180 "2024-05-05T18:57:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![HermannSW](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/graphviz/user_avatar/forum.graphviz.org/hermannsw/32/2158_2.png) [@HermannSW](https://forum.graphviz.org/u/HermannSW)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://forum.graphviz.org/t/mis-using-neato-pos-x-y-fixed-position-with-graphvizfiddle-py-to-display-boost-graph-library-layout-in-browser/2180/1 "2024-05-05T18:57:30Z")

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I am new to this forum, but felt that I should post about misusing neato layout engine as simple browser draw with [GraphvizFiddle](https://stamm-wilbrandt.de/GraphvizFiddle/) I created years ago for drawing .dot files in browser. Recently I learned that neato allows for pos=“x,y!” and that the exclamation mark forces the coordinate to be fixated.  
Nice to see [dot] feature here in forum (here with neato layout engine).  
This is small example fixating vertex positions to location stated in labels:  
[dot engine=neato]graph { size=“2,2” a[pos=“1,1!” label=“1,1”]; b[pos=“-1,-1!” label=“-1,-1”] c[pos=“-2,0!” label=“-2,0”] a --b --c --a}[/dot]  
I used this to display a planar graph that I read with BGL (Boost Graph Library) code I wrote, then did planar straight line drawing and used the determined coordinates for creating a neato .dot file, that I displayed using GraphvizFiddle.py command line tool:

```auto
$ GraphvizFiddle.py chromium-browser <(../straight_line_graphviz <(./dot2leda <(curl -s https://stamm-wilbrandt.de/C60.dot)))

```

Details on BGL code and tools in this thread:  
[https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=367391](https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=367391)

 ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/graphviz/original/2X/2/26a9d64a2fbbeac9ca8851aee7ea9de76be1e802.jpeg)

Above C60 graph has twenty 6-gons and twelve 5-gons, you are likely to know that graph — C60 is also called “football fullerene”:  
 ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/graphviz/original/2X/a/ab1f4870de0c417f63ba79f4a04946792b06e29d.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/graphviz/original/1X/7fead618c3a2f7e376b595558a47ef26893009ac.png) [@system](https://forum.graphviz.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://forum.graphviz.org/t/mis-using-neato-pos-x-y-fixed-position-with-graphvizfiddle-py-to-display-boost-graph-library-layout-in-browser/2180/2 "2026-09-03T22:51:53Z")

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/graphviz/original/1X/7fead618c3a2f7e376b595558a47ef26893009ac.png) [@system](https://forum.graphviz.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 7:27am UTC](https://forum.graphviz.org/t/mis-using-neato-pos-x-y-fixed-position-with-graphvizfiddle-py-to-display-boost-graph-library-layout-in-browser/2180/3 "2026-09-04T07:27:24Z")

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