Very complex structure

[Karoly]

Hi there, I am very new at graphviz, but the output, what I want to generate, is very complex. I thought, it will be easier, but unfortunatelly, not. I tested it already on different versions, on different plattforms, i create already a docker for it, but no.
My problem is, that some of the containers are not showed, or it is mixed. The mixing is very strange, because I change the order of the line in the dot file, or delete an empty line, the output is different.
I am searching for a solution, what can I do?

Here is my dot file, and i run it in the bash with dot -Tsvg -O dotfile (in docker cat dotfile | docker … where the docker has the CMD “dot”,“-Tsvg”)
I just installed a very last, newest versions.

digraph {
	bgcolor="lightgray"
	rankdir="LR" 

	label="Overview"
	fontsize="8"

	splines=ortho

	subgraph backservices_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		label="Backend Services"
		edge [style=invis]
    	service1 [shape=box label="Service1"]
    	mailserver [shape=box label="Mailserver"]
    	service1 -> mailserver
	}
	
	subgraph databases_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		edge [style=invis]
		label="Databases"

		db1 [ shape=box label="db1"]
		db2 [ shape=box label="db2"]
		db [ shape=box label="db"]
		
		
	}

	subgraph batches_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		label="batchserver:batches"
		
		intserv1 [shape=box label="process1"]
		intserv2 [shape=box label="process2"]

		intserv1 -> service1 [color="#8b0000"]
		intserv2 -> service1 [color="#8b0000"]
		intserv1 -> db1 [color="#8b0000"]
		intserv2 -> db2 [color="#8b0000"]
		intserv1 -> mailserver [color="#8b0000"]
	}

	subgraph external_services_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		label="External Services"

		proxy [shape=box label="proxy"]
		extdb [shape=box label="External Database" ]   
	}

	subgraph heating_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		label="batchserver:library"
		jboss_a [shape=box label="nginx:443"]
		appsa1 [shape=box label="webserver" ]   

		jboss_a -> appsa1
		appsa1 -> extdb [color="#8b0000"]
		appsa1 -> proxy [color="#8b0000"]
	}

	subgraph postcode_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		label="batchserver:postcodeservice"
		postcode [shape=box label="nginx:443"]
		jboss_postcode1 [shape=box label="postcode-appserver" ]

		jboss_postcode1 -> db [color="#8b0000"]
		postcode -> jboss_postcode1 
	}

	subgraph api_cl{
		bgcolor="lightblue"
		style=dashed
		cluster=true
		label="API Backend"
		api_one [shape=box label="appserver1" ]
		api_two [shape=box label="appserver2" ]

		api_one -> db1 [color="#8b0000"]
		api_two -> db2 [color="#8b0000"]
	}

	subgraph printer_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		label="printserver"
		printer [shape=box label="nginx:443"]
		jboss_printer [shape=box label="webserver" ]

		printer -> jboss_printer 
	}

	user [ shape=box label="Students"]
	developer [ shape=box label="Kiosk"]
	heating [ shape=box label="heating-test"]
	applicationgw [ shape=box label="app-gw-one"]
	mainprinter [ shape=box label="mainprinter"]
	api_gw [shape=box label="API-Gateway\nnginx-server"]
	
	subgraph app_one_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		label="app_one-server"
		app_one [shape=box label="nginx:81"]
		apps_one1 [shape=box label="jboss"]
	}
	
	subgraph app_two_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		label="app_one-server:app_two"
		app_two [shape=box label="nginx:81"]
		apps_two1 [shape=box label="jboss"]
	}
	
	subgraph app_three_cl{
		cluster=true
		style=dashed
		label="app_three-server"
		app_three [shape=box label="nginx:81"]
		apps_three1 [shape=box label="jboss"]
	}

	{rank=same; heating applicationgw mainprinter}
	

	user -> applicationgw
	developer -> api_gw [color="#8b0000"]
	developer -> applicationgw
	api_gw -> api_one [color="#8b0000"]
	api_gw -> api_two [color="#8b0000"]
	api_two -> mainprinter [constraint=false, color="#8b0000"]
	api_one -> heating [constraint=false, color="#8b0000"]
	heating -> jboss_a 
    applicationgw -> app_one 
    applicationgw -> app_three 
    applicationgw -> app_two 
	mainprinter -> printer 
	apps_one1 -> mainprinter [constraint=false]
    app_one -> apps_one1 
    app_two -> apps_two1 
    app_three -> apps_three1 
    apps_two1 -> db2 [color="#8b0000"]
    apps_one1 -> db2 [color="#8b0000"]
    apps_three1 -> db2 [color="#8b0000"]
    apps_one1 -> db1 [color="#8b0000"]
    apps_three1 -> db1 [color="#8b0000"]
	appsa1 -> postcode [constraint=false]

    apps_one1 -> heating [color="#8b0000"]
}

[smattr]

Can you explain more about what output you get and how it differs from your expectations?

By the way, you can use Markdown triple back ticks followed by dot to enter code that will then show monospaced with syntax highlighting.

[Karoly]

for example, if I make changes in the subgraph heating_cl, the subgraph databases_cl will expand, and not showing any more and his nodes (db, db1, db2 ) are not in one place, in one container, but db1 and db2 in the right upper corner, and db in the left under corner.

[steveroush]

Will you show the changes to heating_cl

[Karoly]

In this case is everthing fine on the one side.
I made two outputs. The input dot file is always the same.
One with my docker solution. The first picture is from docker.
The another with the online editor at Graphviz Visual Editor
That is the second picture.

everything_ok.dot (3.7 KB)

[Karoly]

And here are the wrong outputs, where the online editor made a wrong picture too.
I delete only two TABs from the line 28.

everything_wrong.dot (3.7 KB)

[steveroush]

(Instead of using “container”, use “cluster”. The word “container” has a different meaning, especially when you are also using “docker”)
(For a Graphviz “beginner” (or even expert), this is a very nice graph)

This is going to be a challenge. All four of you outputs are wrong. (My output is attached below)

• db1 & db2 should not be in the API Backend cluster
• service1 -> mailserver, so Mailserver should be to the right of Service1

Please run the following experiments to help us solve this mystery:

• run your current input file through this bash command:
  cat dotfile | dot -Tcanon >canon.dot , then show us the result
• cut & paste the input from your original posting into a new file and run that new file through your dot -Tsvg command and show us the result

My output:

[Karoly]

Amazing. Thank you, that was.
After I run my original dot file thru the canon, everything is on his own planned place, in his cluster, every cluster is shown, everything is fine.
I learned something new, thank you for the help!

[Karoly]

only one thing, what I currently found: if I have a cluster definition, and then an another definition for the same objects in brackets ({}), then I occour something unclearly. I had found an older dotfile, where I had a cluster definition for the databases, and and second definition between brackets with rank=same. Maybe that occoured my original problems. I tested it now, and yes, in this case is the last definition with rank=same overwrite the cluster definition. But this is not a problem from graphviz, in this case is the problem by me. Thanks again, now I have a mighty tool, and I will use it.

[steveroush]

I am happy that things are working & you are enjoying Graphviz.
My best guess (but only a guess) is that you had some non-ASCII characters in the original file and those characters caused chaos.

Yes, with default settings, a node cannot be in a cluster and also be constrained by rank=same with a node not in the cluster. (newrank | Graphviz)
However, if you set newrank=true, you can use rank=same on nodes in multiple clusters.