lispDOT

LispDOT is a DOT Document Description Language implemented in Common Lisp.

DOT is a syntax used to describe the contents of a graph. Graph visualisation tools like Graphviz interpret the contents of a DOT file and render a graph based on its contents.

Getting Started

To use lispDOT, first load the dot.lisp file into your project:

(load "dot.lisp")

Creating a Graph

To create a graph, use the (makegraph) function.

This function accepts the following values:

(graphtype name nodes metainformation)

• graphtype: the type of the graph, either "graph" (undirected) or "digraph" (directed).
• name: the name of the graph.
• nodes: a (list) object that contains either (udc) or (dc) items (see below for a description of these items).
• metainformation: any (meta) nodes that describe a value for a graph.

Nodes in Directed Graphs

Directed graphs are graphs where each connection describes the flow between two objects.

To define a node in a directed graph, use the following syntax:

(dc (l "Item 1" "Item 2"))

This creates a directed connection between "Item 1" and "Item 2".

This connection creates the following DOT code:

"Item 1" -> "Item 2";

Nodes in Undirected Graphs

Undirected graphs are graphs where each connection describes a relationship between two objects.

To define a node in an undirected graph, use the following syntax:

(udc (l "Item 1" "Item 2"))

This creates an undirected connection between "Item 1" and "Item 2".

This connection translates into the following DOT code:

"Item 1" -- "Item 2";

Graph Meta Information

You may want to specify meta information about a graph (i.e. the graph size).

You can do this by specifying meta objects after your nodes list.

Here's an example piece of meta information:

(meta "size" "5,5")

This creates a meta attribute. Here is the DOT code translation:

meta [size="5,5"]

Example

Here is an example of a simple undirected graph called "apples":

(princ (makegraph "graph" "apples" (l (udc (l "Apples" "Pink Lady")) (udc (l "Apples" "Gala"))))

This graph defines three nodes:

• Apples
• Pink Lady
• Gala

Pink Lady and Gala are both connected to the Apples node.

The graph is printed to the console using the Lisp (printc) function.

Here is the DOT file version of this graph:

graph apples { "Apples" -- "Pink Lady"; "Apples" -- "Gala"; }

Here is an image representation of the graph, generated using Graphviz Visual Editor:

License

This project is licensed under an MIT License.

Contributors

• capjamesg