Dependency graph view

Description

The Dependency graph view displays the dependencies between objects in the active document in a graph. As opposed to the Tree view, objects are listed in reverse chronological order, with the first created object at the bottom. It can be useful in analyzing a LabRPS document and locating forks in a tree. The dependency graph is for now purely a visualization tool, therefore it cannot be edited. It automatically updates if changes are made to the document. The Dependency graph view is a component of the LabRPS interface. By default it shows nothing.

Example of a dependency graph with simulation of wind velocity having a mean wind profile and a wind spectrum.

Installation

To have the graph displayed in the dependency graph view, a third-party software named Graphviz needs to be installed. If you do not have it pre-installed or it is installed in an unconventional location, LabRPS will display the following dialog:

Windows

Download the graphviz-2.xx installer from the Graphviz Download page and launch it to install it. Some older versions seem to have issues displaying the graph; version 2.38 and newer are known to be reliable. You can find all graphviz releases on Gitlab.

macOS

You can install Graphviz using Homebrew if you have macOS Big Sur (11) (or higher). While installing Homebrew, don't get nervous, if macOS asks you to install updates, e.g. for the Xcode commandline tools. These updates are performed later by the installation process.

brew install graphviz

This installs the Graphviz binaries under /usr/local/bin for macOS on Intel, or /opt/homebrew for macOS on Apple Silicon/ARM. LabRPS should automatically find these locations. If the Graphviz program is not found you will be asked to specify a path. Unfortunately we can't navigate directly to the program in the file dialog. There are two options: You can use the key combination Cmd+Shift+. to show hidden items. Or you can use the key combination Cmd+Shift+G to get an input field for the path. Enter one of these paths in the Terminal:

/usr/local/bin

or:

/opt/homebrew/bin

and confirm the input field and the file selection dialog.

In case the Graphviz binaries are installed in a non-standard location try to find the program with the command:

type dot

It will output something like:

dot is /usr/local/bin/dot

And you can tell LabRPS to look in that directory.

If you don't have macOS Big Sur (11) (or higher) Homebrew might not work, but you can use MacPorts instead. Just download the appropriate version for your OS. Once the installation is complete, enter this command in the Terminal:

sudo port install graphviz

Enter your password and wait while the dependencies are downloaded and installed (it can take some time).

The Graphviz binaries may be under /usr/local/bin or /opt/local/bin/dot. LabRPS may automatically find the Graphviz program with the file dialog that, if not enter this command:

type dot

It will output something like:

dot is /opt/local/bin/dot

And you can tell LabRPS to look in that directory as explained before.

It is also possible to make the opt directory visible with this command:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES;

then:

killall Finder /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app;

Therefore you can tell LabRPS to follow this path. It has been successfully tested on macOS 10.13 (High Sierra).

Linux

On most Linux distributions (Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSUSE), you just need to install the Graphviz package from the repositories. However, similar to the macOS, in cases where the Graphviz binaries are installed in a non-standard location, try to find the program with the command:

type dot

It may output something like

dot is /usr/local/bin/dot

And therefore you can point LabRPS to look in that directory.

Save

You can save a dependency graph:

Make sure the Dependency graph view is active.
Select the File → Save or File → Save As option from the menu.
Enter a filename and select the file type (*.gv, *.png, *.bmp, *.gif, *.jpg, *.svg or *.pdf).
Press the Save button.

General principles

The graph shows objects in reverse chronological order.
The direction of arrows showing dependencies should always point down. An arrow pointing up indicates a cyclic dependency, an issue that needs to be resolved.
Objects can have dependencies to multiple parents.
A Group is displayed as a single element linked to its content.