Framework comparison

[semerj]

Goal

• Hierarchical Layout Style
• Flat vs. recursive layer assignment
  Flat vs. recursive layer assignment
• Incremental hierarchical layout when group nodes are collapsed and expanded

Frameworks

• KLayJS & KLayJS-D3
  • Examples: hierarchy, klayjs-noflo, the-graph, react
  • Features:
    • Layered options
    • Layout
    • Layout options
    • KJSON graph format
    • KLayJS documentation
  • Cons:
    • No bidirectional support between nodes in same layer

• Dagre & Dagre-d3
  • Examples: clusters, tcp-state-diagram, custom arrows, custom shapes and arrows interactive-demo, jsfiddle example
  • Cons: no support for "flat"/bi-directional edges (Add back support for rank constraints dagrejs/dagre#159), but supports undirected vertical edges; no "port" support

• WebCola & Cytoscape.js
  • Examples: smallgroups, gridifiedSmallGroups, dotpowergraph, Metabolic Pathway: Sucrose Breakdown, Directed graph flow layout and shortest-path edge routing
  • Features: allows user specified constraints such as alignments and grouping; automatically generate constraints to avoid overlapping nodes; or provide flow layout for directed graphs
  • Cons: works well on an average machine on graphs with fewer than 100 nodes but less scalable to very large graphs
• Graphviz & Viz.js
  • Examples: cluster
  • Features: uses DOT language
• JointJS
  • Examples: Discrete Event System Specification, Layered Sugiyama network
  • Features: Reading JSON data
  • Cons: only JointJS Core is MPL v2
• Vis.js
  • Features: hierarchical graphs
  • Cons: no groupings
• sigma.js (Linkurious.js: active fork of sigma.js)
  • Cons: doesn't do hierarchical graphs

Closed Source

• yWorks
  • Examples: basiclayouter, preferredlabelplacement
• GoJS
• mxGraph
• jsPlumb

Discussions

• graph autolayout testing noflo/noflo-ui#53
• Graphviz (Sugiyama) layout. d3/d3#349

Algorithms

• ASAP schedule: simple hierarchical layout algorithm
• A Technique for Drawing Directed Graphs: Sugiyama layout
• https://github.com/bdcht/grandalf