Skip to main content
Log in

Constraints in Graph Drawing Algorithms

  • Published:
Constraints Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Graphs are widely used for information visualization purposes, since they provide a natural and intuitive representation of complex abstract structures. The automatic generation of drawings of graphs has applications a variety of fields such as software engineering, database systems, and graphical user interfaces. In this paper, we survey algorithmic techniques for graph drawing that support the expression and satisfaction of user-defined constraints.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • R. K. Ahuja, T. L. Magnanti, & J. B. Orlin. (1993). Network Flows: Theory, Algorithms, and Applications. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Bertolazzi, R. F. Cohen, G. Di Battista, R. Tamassia, & I. G. Tollis. (1994). How to draw aseries-parallel digraph. Internat. J. Comput. Geom. Appl. 4: 385–402.

    Google Scholar 

  • F. J. Brandenburg. (1995). Designing graph drawings by layout graph grammars. In R. Tamassia and I. G. Tollis (eds.), Graph Drawing (Proc. GD '94), volume 894 of Lecture Notes Comput. Sci., pages 416–427. Springer-Verlag.

  • F. J. Brandenburg, M. Himsolt, & C. Rohrer. (1996). An experimental comparison of force-directed and randomized graph drawing algorithms. In F. J. Brandenburg (ed.), Graph Drawing (Proc. GD '95), volume 1027 of Lecture Notes Comput. Sci., pages 76–87. Springer-Verlag.

  • I. F. Cruz. (1992) DOODLE: A visual language for object-oriented databases. In Proc. ACM SIGMOD, pages 71–80.

  • I. F. Cruz & A. Garg. (1995). Drawing graphs by example efficiently: Trees and planar acyclic digraphs. In R. Tamassia and I. G. Tollis (eds.), Graph Drawing (Proc. GD '94), volume 894 of Lecture Notes Comput. Sci., pages 404–415, Springer-Verlag.

  • R. Davidson & D. Harel. (1996). Drawing graphics nicely using simulated annealing. ACM Trans. Graph. 15(4): 301–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E. Dengler, M. Friedell, & J. Marks. (1993). Constraint-driven diagram layout. In Proc. IEEE Sympos. on Visual Languages, pages 330–335.

  • G. Di Battista, P. Eades, R. Tamassia, & I. G. Tollis. (1994). Algorithms for drawing graphs: An annotated bibliography. Comput. Geom. Theory Appl. 4: 235–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Di Battista & R. Tamassia. (1988). Algorithms for plane representations of acyclic digraphs. Theoret. Comput. Sci. 61: 175–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G. Di Battista, R. Tamassia, & I. G. Tollis. (1992). Constrained visibility representations of graphs. Inform. Process. Lett. 41: 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P. Eades. (1984). A heuristic for graph drawing. Congr. Numer. 42: 149–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Even. (1979). Graph Algorithms. Computer Science Press, Potomac, Maryland.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Frick, A. Ludwig, & H. Mehldau. (1995). A fast adaptive layout algorithm for undirected graphs. In R. Tamassia and I. G. Tollis (eds.), Graph Drawing (Proc. GD '94), volume 894 of Lecture Notes Comput. Sci., pages 388–403. Springer-Verlag.

  • T. Fruchterman & E. Reingold. (1991). Graph drawing by force-directed placement. Softw. — Pract. Exp. 21(11): 1129–1164.

    Google Scholar 

  • M. R. Garey & D. S. Johnson. (1983). Crossing number is NP-complete. SIAM J. Algebraic Discrete Methods 4(3): 312–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Garg & R. Tamassia. (1997). A new minimum cost flow algorithm with applications to graph drawing. In S. North (ed.), Graph Drawing (Proc. GD '96), volume 1190 of Lecture Notes Comput. Sci., pages 201–216. Springer-Verlag.

  • A. Gibbons. (1980). Algorithmic Graph Theory. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Harel & M. Sardas. (1995). Randomized graph drawing with heavy-duty preprocessing. J. Visual Lang. Comput. 6(3). (Special issue on Graph Visualization, edited by I. F. Cruz and P. Eades.)

  • W. He & K. Marriott. (1997). Constrained graph layout. In S. North (ed.), Graph Drawing (Proc. GD '96), volume 1190 of Lecture Notes Comput. Sci., pages 217–232. Springer-Verlag.

  • M. Jünger & P. Mutzel. (1996). Maximum planar subgraphs and nice embeddings: Practical layout tools. Algorithmica 16(1). (Special issue on Graph Drawing, edited by G. Di Battista and R. Tamassia.)

  • T. Kamada. (1989). Visualizing Abstract Objects and Relations. World Scientific Series in Computer Science.

  • T. Kamada & S. Kawai. (1989). An algorithm for drawing general undirected graphs. Inform. Process. Lett. 31: 7–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • T. Kamps, J. Kleinz, & J. Read. (1996). Constraint-based spring-model algorithm for graph layout. In F. J. Brandenburg (ed.), Graph Drawing (Proc. GD '95), volume 1027 of Lecture Notes Comput. Sci., pages 349–360. Springer-Verlag.

  • C. Kosak, J. Marks, & S. Shieber. (1994). Automating the layout of network diagrams with specified visual organization. IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. 24(3): 440–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. B. Kruskal & J. B. Seery. (1980). Designing network diagrams. In Proc. First General Conference on Social Graphics, pages 22–50. U.S. Department of the Census.

  • T. Lin & P. Eades. (1995). Integration of declarative and algorithmic approaches for layout creation. In R. Tamassia & I. G. Tollis (eds.), Graph Drawing (Proc. GD '94), volume 894 of Lecture Notes Comput. Sci., pages 376–387. Springer-Verlag.

  • P. Luders, R. Ernst, & S. Stille. (1995). An approach to automatic display layout using combinatorial optimization. Software-Practice and Experience 25(11): 1183–1202.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Marks. (1991). A formal specification for network diagrams that facilitates automated design. J. Visual Lang. Comput. 2: 395–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Mehlhorn. (1984). Data Structures and Algorithms. Volumes 1–3. Springer-Verlag.

  • T. Nishizeki & N. Chiba. (1988). Planar graphs: Theory and algorithms. Ann. Discrete Math. 32.

  • P. Rosenstiehl & R. E. Tarjan. (1986). Rectilinear planar layouts and bipolar orientations of planar graphs. Discrete Comput. Geom. 1(4): 343–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Ryall, J. Marks, & S. Shieber. (1997). An interactive system for drawing graphs. In S. North (ed.), Graph Drawing (Proc. GD '96), volume 1190 of Lecture Notes Comput. Sci., pages 387–393. Springer-Verlag.

  • K. Sugiyama & K. Misue. (1995). Graph drawing by magnetic-spring model. J. Visual Lang. Comput. 6(3). (Special issue on Graph Visualization, edited by I. F. Cruz and P. Eades.)

  • R. Tamassia. (1985). New layout techniques for entity-relationship diagrams. In Proc. 4th Internat. Conf. on Entity-Relationship Approach, pages 304–311.

  • R. Tamassia. (1987). On embedding a graph in the grid with the minimum number of bends. SIAM J. Comput. 16(3): 421–444.

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Tamassia. (1997). Graph drawing. In J. E. Goodman & J. O'Rourke (eds.), CRC Handbook of Discrete and Computational Geometry. CRC Press.

  • R. Tamassia, G. Di Battista, & C. Batini. (1988). Automatic graph drawing and readability of diagrams. IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. SMC-18(1): 61–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. Tamassia & I. G. Tollis. (1986). A unified approach to visibility representations of planar graphs. Discrete Comput. Geom. 1(4): 321–341.

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Tamassia & I. G. Tollis. (1989). Tessellation representations of planar graphs. In Proc. 27th Allerton Conf. Commun. Control Comput., pages 48–57.

  • W. T. Tutte. (1960). Convex representations of graphs. Proceedings London Mathematical Society 10(3): 304–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • W. T. Tutte. (1963). How to draw a graph. Proceedings London Mathematical Society 13(3): 743–768.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tamassia, R. Constraints in Graph Drawing Algorithms. Constraints 3, 87–120 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009760732249

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009760732249

Keywords

Navigation