A Browser for Directed Graphs
Abstract
The availability of low-cost workstations with a bit-mapped display and mouse has made possible widespread use of graphics software. User interfaces can display data through a convenient graphics interface rather than the textual presentations necessitated by older technology. One of the most applicable structures of computer science is a graph (i.e., a graph with vertices and edges as opposed to a drawing). If the graph drawing problems could be overcome, a tool could be written to browse through graphs using the natural graphical display. Such a tool, or graph browser, would display graphs in a reasonable format and allow users to query or edit the data represented by the graphs. This report describes the design of a general graph browser based on our experiences with an earlier prototype. Chapter 2 discusses the prototype and the limitations encountered with it. Chapter 3 describes the design of a general graph browser, called GRAB, and the user interface it provides. Chapter 4 describes an implementation design of GRAB, including the database design and the heuristics used to draw reasonable-looking graphs. Chapter 5 concludes with a summary and a discussion of future extensions to GRAB.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 30, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA166622
Entities
People
- Carl Meyer
Organizations
- University of California, Berkeley