# NAME [GraphViz2::Data::Grapher](https://metacpan.org/pod/GraphViz2::Data::Grapher) - Visualize a data structure as a graph # Synopsis #!/usr/bin/env perl use strict; use warnings; use File::Spec; use GraphViz2; use GraphViz2::Data::Grapher; my($sub) = sub{}; my($s) = { A => { a => { }, bbbbbb => $sub, c123 => $sub, d => \$sub, }, C => { b => { a => { a => { }, b => sub{}, c => 42, }, }, }, els => [qw(element_1 element_2 element_3)], }; my($graph) = GraphViz2 -> new ( edge => {color => 'grey'}, global => {directed => 1}, graph => {rankdir => 'TB'}, node => {color => 'blue', shape => 'oval'}, ); my($g) = GraphViz2::Data::Grapher->new(graph => $graph); my($format) = shift || 'svg'; my($output_file) = shift || File::Spec -> catfile('html', "parse.data.$format"); $g -> create(name => 's', thing => $s); $graph -> run(format => $format, output_file => $output_file); # If you did not provide a GraphViz2 object, do this # to get access to the auto-created GraphViz2 object. #$g -> create(name => 's', thing => $s); #$g -> graph -> run(format => $format, output_file => $output_file); # Or even #$g -> create(name => 's', thing => $s) #-> graph #-> run(format => $format, output_file => $output_file); See scripts/parse.data.pl (["Scripts Shipped with this Module" in GraphViz2](https://metacpan.org/pod/GraphViz2#Scripts-Shipped-with-this-Module)). # Description Takes a Perl data structure and recursively converts it into [Tree::DAG\_Node](https://metacpan.org/pod/Tree::DAG_Node) object, and then graphs it. You can write the result in any format supported by [Graphviz](http://www.graphviz.org/). Here is the list of [output formats](http://www.graphviz.org/content/output-formats). Within the graph: - o Array names are preceeded by '@' - o Code references are preceeded by '&' - o Hash names are preceeded by '%' - o Scalar names are preceeded by '$' Hence, a hash ref will look like '%$h'. Further, objects of different type have different shapes. # Constructor and Initialization ## Calling new() `new()` is called as `my($obj) = GraphViz2::Data::Grapher -> new(k1 => v1, k2 => v2, ...)`. It returns a new object of type `GraphViz2::Data::Grapher`. Key-value pairs accepted in the parameter list: - o graph => $graphviz\_object This option specifies the GraphViz2 object to use. This allows you to configure it as desired. The default is GraphViz2 -> new. The default attributes are the same as in the synopsis, above, except for the graph label of course. This key is optional. # Methods ## create(name => $name, thing => $thing) Creates the graph, which is accessible via the graph() method, or via the graph object you passed to new(). Returns $self to allow method chaining. $name is the string which will be placed in the root node of the tree. If $s = {...}, say, use 's', not '$s', because '%$' will be prefixed automatically to the name, because $s is a hashref. $thing is the data stucture to graph. ## graph() Returns the graph object, either the one supplied to new() or the one created during the call to new(). ## tree() Returns the tree object (of type [Tree::DAG\_Node](https://metacpan.org/pod/Tree::DAG_Node)) built before it is traversed to generate the nodes and edges. # Scripts Shipped with this Module ## scripts/parse.data.pl Demonstrates graphing a Perl data structure. Outputs to ./html/parse.data.svg by default. ## scripts/parse.html.pl Demonstrates using [XML::Bare](https://metacpan.org/pod/XML::Bare) to parse HTML. Inputs from ./t/sample.html, and outputs to ./html/parse.html.svg by default. ## scripts/parse.xml.bare.pl Demonstrates using [XML::Bare](https://metacpan.org/pod/XML::Bare) to parse XML. Inputs from ./t/sample.xml, and outputs to ./html/parse.xml.bare.svg by default. # Thanks Many thanks are due to the people who chose to make [Graphviz](http://www.graphviz.org/) Open Source. And thanks to [Leon Brocard](http://search.cpan.org/~lbrocard/), who wrote [GraphViz](https://metacpan.org/pod/GraphViz), and kindly gave me co-maint of the module. # Author [GraphViz2](https://metacpan.org/pod/GraphViz2) was written by Ron Savage _<ron@savage.net.au>_ in 2011. Home page: [http://savage.net.au/index.html](http://savage.net.au/index.html). # Copyright Australian copyright (c) 2011, Ron Savage. All Programs of mine are 'OSI Certified Open Source Software'; you can redistribute them and/or modify them under the terms of The Perl License, a copy of which is available at: http://dev.perl.org/licenses/