What drawing package to manipulate graph (nodes & edges)

[Paul]

OK, I tried to get Visio to do this, but it doesn't seem like it's the
right tool. I figure that this is as good a group in which to ask for
the best alternative. I need to draw a graph consisting of nodes
interconnected by edges. Nodes are shaped like rectangles or ovals,
and contain text inside of them. Interconnects are straight, arc'd,
or rectiliniear; they travel from the edge of one node to the edge of
another node. As I drag nodes around, I want them to stay connected,
and I want the point at which the interconnect contacts the node edge
to change so that the nearest (or nearly the nearest) point on the
node edge is used. Furthermore, I want arrowheads right where the
line contacts the node edge.

It sounds like a very natural set of attributes to ask for in a
package for manually drawing graphs. Is there such a tool?

 

[David Parker]

Au contraire ... Visio does this very well...

Draw an Ellipse or Rectangle (or any other shape)
Right-mouse click, Format Behavior
Placement tab - change to Layout and Route around

Select shape and type text

Duplicate shape (CTRL+D) a few times

Use Connector Tool to connect shapes

Move them around to see how the line connects

Select a Connector
Right mouse click to chnage between Right-angled, Staright or Curved
Also select Format / Line to add line ends

What did I miss?

 

[Paul]

I just tried that, and the point of connection between the (straight-
line) interconnect and the edge of the geometry does not change,
regardless of how I move the individual shapes around. This makes for
some rather pathological connections. Are you using Visio 2000? I'm
wondering if the difference in what I see and what you describe as a
solution might be due to version?

 

[Paul]

I think I found the problem. I was using the line tool for
interconnection rather interconnect tool.
http://groups.google.ca/group/microsoft.public.visio.general/browse_thread/thread/cb1279a4d8394f64

Thanks!

 

[Paul]

Actually, the results are not what one might have hoped. If I have
oval A connected to both ovals B and C, the lines sometimes cross over
one another -- not OK. I'm not sure what kind of rules determine
where on the perimeter the connector contacts, but it's too
unpredicatable. But thanks anyway.