How to use the command graphml2gv (with examples)

The graphml2gv command is part of the Graphviz package and is used to convert a graph from graphml format to gv format. It is one of the various converters available in Graphviz.

Use case 1: Convert a graph from gml to gv format

Code:

graphml2gv -o output.gv input.gml

Motivation: The gml format is a popular format for representing graphs. In this use case, we can convert a graph in gml format to gv format using the graphml2gv command. This can be useful if we want to visualize or analyze the graph using other tools that accept gv format.

Explanation:

• -o output.gv: Specifies the output file name as output.gv. This is the file where the converted graph will be written.
• input.gml: Specifies the input file name as input.gml. This is the file containing the graph in gml format that we want to convert.

Example output: The graphml2gv command will convert the graph from gml format to gv format and write the output to the specified output file output.gv.

Use case 2: Convert a graph using stdin and stdout

Code:

cat input.gml | graphml2gv > output.gv

Motivation: In some cases, we may want to convert a graph without using intermediate files. By using the stdin and stdout functionality, we can directly convert the graph by piping the input from a file to the graphml2gv command and redirecting the output to another file.

Explanation:

• cat input.gml: Reads the content of the input.gml file and prints it to the standard output.
• |: Pipes the output of the previous command as the input to the next command.
• graphml2gv: Converts the graph from graphml format to gv format using the input from the standard input.
• >: Redirects the output of the previous command to a file.
• output.gv: Specifies the output file name as output.gv. This is the file where the converted graph will be written.

Example output: The graphml2gv command will convert the graph from graphml format to gv format using the input from the standard input and write the output to the specified output file output.gv.

Use case 3: Display help

Code:

graphml2gv -?

Motivation: When working with a command, it is often useful to access the help or documentation to understand the available options and functionalities.

Explanation:

• -?: Displays the help information for the graphml2gv command, providing details on how to use it and the available options.

Example output: The graphml2gv command will display the help information, which includes an explanation of the command usage and available options.