gv2gxl

Convert a graph from gv to gxl format

$ gv2gxl -o [output.gxl] [input.gv]

$ cat [input.gv] | gv2gxl > [output.gxl]

$ gv2gxl -?

gv2gxl [-v] [-o outfile] [file]

-v
    Enable verbose output

-o outfile
    Specify output GXL filename (default: stdout)

-?
    Show brief synopsis

-h
    Show brief synopsis

The gv2gxl command is a utility from the Graphviz suite designed to convert graphs represented in Graphviz's DOT language into the GXL (Graph eXchange Language) format. GXL is an XML-based standard for exchanging graph data between different tools and applications, enabling interoperability in graph analysis, visualization, and processing workflows.

Graphviz DOT files describe directed and undirected graphs using a simple textual syntax, which gv2gxl parses and translates into structured GXL XML output. This preserves graph structure, nodes, edges, attributes, and other metadata. It is particularly useful for integrating Graphviz graphs with tools that support GXL, such as graph databases, analysis software, or XML processors.

By default, gv2gxl reads input from a specified DOT file or standard input and writes GXL to standard output or a specified file. The tool handles various Graphviz graph types (digraph, graph, strict) and supports basic attributes. It is lightweight, efficient for batch processing, and commonly used in academic research, network analysis, and software engineering pipelines where graph data needs to be exchanged across heterogeneous systems.

gv2gxl graph.dot -o graph.gxl
Converts graph.dot to graph.gxl

Reads DOT from stdin if no file; writes to stdout unless -o specified.

Developed as part of the Graphviz project originating at AT&T Bell Labs in the late 1990s. gv2gxl was introduced in early 2000s versions (around Graphviz 1.12+) to support GXL exchange standard (ISO/IEC 19775-1:2008). Widely used in graph tooling ecosystems since Linux distros packaged Graphviz ~2003.

dot(1), neato(1), twopi(1), circo(1)