gxl2gv

Convert a graph from gxl to gv format

$ gxl2gv -o [output.gv] [input.gxl]

$ cat [input.gxl] | gxl2gv > [output.gv]

$ gxl2gv -?

gxl2gv [input.gxl] [-o output.dot] [-h | --help] [-v | --version]

-h, --help
    Display usage summary and options.

-v, --version
    Print version information and exit.

-o file
    Write output to specified file (default: stdout).

input.gxl
    Input GXL file (default: stdin).

gxl2gv is a command-line utility for converting files in the Graph eXchange Language (GXL), an XML-based standard for graph data interchange, into Graphviz's DOT language format.

GXL enables sharing graphs, including nodes, edges, attributes, and hierarchies, across diverse tools and applications. Graphviz, a popular open-source graph visualization suite, uses DOT as its primary input language for layout and rendering. By bridging these formats, gxl2gv integrates GXL-exporting software (e.g., from databases or modeling tools) into Graphviz workflows, facilitating diagram generation via commands like dot or neato.

The tool parses GXL structures, mapping elements such as graph, node, edge, and attributes to equivalent DOT syntax. It supports directed/undirected graphs and basic attributes but may not handle all advanced GXL features like hypergraphs fully. Input is read from a file or stdin, with output to stdout or a specified file. This makes it ideal for scripting, pipelines, and batch processing in data analysis, network modeling, or software engineering contexts.

Typically installed via Graphviz packages (e.g., graphviz-dev on Debian), it's lightweight and fast for most graphs.

Limited support for complex GXL features like hyperedges or relators; may require manual DOT tweaks for optimal Graphviz rendering.
Errors on malformed XML.

gxl2gv graph.gxl -o graph.dot
dot -Tpng graph.dot -o graph.png

Expects valid GXL 1.0 XML; use xmllint to validate beforehand.

Introduced in Graphviz 1.12 (early 2000s) as part of AT&T Research's graph tools; maintained in modern Graphviz releases for legacy GXL compatibility.

dot(1), neato(1), gvpr(1)