GraphViz Utilities

GraphViz Utilities#

GraphViz detection and utility functions for HBAT.

This module provides functionality to detect GraphViz installation, check available engines, and validate GraphViz executables on the system.

class hbat.utilities.graphviz_utils.GraphVizDetector[source]#

Bases: object

Detects and validates GraphViz installation.

This class provides static methods to check for GraphViz availability, version information, and available layout engines.

static is_graphviz_available() → bool[source]#

Check if GraphViz executables are in PATH.

Returns:

True if GraphViz is available, False otherwise

Return type:

bool

static get_graphviz_version() → str | None[source]#

Get installed GraphViz version.

Returns:

Version string if available, None otherwise

Return type:

Optional[str]

static get_available_engines() → List[str][source]#

Get list of available GraphViz layout engines.

Returns:

List of available engine names

Return type:

List[str]

static validate_engine(engine: str) → bool[source]#

Validate if a specific engine is available.

Parameters:

engine (str) – Engine name to validate (e.g., ‘dot’, ‘neato’)

Returns:

True if engine is available, False otherwise

Return type:

bool

static get_engine_path(engine: str) → str | None[source]#

Get the full path to a GraphViz engine executable.

Parameters:

engine (str) – Engine name (e.g., ‘dot’, ‘neato’)

Returns:

Full path to executable if found, None otherwise

Return type:

Optional[str]

static clear_cache() → None[source]#

Clear all cached detection results.

Useful for re-detecting after GraphViz installation/removal.

hbat.utilities.graphviz_utils.get_graphviz_info() → Dict[str, any][source]#

Get comprehensive GraphViz installation information.

Returns:

Dictionary with GraphViz info

Return type:

Dict[str, any]

Overview#

The graphviz_utils module provides comprehensive GraphViz detection and management capabilities for HBAT’s advanced visualization system. It handles detection of GraphViz installation, version checking, and engine availability across different platforms.

Key Classes#

GraphVizDetector#

The main class for GraphViz detection and validation:

  • Detection: Automatic detection of GraphViz installation across platforms

  • Version Checking: Retrieval and validation of GraphViz version information

  • Engine Discovery: Detection of available GraphViz layout engines (dot, neato, fdp, etc.)

  • Caching: Performance optimization through intelligent caching of detection results

  • Cross-Platform: Support for Windows, macOS, and Linux detection patterns

Key Functions#

get_graphviz_info()#

Provides comprehensive GraphViz system information including:

  • Installation status and version

  • Available layout engines

  • System paths and configuration

  • Recommended installation instructions for missing components

Features#

Automatic Detection: - Searches standard installation paths for each platform - Validates GraphViz executables and accessibility - Handles different GraphViz packaging formats

Performance Optimization: - Caches detection results for session-based performance - Avoids redundant system calls - Provides fast availability checks

Error Handling: - Graceful handling of missing GraphViz installations - Clear error messages with installation guidance - Timeout protection for subprocess operations

Platform Support: - Windows: Program Files, Chocolatey, conda installations - macOS: Homebrew, MacPorts, system installations - Linux: Package manager installations, custom builds

Usage Examples#

Basic Detection#

from hbat.utilities.graphviz_utils import GraphVizDetector

# Check if GraphViz is available
if GraphVizDetector.is_graphviz_available():
    print("GraphViz is installed and ready to use")
else:
    print("GraphViz not found - falling back to matplotlib")

Engine Discovery#

# Get available layout engines
engines = GraphVizDetector.get_available_engines()
print(f"Available engines: {engines}")
# Output: ['dot', 'neato', 'fdp', 'circo', 'twopi']

# Validate specific engine
if GraphVizDetector.validate_engine('dot'):
    print("The 'dot' engine is available")

System Information#

from hbat.utilities.graphviz_utils import get_graphviz_info

# Get comprehensive system information
info = get_graphviz_info()
print(f"GraphViz available: {info['available']}")
print(f"Version: {info['version']}")
print(f"Engines: {info['engines']}")

Integration with Renderers#

# Used by visualization system
from hbat.gui.visualization_renderer import RendererFactory
from hbat.core.app_config import get_hbat_config

config = get_hbat_config()

# Factory automatically uses GraphVizDetector
renderer = RendererFactory.create_renderer(parent_widget, config)
print(f"Using renderer: {renderer.get_renderer_name()}")

Technical Details#

Detection Algorithm: 1. Check system PATH for GraphViz executables 2. Search platform-specific installation directories 3. Validate executable permissions and functionality 4. Cache results for subsequent calls

Supported Engines: - dot: Hierarchical layouts (default) - neato: Spring model layouts - fdp: Force-directed placement - circo: Circular layouts - twopi: Radial layouts - sfdp: Scalable force-directed placement - osage: Array-based layouts - patchwork: Tree maps

Platform Paths: - Windows: C:\Program Files\Graphviz\bin, C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\bin - macOS: /usr/local/bin, /opt/homebrew/bin, /opt/local/bin - Linux: /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin, /opt/bin

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