Force directed graph layout in JavaScript

Re:Force directed graph layout in JavaScript by dhotson on Wednesday April 14, 2010 @09:54AM (#1264920)

Yep, it's currently the same hardcoded graph each time. The node starting positions are random so you get a slightly different layout each time.

I was thinking about making edges repel nodes in some way to avoid the problem you mentioned. I'll have to experiment some more..

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Re:Force directed graph layout in JavaScript by jonp on Wednesday April 14, 2010 @10:12AM (#1264956)

That's really neat.

I hit the same problem of crossing edges when doing this a while ago (in Python rather than JavaScript).

Rather than trying to get everything done automatically by the code I added the ability to click and drag a point. So the algorithm gets you close to a good layout and you can then make adjustments to avoid unwanted crossings.

It reminds me of an old HN comment "think cyborg, not robot" (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=164833).

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Re:Force directed graph layout in JavaScript by dhotson on Wednesday April 14, 2010 @10:19AM (#1264969)

Thanks jonp. :-)

I think that's a good idea. The force directed layout algorithm isn't bullet proof, but it's a good approximate layout for a human to tweak.

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Re:Force directed graph layout in JavaScript by ableal on Wednesday April 14, 2010 @03:47PM (#1265939)

Just remembered this discussion http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1218376 also featured a force-directed graph layout algorithm, with brief paper and all. Just in case you missed it.

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