Re:Mind map / flowcharts with automatic layouts that work
by snoopfab on Sunday June 21, 2020 @04:24AM
(#23590664)
The jgraph Java toolkit and mxgraph JavaScript library used in draw.io both support automatic layout even for quite large networks. From the draw.io gui I've never used it but I would be surprised if the possibility does not exist.
Re:Mind map / flowcharts with automatic layouts that work
by ygra on Wednesday June 24, 2020 @02:57AM
(#23624896)
draw.io has some automatic layouts (Arrange > Layout), but they are fairly basic. In terms of customizability it doesn't come close to yFiles / yEd. (Admittedly, I'm biased; I work for the latter, but the available layout options do indeed speak for themselves.)
Re:Mind map / flowcharts with automatic layouts that work
by bjterry on Sunday June 21, 2020 @11:38AM
(#23592582)
yEd is freeware. You can see the license by clicking one of the download links. I guess they monetize it by licensing the underlying diagramming libraries to businesses from the looks of it.
Re:Mind map / flowcharts with automatic layouts that work
by ygra on Wednesday June 24, 2020 @02:59AM
(#23624910)
The underlying graph drawing library for WPF, yes. yEd itself is built on the same layouts, but a different rendering platform with Java Swing, of course.
I waste zero time re-organizing as I create charts, so I don't lose thoughts while trying to make sure the boxes are organized.
TIPS:
* F2 - change the caption on your shape
* F6 - update properties of the shape/connector
* Layouts - experiment with clustering to get cool insights!
It is an option which may or may not fit the varying needs of readers of HN, just as draw.io is.