Graph Editing

What is graph editing?

Graph editing is the process of interactively modifying the structure and content of a graph, a visual representation of connected data made up of nodes and edges. It includes creating, deleting, and reconnecting nodes and edges and editing their attributes. In supported applications, those changes can also be committed back to the underlying data source.

Graph editing can be performed with specialized graph editing software or through editing tools embedded in a custom graph application.

A graph visualization of a company hierarchy.

Why does graph editing matter?

Graph editing turns a graph visualization into a working interface for connected data. In Tom Sawyer Perspectives applications, users can refine graph structure, correct relationships, update attributes, and remove elements directly in the drawing view. Graph editing works with layout and data commit capabilities, helping users maintain readable graph drawings and apply supported changes to the underlying data source.

Data Accuracy

Editing a graph allows users to correct graph data directly in context. They can update node and edge attributes, remove obsolete elements, or adjust relationships so the graph more accurately reflects the underlying data.

Real-Time Updates

In dynamic graph applications, real-time editing allows users to update graph drawings as the underlying environment changes. Network teams can add or update devices, while supply chain teams can update relevant graph data as new operational information becomes available.

Clarity and Interpretation

Graph editing can improve the clarity of a graph drawing. Adding, removing, or repositioning elements helps reduce visual complexity and makes important entities, relationships, and structures easier to understand.

Comparison and Analysis

Graph editing enables users to create different versions of the same graph or work with different data sets for comparative analysis. This can help identify trends, correlations, and patterns that may not be apparent in the original graph.

Feedback and Collaboration

In collaborative workflows, graph editing makes it easier to revise graph drawings as feedback is reviewed and applied. Teams can adjust relationships, update attributes, or remove elements directly in the visualization so the graph reflects the latest reviewed information.

Storytelling

Graph editing can help users focus a graph drawing on the entities and relationships that matter most to the current task. By removing unnecessary detail or adjusting the visible structure, users can communicate complex connected data more clearly.

Error Correction

If users discover an error in an existing graph drawing, editing tools allow them to correct the affected nodes, edges, or attributes without recreating the complete visualization.

Add and update devices in an IT Network in real-time

Add and update devices in an IT Network in real-time.

Identify bottlenecks and optimize your supply chain with graph editing

Identify bottlenecks and optimize your supply chain with graph editing.

Who can benefit from a graph editor?

Graph editing can benefit a wide range of industries and use cases where connected data needs to be visualized, analyzed, and updated through a graph interface.

Here are just a few industries and specific use cases that can benefit from graph editing:

Data Science Exploration: Creating and modifying graph visualizations to explore complex data sets, such as genomic or climate data.
Healthcare: Editing graph visualizations to represent patient health data, trends, and treatment outcomes for healthcare professionals.
Supply Chain Optimization: Visualizing and editing supply chain data to identify bottlenecks and optimize logistics.
IT Network Management: Editing network graphs to add and update devices in real time.
Fleet Management: Editing graph visualizations to track vehicle routes, fuel consumption, and maintenance schedules.
Logistics Optimization: Visualizing and updating shipping and delivery data to optimize routes and reduce costs.

Graphics Specialized for Your Graph Data Application

Perspectives is optimized with high-speed graphics capabilities and HTML5 canvas graphics to create the best in class graph visualizations for your application. You can use Perspectives HTML classes embed the visualization components into your web application and when the HTML class is assigned to any HTML tag, such as <span> or <div>, the tag will be interpreted as a component, regardless of its type.

Take your diagrams to the next level with
Tom Sawyer Perspectives graph editing tools

Tom Sawyer Software, the leading provider of graph visualization software, provides graph editing capabilities through its graph platform, Tom Sawyer Perspectives.

Tom Sawyer Perspectives is a low-code graph visualization and analysis development platform that enables developers to create custom applications for visualizing, analyzing, and editing connected data.

In addition to high-precision graphical renderings of data, Tom Sawyer Perspectives enables end users to edit graphs in real time and provides powerful graph layouts that position graph elements in clean, readable arrangements. Together, these capabilities allow users to edit graph content while maintaining a clear and usable graph visualization.

Empower your end users with graph editing capabilities

Add graph editing capabilities to Tom Sawyer Perspectives applications so end users can update graph content directly through an interactive graph interface. These tools allow users to create and modify graph elements and work with complex structures directly through the graph drawing.

Create nodes and edges

Tom Sawyer Perspectives provides editing tools that can be incorporated into your application for end users to add nodes and edges to graphs:

At Tool: the user clicks a location in the drawing view to create a new node. Configure multiple At tools for users to add different node types.
Between Tool: the user clicks a source node and then drags the mouse to the target node to create a new edge.

The Tom Sawyer Perspectives At Tool adds a node to a graph drawing

The Tom Sawyer Perspectives At Tool adds a node to a graph drawing.

Edit attributes in-place

Tom Sawyer Perspectives supports in-place editing of text attributes in the inspector, tables, and nodes in the drawing view, making attribute updates faster and more direct for end users.

Tom Sawyer Perspectives in-place attribute editing supports advanced data analysis and interaction.

Delete nodes and edges from graph drawings

Users can quickly and easily remove extraneous elements from their graphs so they can focus on the important details. Users select the elements in the drawing view that they want to remove and click the Delete icon.

The Delete Tool in Tom Sawyer Perspectives allows users to remove extraneous elements from a graph drawing.

Incorporate graph editing into your Tom Sawyer Perspectives application

Watch the video to learn how to add graph editing tools to applications built with Tom Sawyer Perspectives.

Graph editing is integrated with powerful layout and data commit capabilities

After users edit a graph drawing, Tom Sawyer Perspectives provides layout capabilities to organize the updated visualization and data commit capabilities to write supported changes back to the underlying data source.

Clean up the drawing with incremental layout

After editing a graph, users can preserve their mental map with incremental graph layout. The layout organizes the updated drawing while making minimal changes to the positions of existing nodes and edges.

Commit changes back to the data source

Supported edits made in the drawing view can be committed back to the underlying data source, allowing the graph visualization to serve as an interactive interface for updating connected data. Learn more about Tom Sawyer Perspectives data integration and write-back support.

Smooth transitions during dynamic interaction

As users move selected nodes, ortholinear diagramming dynamically adjusts connected edges while preserving orthogonal, right-angle routing. This creates smoother interactions and keeps diagrams visually consistent as their structure changes.

Ortholinear diagramming in Tom Sawyer Perspectives preserves right-angle routing of edges as nodes are moved.

FAQs about graph editing

What is a graph editor?

A graph editor is a software tool for creating and modifying graphs composed of nodes and edges. It provides interactive controls for adding and removing elements, connecting nodes, changing relationships, and editing attributes. Tom Sawyer Perspectives enables developers to incorporate graph editing tools into custom applications so end users can work with connected data through an interactive graph interface.

How do you edit a graph?

To edit a graph, users apply editing tools directly in the drawing view. In applications built with Tom Sawyer Perspectives, users can create nodes with the At Tool, draw edges between nodes with the Between Tool, change edge connections with the Reconnect Tool, and update attributes through in-place editing. After edits are made, incremental layout helps organize the updated drawing, and supported changes can be committed back to the underlying data source.

What software is used for graph editing?

Graph editing software includes standalone tools for manually creating and modifying graph drawings and development platforms for embedding graph editing capabilities into custom applications. Tom Sawyer Perspectives is a low-code development platform with tools for creating nodes, drawing edges, changing connections, editing attributes, and committing supported changes back to the underlying data source.

How is a graph editor different from a chart maker?

A chart maker produces statistical charts, such as bar, pie, and line charts, primarily from tabular data. A graph editor works with connected data, where nodes represent entities and edges represent relationships between them. Tom Sawyer Perspectives is designed for connected-data applications and combines graph editing with automatic graph layout, visualization, and analysis capabilities.

Can graph edits be saved back to the data source?

Yes. In applications built with Tom Sawyer Perspectives, supported changes made in the drawing view, such as creating nodes, reconnecting edges, or updating attributes, can be committed back to the underlying data source. This write-back capability allows users to update connected data through the graph interface.

What is the difference between graph editing and graph layout?

Graph editing changes the content or structure of a graph by creating, deleting, reconnecting, or updating nodes and edges. Graph layout changes how those elements are positioned and how edges are routed in the drawing. In Tom Sawyer Perspectives, users can edit a graph and then apply incremental layout to organize the updated visualization.

Can graph editing be added to a custom application?

Yes. Tom Sawyer Perspectives enables developers to incorporate graph editing tools into custom graph applications. These tools can be used to create nodes and edges, change edge connections, edit attributes, and delete graph elements.

What is graph editing?