Overview -> Tutorial -> Multi-Graph and Multi-View

Section 4: Multi-Graph and Multi-View

This tutorial section covers the following exercises:

Multi-View: Using many Views for one Graph

First of all you need to load a graph. This time we do it by using a command-line argument when daVinci is started. If you have already started daVinci, quit it now with menu File/Exit daVinci. Start the system again by appending the filename of a graph or status file to the command-line. As you have already guessed, we suggest to use file graph_example.daVinci in the examples directory of the daVinci distribution again. So for example, when you are in the topmost directory of the daVinci distribution, you can type the following command in a UNIX shell: daVinci example_graphs/graph_example.daVinci After you have got a base window with a graph visualization, open a second view of this graph by selecting menu View/Open New View. This will pop up an additional base window showing the same graph. In fact the two views (base windows) are connected with each other, so interactions in one view are also applied to the other view (except of scrolling and setting the scale). Make some fine tuning operations by moving nodes to new positions. You can see that both views will be updated when interactions take place in any of the two windows.

Open even more views of this graph from any existing window to get a total number of, say, five windows. The maximal number of open base windows in daVinci is 64. You can now close each individual view with menu File/Close without quitting daVinci. The last base window cannot be closed.

Working with a Survey View

A special view with some additional features is the survey view which can be opened from any view (except of another survey view) by using menu View/Open Survey View. So make sure that you have one daVinci base window showing a large graph (e.g. graph_example.daVinci). We will call this window detail view. Reduce the window size such that you can only see a small portion of the whole graph. Now, select menu View/Open Survey View in the detail view to get a new survey window. As with all views, detail- and survey view are coupled with eachother to show the same graph layout.

A survey view displays the currently visible graph area of the corrsponding detail view with a blue rectangle which is continuously updated. Use navigation or move the scrollbars in the detail view to see how the blue rectangle will follow these movements in the survey view to visualize what is visible in the detail view. When you do not see a blue rectagle in the survey view, then either the graph is not completely visible in the survey view (correct this by using menu View/Fit Scale to Window) or it is completely visible in the detail view (use a larger graph in this case).

Another nice feature of the survey view is that after selecting a node in the survey view, daVinci will automatically scroll to this node in the corresponding detail view with animation. Try this by clicking on some nodes in the survey view.

Multi-Graph: Visualizing different Graphs simultaneously

daVinci V2.x does not only allow a user to have many views (base windows) to one graph, but also to load different graphs at the same time which are visualized in different base windows. Before working in multi-graph mode, be sure to have at least two open view windows, because otherwise there is no second window and loading a new graph in one window will eliminate the previous graph there. To load a second graph, simply use the File/Open... menu in one of the views. This will load the new graph only in the window where the load operation was executed. The other views are not affected. So from a technical point of view, the window where the graph was loaded is disconnected from the other views to act independently.

Of course, the window with the new graph may have its own views, too, and so on. Keep in mind that the maximal number of open base windows in daVinci is 64 and that multi-view and multi-graph is an expensive feature (think about the required memory!), so do not overstrain your computer with too many graphs and windows.

End of section 4
Go back to the Tutorial Overview

daVinci V2.1 Online Documentation - Page update: June 15, 1998