DAG—a program that draws directed graphs

Abstract

Abstract DAG is a program that draws directed graphs by reading a list of noeds and edges, computing a layout and then writing a PIC or PostScript description of a picture. Optional drawing instructions specify the way nodes are drawn, attach labels and control spacing. DAG works best on directed acyclic graphs, which are often used to represent hierarchical relationships. For example, here is a drawing of a graph from J. W. Forrester's book, World Dynamics (Wright‐Allen, Cambridge, MA, 1971), which took 1.63 CPU seconds to draw using a VAX‐8650.