Graph layout using subgraph isomorphisms

Abstract

Today, graphs are used for many things. In engineering, graphs are used to design circuits in very large scale integration. In computer science, graphs are used in the representation of the structure of software. They show information such as the flow of data through the program (known as the data flow graph [1]) or the information about the calling sequence of programs (known as the call graph [145]). These graphs consist of many classes of graphs and may occupy a large area and involve a large number of vertices and edges. The manual layout of graphs is a tedious and error prone task. Algorithms for graph layout exist but tend to only produce a 'good' layout when they are applied to specific classes of small graphs. In this thesis, research is presented into a new automatic graph layout technique. Within many graphs, common structures exist. These are structures that produce 'good' layouts that are instantly recognisable and, when combined, can be used to improve the layout of the graphs. In this thesis common structures are given that are present in call graphs. A method of using subgraph isomorphism to detect these common structures is also presented. The method is known as the ANHOF method. This method is implemented in the ANHOF system, and is used to improve the layout of call graphs. The resulting layouts are an improvement over layouts from other algorithms because these common structures are evident and the number of edge crossings, clusters and aspect ratio are improved.