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Data format

GRAPHML converter

A .graphml file describes a graph in XML: a <graph> element containing <node> and <edge> elements, with arbitrary typed attributes attached to either through <key> declarations and <data> values. It expresses topology first and leaves layout to whoever draws it.

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Drop GRAPHML files here

Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.

Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.

Where GRAPHML comes from

GraphML came out of the 2000–2001 Graph Drawing symposia, designed by a working group that wanted one interchange format instead of the dozen incompatible ones then in use. It has been stable ever since and is the default save format of yEd and a first-class format in NetworkX, igraph and Gephi. Its distinguishing decision was extensibility: application-specific data can be attached without breaking readers that do not understand it.

How GRAPHML works

  • Node and edge attributes are declared once as <key> elements and referenced by <data key="..."> — so the schema is explicit rather than inferred.
  • The graph element's edgedefault attribute declares directed or undirected, and individual edges may override it.
  • Nested graphs are supported, letting a node contain a subgraph — useful for hierarchical or clustered structures.
  • Hyperedges connecting more than two nodes are in the specification, though few tools implement them.
  • Because it is XML, it is verbose and, like any XML input, must be parsed with entity expansion disabled.

When to use GRAPHML

  • Exchanging network data between yEd, Gephi, Cytoscape and NetworkX
  • Storing an annotated graph where nodes and edges carry typed properties
  • Converting a graph to GEXF or DOT for a different visualisation tool
  • Rendering a small graph directly to SVG for documentation

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Extensible attribute model that does not break older readers
  • Broad support across graph-analysis and drawing tools
  • Self-describing — the key declarations document the data

Limitations

  • Verbose; large graphs produce very large files
  • Hyperedge and nested-graph support is patchy in practice
  • No standard place for layout, so visual positions are tool-specific extensions

Compatibility

yEd, Gephi, Cytoscape, NetworkX, igraph and JGraphT read GraphML. Novus Convert parses topology and labels locally, with document types and external entities blocked, and converts to GEXF, DOT, JSON and SVG — the SVG being a direct rendering rather than a re-export.

Node and edge data attributes are preserved into GEXF and JSON; DOT and SVG keep labels only.

Convert GRAPHML to another format

Convert other formats to GRAPHML