RE: [topicmaps-comment] mapping topic maps on a relation database

[Danny Ayers <danny666@virgilio.it>]

Is the source (XTM?) data available?

I'd also very much like to hear what kind of things you found good/bad in
respect of visualising TMs with TG.

I'm working on some graph visualisation stuff, and one target I want to go
for soon is the TM.

Cheers,
Danny.
---
Danny Ayers
<stuff> http://www.isacat.net </stuff>


>-----Original Message-----
>From: Thomas B. Passin [mailto:tpassin@comcast.net]
>Sent: 20 April 2002 03:41
>To: topicmaps-comment@lists.oasis-open.org
>Subject: Re: [topicmaps-comment] mapping topic maps on a relation
>database
>
>
>[Lars Marius Garshol]>
>> * Lars Marius Garshol
>> |
>> | BTW, how far did you get with TouchGraph visualization? I tried it
>> | out myself briefly (a 1-hour Jython hack on top of our engine), and
>> | while it did very well for small topic maps (5-40 topics) it didn't
>> | do at all well for larger things like the Italian Opera topic
>> | map. Have you been able to get round that problem somehow? (I have
>> | some ideas about how to do it, but would be curious to hear yours.)
>>
>> * Murray Altheim
>> |
>
>A while ago, I experimented with Touchgraph, too.  I wrote a
>stylesheet that
>turned an xtm topic map into the Touchgraph XML syntax.  I pasted that into
>the TG source view page.  It worked like a charm.  It could handle
>more than
>5-40 topics OK, but when you got up to hundreds, it was a bit hard to work
>with.  You have to get clever about expanding and limiting the view, but it
>really does work.
>
>I was able to make the Opera topic map work this way, but it took a lot of
>patience to get TG to do enough layout so you could see enough to start
>working with.  Not really practical for general use as is, but it's very
>stimulating because it's so close to what one would want.
>
>In case anyone wants it, I've attached a zip file  containing my xslt
>stylesheet and the TG-format Opera topic map.  To load the map, bring up TG
>as an app, get the source view up, then delete the xml that's there and
>paste the new xml in.  When you close the source view dialog, TG will go to
>work showing the new graph.
>
>When it's first layed out, all the objects will be on top of each other.
>Just drag one with the mouse and layout will start.  I highly recommend
>experimenting with a small map before trying out Opera.  Opera will work,
>but it takes patience and experience to learn how to expand it,
>move around,
>and limit the display depth so you can see things.  But truly, it is
>possible.
>
>Oh, yes, this was with TG1.20.
>
>I normally don't include atttachments, and I hope you will excuse
>me in this
>one case.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Tom P
>