[Solved] How to install Graphviz on Win10?

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Ulicad
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Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2022 10:35 am
Location: de_DE

[Solved] How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by Ulicad »

Probably this is a very dumb question... :oops:

Inspite of my searches, somehow I can't manage to install Graphviz (on WIN10) and hope for your good help.

What I did:
1) Downloaded Graphviz for WIn10 (windows_10_cmake_Release_graphviz-install-7.1.0-win64.exe) and installed it in a custom-directory
  • Result: nowhere I could find a way to activate or use it within FC
2) Open the Addon manager
- look for Graphviz
  • Result: even after refreshing the local cache, no Graphviz is shown there..
AddonManager1.png
AddonManager1.png (77.42 KiB) Viewed 1568 times

What else could I do?

Regards
Uli

(BTW: The Fasteners WB I easily could install using the Manager)
Last edited by Ulicad on Fri Jun 02, 2023 5:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Regards, Ulicad / Uli
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chrisb
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Re: How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by chrisb »

Ulicad wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 6:20 am What else could I do?
Start the Dependency Graph. It will prompt you for the dot program from the graphviz package.
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Ulicad
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Location: de_DE

[solved] How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by Ulicad »

chrisb wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 6:30 am... It will prompt you for the dot program from the graphviz package.
Thanks for your prompt answer! FC could find Graphviz now.

BTW:
The pompt does not let you select a file (which I searched for initially), but a directory only. This may be a big difference for some users (I personally needed quite some time to find out, that generally NO files at all are shown in the prompt).

The topic is marked [solved].

Regards
Uli
Regards, Ulicad / Uli
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Roy_043
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Re: How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by Roy_043 »

In the popup dialog it says:
... Do you want to specify its installation path...
The title of the next dialog:
Graphviz installation path
And there is button with this text:
Select folder
That's a lot of information to NOT read.
Ulicad
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Location: de_DE

Re: How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by Ulicad »

Roy_043 wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 1:38 pm ... That's a lot of information to NOT read.
In brevity:
- the main cause IMO is the different contexts of different minds (GUI-writer on one side, user on the other), depending on the issues
- particularly in this case, my mind strongly and falsely was focussed on finding '...the dot program from the graphviz package...' instead of its location (directory)
These two major reasons were leading to that.


A bit more lengthy:
What happened (for a new user, or dunderhead ;) ):

- Hitting Tools -> Dependency Graph, FC's prompt is saying: ...specify Graphvizs installation path... (img-1)

img-1.png
img-1.png (6.76 KiB) Viewed 1380 times

- the user is specifying the ../Graphviz directory - (for the user, this is the Graphviz's '... installation path...', the path/directory, where Graphviz was installed to and all installation-files reside (6 directories, at the minimum hundreds of files)

- without further notice, FC reacts with repeating the initial promt

Ok, the user is searching for '... the dot program ...' (whatever that may mean) within the Graphviz directories, now on OS-level.

- having finally found a file named dot.exe within the ../bin dir, the directory ../bin is entered or pointed to

-> success!

Edit:
Personally, I would point to the dot.exe as main executable and would add its usual home-directory to the information (depending on the OS, if needed).

So, another useful GUI-draft could be (if nothing else stands against it):
'...enter the directory name of the main executable of Graphviz...' ... 'in most OS'ses ../bin, where dot.exe resides'

Agreed - the length of the string would increase a little. It still would be worth to avoid confusion IMO.


This is rubbish...
Provided, an installation directory is called the installation directory (I have no better suitable name for it). It would be very little effort to sort out this ambiguity or unclarity.

If FC would follow the text of its message-prompt of img1.png, everything would be fine.
(The directory-structure of Graphviz is known to the deveopers. Once the custom-dependent installation place is known, all what is needed also is known. For each valid OS, I think.)


Regards
Uli
Last edited by Ulicad on Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
Regards, Ulicad / Uli
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Ulicad
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Re: How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by Ulicad »

chrisb wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 6:30 am ...
A bit off topic:
It's a pitty - hoped to also find isolated or unused values in the spreadsheets... :cry:

Would be happy for any idea on this :)
Regards, Ulicad / Uli
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chrisb
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Re: How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by chrisb »

Ulicad wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 9:07 pm
chrisb wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 6:30 am ...
A bit off topic:
It's a pitty - hoped to also find isolated or unused values in the spreadsheets... :cry:
What exactly are you quoting here? Your post seems to me not a bit off topic but rather to be totally off the rocker.
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Ulicad
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Location: de_DE

Re: How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by Ulicad »

chrisb wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 12:35 am
Ulicad wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 9:07 pm
chrisb wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 6:30 am ...
A bit off topic:
It's a pitty - hoped to also find isolated or unused values in the spreadsheets... :cry:
What exactly are you quoting here? Your post seems to me not a bit off topic but rather to be totally off the rocker.
Agreed.

It was my fault to not strictly adhere to the quoting-rules.

Still learning. :oops:
Regards, Ulicad / Uli
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Ulicad
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Re: [Solved] How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by Ulicad »

@Roy_043 :
My previous post is edited for a simple way of a tiny improvement to the GUI where FC - among other - is living from in the actual phase.
Regards, Ulicad / Uli
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chrisb
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Re: How to install Graphviz on Win10?

Post by chrisb »

Ulicad wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 5:19 am It was my fault to not strictly adhere to the quoting-rules.
Here it's not about the rules, I have no clue why and what you quoted.
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