Thread: How to interface Pajek with C/C++

Hello all,

I have made a C program that produces data for food-web network i.e. it generates the data of network consisting of species (NODES) and predator-prey interactions (LINKS). As my program runs, I keep evolving/changing the network at regular intervals of time i.e. the no. of nodes & links change.
Now to visualize a particular network, I can use the software PAJEK.

But since I have network evolution in regular intervals, I need to visualize all the networks that are generated due to the network evolution.

How do I interface Pajek with my C program, so that whenever I do a network evolution in the program, I form a new image of the network using Pajek (and thus enabling me to form images of all the networks whose data I generate) ?
OR should I use a shell script for the same ?
(I am working in Linux and am running Pajek using wine.)

Whichever way, please suggest me a solution since a very important and urgent work of mine is fast approaching the deadline and getting delayed just because of my inability to visualize my networks.

PLEASE HELP
Regards
Alice

From what you've described, I don't think a shell script is the solution. You would only do that if your C program stopped after each evolution. As for running Pajek from your C program, take a look at this tutorial: Cprogramming.com FAQ > Run a program from within a program. I usually use the system() function to take care of stuff like this in Linux.

There is also a free graph visualization tool for Linux called GraphViz (Home | Graphviz - Graph Visualization Software), that I think has an API you can use directly in your C program.

Thanx anduril,

I am trying it & have been trying it with some success.

Thanx a lot for replying.

Regards
Alice