PyGraphistry Visualization
Doc routing (local + canonical)
- First route with
../pygraphistry/references/pygraphistry-readthedocs-toc.md. - Use
../pygraphistry/references/pygraphistry-readthedocs-top-level.tsv for section-level shortcuts. - Only scan
../pygraphistry/references/pygraphistry-readthedocs-sitemap.xml when a needed page is missing. - Use one batched discovery read before deep-page reads; avoid
cat * and serial micro-reads. - Use local icon lookup notes from
references/fa-icons.md. - In user-facing answers, prefer canonical
https://pygraphistry.readthedocs.io/en/latest/... links.
Core pattern
g2 = (
# Keep a plain 'type' column on both nodes and edges for legend-friendly defaults
g.bind(point_label='label', point_color='type', edge_color='type')
.encode_point_color('type', categorical_mapping={'agent': '#3b82f6'}, default_mapping='#94a3b8')
# Optional: default node sizing is often degree for exploratory passes
.encode_point_size('degree')
.settings(url_params={'play': 3000, 'info': True})
)
g2.plot()
External layout pattern
# nodes_df contains x/y layout columns
g2 = graphistry.edges(edges_df, 'src', 'dst').nodes(nodes_df, 'id').bind(point_x='x', point_y='y').settings(url_params={'play': 0})
g2.plot()
URL parameters reference
Use settings(url_params={...}) to control visualization behavior. Full reference: https://hub.graphistry.com/docs/api/1/rest/url/#urloptions
Layout
| Param | Type | Default | Range | Description |
|---|
play | int | 5000 | 0-10000 (0, 1000, 2000, 5000) | Layout duration ms. 0=fixed |
lockedX | bool | false | | Lock X axis (with bind(point_x=...)) |
lockedY | bool | false | | Lock Y axis (with bind(point_y=...)) |
lockedR | bool | false | | Lock radial position |
linLog | bool | false | | Strong separation; good for <1000 nodes |
scalingRatio | float | 1.0 | 0.1-10 (0.5, 1, 2, 5) | Expansion ratio. Combine with linLog |
strongGravity | bool | false | | Compact layout with pull to center |
dissuadeHubs | bool | false | | Reduce hub dominance in layout |
gravity | float | 1.0 | 0.1-10 (0.1, 1, 2, 10) | Pull strength toward center |
edgeInfluence | float | 1.0 | 0-10 (0, 0.7, 1, 2, 5, 7) | Edge weight impact on layout |
precisionVsSpeed | float | 1.0 | 0.1-10 (0.1, 1, 10) | Higher=precise but slower |
left/right/top/bottom | int | auto | | Manual camera bounds on load |
Scene / Rendering
| Param | Type | Default | Range | Description |
|---|
pointSize | float | 1.0 | 0.1-10 (0.3, 0.5, 1, 2, 3) | Point size multiplier (not encoding) |
pointOpacity | float | 1.0 | 0-1 (0.3, 0.5, 0.8, 1) | Node transparency |
pointStrokeWidth | float | 0 | 0-5 (0, 1, 2) | Node border width |
edgeCurvature | float | 0 | 0-1 (0, 0.5, 1) | Edge bending amount |
edgeOpacity | float | 1.0 | 0-1 (0.3, 0.5, 0.8, 1) | Edge transparency |
showArrows | bool | true | | Show edge direction arrows |
neighborhoodHighlight | str | both | incoming/outgoing/both/node | Hover highlight mode |
neighborhoodHighlightHops | int | 1 | 1-5 (1, 2, 3) | Hops in hover highlight |
Labels / Points of Interest
| Param | Type | Default | Range | Description |
|---|
showLabels | bool | true | | Toggle all label visibility |
showLabelOnHover | bool | true | | Show labels only on hover |
showPointsOfInterest | bool | true | | Highlight key nodes as POI |
showPointsOfInterestLabel | bool | true | | Show labels on POI nodes |
pointsOfInterestMax | int | 5 | 0-100 (0, 5, 10, 20) | Max POIs. 0=disable |
shortenLabels | bool | true | | Truncate long labels |
showLabelPropertiesOnHover | bool | false | | Show extra properties on hover |
labelOpacity | float | 1.0 | 0-1 (0.5, 0.8, 1) | Label transparency |
labelColor | str | | hex no # (000000, FFFFFF) | Label text color |
labelBackground | str | | hex no # (000000, FFFFFF) | Label bg color |
Note: URL params use hex without #. Python API (encode_*, palette) uses # prefix.
UI Controls
| Param | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
menu | bool | true | Show all menus |
info | bool | true | Show graph size stats |
showHistograms | bool | true | Show histogram panel |
showInspector | bool | true | Show entity inspector |
showCollections | bool | false | Show collections panel |
Examples
# Ring layout with strong separation for small graphs (<1000 nodes)
g2 = g.settings(url_params={'play': 3000, 'linLog': True, 'scalingRatio': 2.0})
# Fixed position layout (external coordinates)
g2 = g.bind(point_x='x', point_y='y').settings(url_params={'play': 0, 'lockedX': True, 'lockedY': True})
# Disable POI labels entirely
g2 = g.settings(url_params={'showLabels': False, 'pointsOfInterestMax': 0})
# Larger points, more transparent edges
g2 = g.settings(url_params={'pointSize': 3.0, 'edgeOpacity': 0.3})
# Minimal UI for embedding
g2 = g.settings(url_params={'menu': False, 'info': False, 'showHistograms': False, 'showInspector': False})
Icon/badge pattern
g2 = (
g.encode_point_icon('type', categorical_mapping={'person': 'user', 'org': 'building'})
.encode_point_badge('risk', categorical_mapping={'high': 'exclamation-triangle'})
)
g2.plot()
Use valid Font Awesome names and keep icon mappings category-driven by type. See references/fa-icons.md for lookup links and examples.
Continuous-color pattern (beyond categorical maps)
g2 = g.encode_edge_color('amount', palette=['#46327e', '#1fa187', '#fde724'], as_continuous=True)
g2.plot()
Focused subgraph views (collection-like workflow)
# Use GFQL slices to publish multiple focused views from one base graph (use .gfql(), not deprecated .chain())
high_risk = g.gfql([...]).name('high-risk-slice')
partner_flow = g.gfql([...]).name('partner-flow-slice')
urls = [high_risk.plot(render=False), partner_flow.plot(render=False)]
Privacy-safe sharing pattern
graphistry.privacy(mode='private')
plot_url = g.plot(render=False)
- Use explicit
graphistry.privacy(mode='private'|'organization'|'public') before plotting share links. - Do not treat
plot() kwargs like as_files or memoize as privacy controls.
Common tasks
- Encodings:
encode_point_color, encode_edge_color, encode_point_size, encode_point_icon, encode_point_badge. - Layouts: runtime force layout settings, ring/GIB/modularity, graphviz/igraph/cugraph plugin layouts.
- Static outputs:
plot_static() for SVG/PNG and text engines like graphviz-dot/mermaid-code. - Sharing controls:
graphistry.privacy(mode='private'|'organization'|'public'). - For advanced gradients, use
palette=[...] with as_continuous=True on encode_point_color/encode_edge_color. - For large investigations, generate multiple focused GFQL slices instead of one overloaded plot.
Big-graph defaults
- Filter and aggregate before plotting.
- Keep only essential columns (drop large text blobs unless needed).
- Use focused subgraphs (time slice, one-hop neighborhood, top-k signals).
- Prefer plain
type columns on both nodes and edges so legends and default category encodings stay stable. - Avoid dotted column names like
node.type / edge.type; prefer plain names. - Use native datetime types for time encodings and time-sliced comparisons.
Canonical docs