pydotplus

What it is and what it does

PyDotPlus is a Python wrapper around Graphviz's Dot language that lets you build and manipulate graph structures programmatically, then render them to various image and document formats. It parses Dot files and bridges Python code to Graphviz's rendering engine, making it useful for generating diagrams, flowcharts, and network visualizations from Python without writing Dot syntax by hand.

The package is positioned as an improved fork of the older pydot project, claiming better PyParsing compatibility and Python 2.7–3 support. However, it has been abandoned since 2014-12-09 with no maintenance activity since then, meaning it has not been updated for modern Python versions, security patches, or changes in Graphviz itself.

Use it for:

• Generate flowcharts and diagrams programmatically from Python data structures.
• Parse existing Dot files and modify them before re-rendering with Graphviz.
• Create network topology visualizations or dependency graphs in automated reporting tools.
• Build documentation that includes auto-generated graph diagrams from code metadata.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

PyDotPlus provides a Python interface to Graphviz's Dot language, allowing you to programmatically create, parse, and manipulate graph definitions for rendering visualizations.

No. The package is abandoned (last release 2014-12-09, 4266 days ago) with no maintenance, no declared runtime dependencies despite requiring pyparsing and GraphViz, and no evidence of compatibility with modern Python or Graphviz versions. If you need Graphviz integration, consider actively maintained alternatives.

Install

pydotplus on PyPI

pip install pydotplus

uv add pydotplus

poetry add pydotplus

Installing pydotplus

Before you install

Installation friction is high: the package has been abandoned for over 4266 days since its last release (2014-12-09), with no recent maintenance or updates. It depends on external system libraries (GraphViz) that must be installed separately.

License in practice

Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely; however, the license metadata is marked UNKNOWN in the package record, which may indicate incomplete or unclear licensing documentation.

Quickstart

pip install pydotplus
import pydotplus
graph = pydotplus.Dot(graph_type='graph')
graph.add_node(pydotplus.Node('A'))
graph.add_edge(pydotplus.Edge('A', 'B'))

GraphViz must be installed separately on your system (not a Python package); pyparsing is required as a dependency.

Verify before relying

• Whether pyparsing is declared as a formal runtime dependency in package metadata, given description mentions it but deps.runtime is empty.
• Current compatibility with modern Python versions beyond 3.4, given the 4266-day gap since last release.
• Whether the package still works with current versions of GraphViz and its output formats.

Package facts

Evidence: pydotplus-2.0.2.tar.gz

Keywords: graphviz, dot, graphs, visualization

Tags

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