User Interface and Getting Started

Learn how to navigate and use SocNetV’s intuitive interface to create, analyze, and visualize social networks. This page covers essential workflows to get you started, including network creation, editing, and customization, alongside a detailed overview of menus, toolbars, and panels.

User Interface overview

SocNetV has a simple yet powerful Graphical User Interface (GUI) that is designed to be user-friendly and highly functional, catering to both novice users and experienced researchers.

It allows users to visualize, manipulate, and analyze complex social networks with ease. Whether you’re a student exploring social network theory or a professional conducting in-depth research, SocNetV’s user interface ensures a seamless workflow.

The interface consists of the following components:

• The Menu
• Toolbar
• Sidebars
• Canvas
• A status bar with helpful runtime messages.

The main application window is structured to provide maximum efficiency. Side panels on the left and right host critical tools and information, while the central canvas is the primary area for network visualization and interaction.

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The Menu

At the top of the window, the menu bar provides access to all application features and functions. It includes six menus:

• Network: Options for managing networks:

  • Create new networks or load existing ones.
  • Save, export, or import networks in various formats (GraphML, Pajek, GML, etc.).
  • Generate random networks using predefined models or crawl the web for network creation.

• Edit: Tools for modifying the network:

  • Add or remove nodes and edges.
  • Change node and edge properties (color, size, weight, labels, etc.).
  • Apply filters to isolate specific parts of the network.

• Analyze: Advanced analysis tools:

  • Compute graph and network metrics like adjacency matrices, clustering coefficients, centrality measures, and community detection.
  • Generate detailed HTML reports for results.

• Layout: Visualization customization:

  • Apply layouts based on prominence metrics (e.g., Degree Centrality).
  • Use force-directed algorithms (e.g., Kamada-Kawai, Fruchterman-Reingold) for intuitive network visualization.

• Options: General application settings:

  • Toggle visibility of edges, arrows, and labels.
  • Adjust antialiasing and other display settings.

• Help: Access user guides, documentation, and support resources.

Each menu option is complemented by keyboard shortcuts, making navigation faster for experienced users.

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Toolbar

The toolbar is positioned directly beneath the menu bar and offers one-click access to frequently used commands:

• File Operations:
  • Create new networks.
  • Load, save, or print the active network.
• Edit Tools:
  • Add or remove nodes and edges.
  • Toggle node and edge modes for quick modifications.
• Analysis Shortcuts:
  • Direct access to centrality measures, clustering, and other analysis tools.
• Visualization Settings:
  • Quickly switch between layout algorithms or modify the appearance of the network.
• Relation Management:
  • Switch between relations in a multi-relational network.
  • Add new relations or edit existing ones.

The toolbar icons are intuitive and provide tooltip hints when hovered over, ensuring ease of use for beginners.

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Sidebars

Control Panel

The Control Panel, located on the left, is designed for quick access to essential actions and commands. It is divided into three main groups:

1. Network Actions:

   • Create random networks (e.g., Erdős–Rényi, Watts-Strogatz).
   • Transform networks (e.g., symmetrize edges or convert directed networks to undirected ones).
   • Subgraph creation based on selected nodes.

2. Analysis Tools:

   • Compute various matrices (e.g., adjacency, Laplacian, degree).
   • Measure network cohesion, centrality, and prominence metrics.
   • Perform community detection (e.g., cliques, triad census).
   • Analyze structural equivalence using hierarchical clustering.

3. Layout Models:

   • Apply visual layouts based on metrics like Betweenness Centrality.
   • Use force-directed placement algorithms for realistic visualizations.

Each action in the Control Panel mirrors corresponding menu options, providing a more accessible alternative for frequent operations.

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Statistics Panel

The Statistics Panel, located on the right, provides detailed information about the network and its components:

• Network Summary:
  • Displays overall statistics like node count, edge count, density, and network type (directed or undirected).
• Node Details:
  • Shows information about selected nodes, such as in-degree, out-degree, and clustering coefficients.
• Edge Details:
  • Displays edge weight and other attributes for selected edges.

This panel dynamically updates as you interact with the network, offering real-time insights into your data.

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Canvas

The Canvas is the central workspace where networks are visualized and manipulated. It supports intuitive interaction methods, including:

• Node Interaction:

  • Left-click on a node to select it.
  • Drag nodes to reposition them within the network.
  • Double-click on empty canvas space to add a new node.
  • Right-click on a node to access its context menu for editing properties like color, label, and size.

• Edge Interaction:

  • Middle-click on two nodes to create a directed edge between them.
  • Right-click on an edge to modify its weight, color, or delete it.

• Zoom and Pan:

  • Use the mouse wheel to zoom in or out.
  • Drag the canvas to pan across the network.

The canvas background is customizable, allowing users to select colors that suit their preferences or enhance visualization clarity.

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Additional Features

Status Bar

The status bar at the bottom of the window provides helpful runtime messages, such as:

• Warnings about unsupported actions.
• Notifications about completed analysis tasks.
• Hints and instructions based on the current context.

Tooltips and Context Menus

• Almost every element in SocNetV has an associated tooltip that provides quick information about its function.
• Right-click context menus on nodes, edges, and canvas offer a faster way to access frequently used options.

Accessibility and Customization

• Keyboard Shortcuts: Many commands can be executed using predefined shortcuts, enhancing accessibility for advanced users.
• Localization: SocNetV supports multiple languages, making it accessible to users worldwide.

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Working with SocNetV

Below, we describe how to work with SocNetV.

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Network Creation

To start working with SocNetV, you need network data, i.e., a graph of nodes (vertices) and links (edges). You can load a network from a file or “draw” nodes and edges by pointing and clicking on the canvas.

Ways to Create/Edit Nodes and Links:

• From the menus.
• Using the keyboard
• By right/left/middle/double-clicking on the canvas.

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Creating and Handling Nodes

To create a new node:

• Double-click on the canvas.
• Click on the “Add Node” toolbar button.
• Press CTRL+.

You can move a node by dragging it with the left mouse button. When dragging a node, SocNetV highlights all its adjacent edges.

Right-clicking on a node opens a context menu to:

• Delete the node.
• Add an edge.
• Change node properties (e.g., color, size, label).

All nodes are tagged with their node number by default. To display labels, enable the option in Options -> Node -> Display Labels.

In large networks, finding specific nodes can be challenging. Use CTRL+F to search for nodes by number or label. Press CTRL+F again to undo the highlight.

From the Node Properties dialog, you can:

• Enter a node label.
• Adjust size.
• Select a color.
• Change the shape (e.g., rectangle, diamond, ellipse, circle).

Group Selection

To select multiple nodes:

• Hold the left mouse button and drag to create a selection rectangle.
• All nodes inside the rectangle are selected.
• Right-click one of the selected nodes to edit all selected nodes together in the Node Properties dialog.

Caution

In networks with thousands of edges, group selection may be slow.

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Creating and Editing Edges

To create an edge:

• Middle-click or double-click on the source node, then do the same on the target node.

By default:

• New links have a weight of w = 1.
• You can change the weight by right-clicking on the edge and selecting “Change Weight.”

Note

Edge widths are proportional to their weight using the formula:
$\text{width} = 1 + \log(1 + \log |weight|)$.

You can also create edges using:

• Right-click: Select “Create Edge” and specify the source/target node and edge weight in the dialog.
• Control Panel: Click the “Add Edge” button and enter source/target nodes and weight.
• Keyboard: Press CTRL+/ to specify source/target nodes and weight.

Example

Create a directed edge from Node 1 to Node 2:

• Middle-click on Node 1 (the mouse pointer becomes a hand).
• Middle-click on Node 2.
  A new line appears, indicating the directed edge.

Note

Clicking on an edge highlights its source and target nodes. Click again to undo the highlight.

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Relations

When you create your first edge, SocNetV asks you to name the relationship (e.g., “friendship”).
A relation represents a specific type of tie between nodes.

• Multi-relational networks: SocNetV supports networks with multiple types of ties (e.g., friendships and business relationships).
• Add new relations using the + button in the toolbar.
• Navigate between relations using the arrow buttons in the toolbar.

Note

While modifying multi-relational networks, you can add nodes but cannot remove them.

Caution

SocNetV saves only the active relation when saving a network to a format other than GraphML. To save all relations, use GraphML.

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Basic Functions in the Network Menu

Loading a Network

To load network data in a supported format (e.g., GraphML, GML, Pajek):

1. Select File -> Load.
2. Use the file dialog to navigate to your file.

For unsupported formats, use File -> Import.

File Previewer

When loading a file, SocNetV shows a File Previewer, allowing you to:

• Adjust the file’s codepage (e.g., UTF-8, Windows-1253).
• Ensure proper display of non-Latin characters.

In the File Previewer, select a codepage for the opened file.

Note:

• The default codepage is UTF-8.
• Use other codepages (e.g., KOI8-R for Russian) only if necessary.

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Saving a Network

To save the active network:

• Press CTRL+S or select File -> Save.

Default format: GraphML.
Export to other formats via Network -> Export To.

Note

UTF-8 is the default codec for saving files.

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Viewing or Plotting the Adjacency Matrix

• Press F6 to view the adjacency matrix.
  Each element $a(i, j)$ represents the weight of the edge from node $i$ to node $j$. $a(i, j) = 0$ if there is no edge.
• Press Shift+F6 to plot the adjacency matrix.

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Using Known Datasets

SocNetV can recreate well-known datasets. See Recreating Famous Datasets.

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Random Network Creation

SocNetV can generate random networks based on various models. See Network Generation.

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Web Crawler

SocNetV includes a web crawler to analyze networks of web pages. See Web Crawler Documentation.

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Printing and Exporting

To print:

• Press CTRL+P.

SocNetV follows a WYSIWYG approach: what you see on the canvas is what you print.
For high-quality output, export to vector-based PDF.

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