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Excel to Graphviz

Transform Excel tabular data into professional Graphviz diagrams — directly in a spreadsheet.

The Relationship Visualizer is a powerful, free Excel tool that turns row-based data (org structures, dependencies, networks, processes) into stunning Graphviz visualizations using custom styles, and every major layout engine.

Supports Windows and macOS, with a multilingual tabbed ribbon interface.

Latest Release v10.4.0 Download Now MIT License Buy Me a Coffee Ask DeepWiki

Quick Links

Quick Start

Get diagramming in minutes — no coding required!

  1. Download & Open — Extract Relationship Visualizer.zip and open the main spreadsheet (enable macros if prompted).

    Windows tip: If Excel opens in Protected View or macros don't load, right-click the extracted .xlsm file → Properties → General tab → check "Unblock" if present. This is a standard Windows security step for internet-downloaded files. Full details in the Windows Install Guide.

  2. Enter Data Manually (easiest way, works on Windows & macOS):

    • Go to the data worksheet.
    • Fill in columns like Item (node name), Related Item (for edges), Label, Style, etc. — think of it as listing nodes and connections.
    • Check the Automatic box in the ribbon (under Graphviz tab) if it's not already on.
    • As you type or edit cells, the graph renders/refreshes instantly to the right (or in a separate graph worksheet if selected)!

  3. Customize & Render:

    • Adjust layout engine (dot, neato, etc.), styles, colors via the ribbon.
    • Press Refresh Graph (or let Automatic handle it) for updates.
    • View/save the output as SVG/PNG.

  4. Optional: Use SQL for Advanced Data (Windows only):

    • On the sql worksheet, write queries to pull/transform data from other sheets/workbooks.
    • Run them to populate the data worksheet automatically.
    • macOS users: Skip this — manual entry works great and covers most needs!

For ready-to-use templates, check the Examples Repository and the samples directory in the download zip file.

See platform guides: Windows Install | macOS Install

Example Previews

Here are real diagrams generated directly from Excel data using the Relationship Visualizer:

Unix Shell Timeline
Time-oriented dependency timeline showing the evolution of Unix shells (dot engine)

London Underground Map
Styled logical map of the London Underground Metropolitan Line (dot engine)

Organizational Chart
Hierarchical org chart built from an Excel table (dot engine)

Musician-Band Network
Force-directed network of musicians and bands with custom styling and embedded images (neato engine)

Example Kanban Board Kanban board made from clustered nodes (osage engine)

Example Time Range Active years of various musical bands (dot engine)

The Beatles Album Releases By Year The Beatles album releases by year, with images (osage engine)

All previews rendered live from Excel tables using Graphviz — no external tools needed.

Key Features

  • Generate Graphviz DOT code and diagrams directly from Excel tabular data using an intuitive tabbed Ribbon interface
  • Manually enter or edit nodes/edges in the data worksheet — graphs render automatically as you type (cross-platform)
  • Create, combine, preview, and save reusable styles as stylesheets for consistent diagram formatting
  • View generated DOT source, Graphviz console output, and rendered results as SVG or PNG
  • Leverage SQL queries (iteration, concatenation, recursion) to import, transform, and dynamically refresh data — build query pipelines for complex scenarios (Windows only)
  • Add animation code to exported SVG files for interactive diagrams
  • Multilingual Ribbon interface: English, French, German, Italian, Polish
  • Cross-platform support: Full SQL and Clipboard features on Windows; core diagramming and rendering on macOS

Repository Structure

This GitHub repository contains the source code, documentation, and build artifacts for the Relationship Visualizer Excel tool. The ready-to-use workbook is distributed as a ZIP via SourceForge, while here you'll find the extracted VBA source, website content, legacy docs, and more for transparency, contributions, and development.

Here's the main directory overview:

.
├── .devin/                           # DeepWiki wiki.json
├── .github/                          # GitHub workflows and FUNDING.yml
├── dist/                             # Distribution-ready ZIP assets
│   ├── Relationship Visualizer/      # Distribution assets
│   │   ├── licenses/                 # Component license files
│   │   └── samples/                  # Sample workbooks
│   └── Relationship Visualizer.zip   # Distribution file published on SourceForge
├── docs/                             # https://exceltographviz.com content files
│   ├── .vitepress/                   # VitePress configuration settings
│   ├── topic(s)/                     # Markdown content structured within subdirectories by topic.
│   ├── index.md                      # VitePress Home page
│   ├── package.json                  # Manifest for Node.js VitePress project
│   └── package-lock.json             # Detailed snapshot of NPM project dependencies
├── legacy_docs/                      # Legacy user documentation (.docx, .pdf)
├── src/                              # Source files for the workbook
│   ├── applescript/                  # applescript script for running on macOS
│   ├── excel/                        # Excel workbook matching extracted source
│   ├── vba/                          # VBA code extracted from 'Relationship Visualizer.xlsm'
│   │   ├── ClassModules/             # VBA class files (.cls)
│   │   ├── Forms/                    # VBA form files (.frm)
│   │   ├── MicrosoftExcelObjects/    # VBA worksheet class files (.cls)
│   │   └── Modules/                  # VBA macro files (.bas)
│   └── xlsm/                         # Supporting files contained in the workbook
│       ├── _rels/                    # Manages ribbon xml for different versions of Excel
│       └── customUI/                 # VBA worksheet class files (.cls)
│           ├── images/               # Images used in the custom ribbon
│           ├── customUI.xml          # Ribbon definition for Excel versions prior to 2010.
│           └── customUI14.xml        # Ribbon definition for Excel versions 2010 and later.
├── .gitattributes                    # Git name and line ending rules
├── .gitignore                        # Git ignore rules
├── .npmignore                        # NPM ignore rules
├── LICENSE                           # Project license (MIT)
├── README.md                         # GitHub Repository home page (this file)
└── SECURITY.md                       # Security Considerations

Installation

The Relationship Visualizer spreadsheet operates on both Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS1.

Installation procedures vary by platform, and you can find detailed, platform-specific instructions by following the links below.
Microsoft Windows Installation Instructions Apple macOS Installation Instructions

[1] SQL and Clipboard features are not available on Apple macOS.

Documentation

Recommended: Full online documentation

Visit exceltographviz.com for comprehensive, up-to-date guides:

  • Installation (Windows & macOS)
  • Creating & styling graphs
  • Using SQL queries
  • Publishing & animating SVGs
  • Advanced Graphviz techniques

In this repository

  • Website source (Markdown files built with VitePress): docs/ — powers exceltographviz.com
  • Legacy documentation archive (older .docx & .pdf manuals): legacy_docs/ — historical reference, platform-specific

License

MIT License — free to use, modify, distribute.

Support

If this saves you time, consider Buy Me a Coffee — helps cover hosting and dev costs.

Get started today:

Download Excel to Graphviz