stack-3.3.1: doc/commands/dot_command.md
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# The `stack dot` command
~~~text
stack dot [--[no-]external] [--[no-]include-base] [--depth DEPTH]
[--prune PACKAGES] [TARGET] [--flag PACKAGE:[-]FLAG]
[--test] [--bench] [--global-hints]
~~~
A package and its dependencies and the direct dependency relationships between
them form a directed graph. [Graphviz](https://www.graphviz.org/) is open source
software that visualises graphs. It provides the DOT language for defining
graphs and the `dot` executable for drawing directed graphs. Graphviz is
available to [download](https://www.graphviz.org/download/) for Linux, Windows,
macOS and FreeBSD.
`stack dot` produces output, to the standard output stream, in the DOT language
to represent the relationships between your packages and their dependencies.
By default:
* external dependencies are excluded from the output. Pass the flag
`--external` to include external dependencies;
* the `base` package and its dependencies are included in the output. Pass the
flag `--no-include-base` to exclude `base` and its dependencies;
* there is no limit to the depth of the resolution of dependencies. Pass the
`--depth <depth>` option to limit the depth;
* all relevant packages are included in the output. Pass the
`--prune <packages>` option to exclude the specified packages (including
project packages), where `<packages>` is a list of package names separated
by commas;
* for all relevant project packages, relevant dependencies are included in the
output. However, each project package for which dependencies are included
can be specified as a target argument. The argument uses the same format as
the [`stack build` command](build_command.md) but components of project
packages are ignored. Non-project packages are also ignored;
* Cabal flags are as specified by the package description files and the
project-level configuration file (`stack.yaml`, by default). Pass the
option `--flag <package_name>:<flag_name>` or
`--flag <package_name>:-<flag_name>` to set or unset a Cabal flag. This
option can be specified multiple times;
* test components of project packages are excluded from the output. Pass the
flag `--test` to include test components;
* benchmark components of project packages are excluded from the output. Pass
the flag `--bench` to include benchmark components; and
* global packages for the specified version of GHC are those specified by the
global package database of an installed GHC. Pass the flag `--global-hints`
to use a hint file for global packages. If a hint file is used, GHC does not
need to be installed.
## Examples
The following examples are based on a version of the
[`wreq` package](https://hackage.haskell.org/package/wreq). In each case, the
output from `stack dot` is piped as an input into Graphviz's `dot` executable,
and `dot` produces output in the form of a PNG file named `wreq.png`.
* A simple example:
~~~text
stack dot | dot -Tpng -o wreq.png
~~~
[](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/591567/8478591/ae10a418-20d2-11e5-8945-55246dcfac62.png)
* Include external dependencies:
~~~text
stack dot --external | dot -Tpng -o wreq.png
~~~
[](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/591567/8478621/d247247e-20d2-11e5-993d-79096e382abd.png)
* Include external dependencies, limit the depth and save the output from
`stack dot` as an intermediate file (`wreq.dot`).
~~~text
stack dot --external --depth 1 > wreq.dot
dot -Tpng -o wreq.png wreq.dot
~~~
* Include external dependencies, exclude `base` and limit the depth:
~~~text
stack dot --no-include-base --external --depth 1 | dot -Tpng -o wreq.png
~~~
[](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/591567/8484310/45b399a0-20f7-11e5-8068-031c2b352961.png)
* Include external dependencies and prune `base` and other packages:
~~~text
stack dot --external --prune base,lens,wreq-examples,http-client,aeson,tls,http-client-tls,exceptions | dot -Tpng -o wreq.png
~~~
[](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/591567/8478768/adbad280-20d3-11e5-9992-914dc24fe569.png)
* Include external dependencies, prune `base` and other packages, and use a
different Graphviz executable to draw the graph:
Graphviz's `twopi` executable draws graphs in a radial layout.
~~~text
stack dot --external --prune base,lens,wreq-examples,http-client,aeson,tls,http-client-tls,exceptions | twopi -Groot=wreq -Goverlap=false -Tpng -o wreq.png
~~~
[](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/591567/8495538/9fae1184-216e-11e5-9931-99e6147f8aed.png)