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Tulip TPL

Tulip TPL is a format used by the Tulip graph visualization framework. Gephi's importer supports basic topology and common attributes, but complex Tulip-specific objects may not be preserved.

Syntax​

Top-level structure uses an S-expression style with the tlp token and version, for example:

(tlp "2.0"
  (nodes 0 1 2)
  (edge 0 1 0)
  (edge 1 0 2)
)
  • Nodes are defined in a (nodes id id ...) block.
  • Edges are defined as (edge edge_id source_id target_id) entries.

Attributes are expressed in separate blocks; Gephi will map simple attribute types (strings, numbers) to node/edge attributes when possible.

Example​

Here is a minimal valid TLP example representing three nodes and two directed edges:

(tlp "2.0"
  (nodes 0 1 2)
  (edge 0 1 0)
  (edge 1 0 2)
)

Limitations when importing into Gephi​

  • Only topology (nodes and edges) and primitive attributes (numbers, strings) are reliably imported.
  • Layout, visual styles, and Tulip-specific objects may be lost.
  • Large TLP files with complex attribute sections may require preprocessing.