Allow any Node to behave as a Cluster

[ringods]

In the diagrams library, there is a distinction between Clusters and Nodes. A node is a single entity, while a cluster is to group things. As an improvement, I would like to use any Node defined in the libraries as a Cluster too.

Let me elaborate based on the AWS VPC architecture diagram:

The VPC (diagrams.aws.network.VPC) is the outer entity here, but drawn as a cluster in which other entities can be placed. In the image, you see Subnets, Network ACLs, Elastic IPs nested within each other.

In diagrams code, this could be written as:

from diagrams.aws.network import VPC
from diagrams.aws.compute import EC2

with VPC("production") as prodVPC:
   EC2("bastion")

If each node could be used as a cluster too, it would immediately solve #17. 😉

[mingrammer]

This would be a great feature. But I have no ideas about how to represent the group container with tab icons like VPC container in your diagram.

Do you know any options for adding a tab image to a subgraph of Graphviz?

[aaronsteers]

I was thinking similarly as OP in regards to wanting nodes such as VPC to also be containers - I'm not sure how to do this in Graphviz though.

I'm curious also if this could be broken out into two phases:

1: If a node is used as a cluster, it "just works" as a container and perhaps uses some text-only representation of it's status as a "VPC". For the code sample above, it might be as simple as production (VPC) or 'production' VPC. (Downside of this step in the implementation is that the cluster view loses the special icons/symbols when used as a cluster. When not used as a cluster, it would work identical as today.)
2: Later on, when a solution is found for rendering the image on top of the rectangle, this could replace or be added in addition to the text VPC description on the container node.

Something like this interesting? In my opinion, I'd rather be labeling my clusters as 'VPC's if that's what they are, rather than using a generic cluster object.

[clayms]

possible hacks to get the approximate results you are after

#279 (comment)
#181 (comment)

[aaronsteers]

Thanks, @clayms. the comment on #279 seems very close to what I was looking for. Ideally, this would be a property of the cluster instead of having to declare the additional minified node. Very close though, and the link to #90 also looks like it's heading in the same direction.

[bkmeneguello]

@ringods

The #407 is doing that, not the theme part, but allowing any Node to be a Cluster (actually, it makes the Cluster class just an alias of Node)

[aaronsteers]

I just took a look at #407 and WOW - I love it. Exactly what I was hoping for, personally.