[R] Creating and editing networks

[Gabor Grothendieck]

I want to draw and edit networks.  Currently I will do something like this  --
my actual networks are larger and more complex:

1. Plot network

# use polygon with nodes as example network
N <- 20
t. <- 2*pi*seq(N+1)/N
plot(cos(t.), sin(t.), type="b", pch=19, cex=5, col="blue", axes=F, ann=F)

2. copy and paste the graphic as a metafile into Word.

3. edit the network
there.   The editing typically just involves moving nodes and the attached
edges.  Of course, Word does not know the edges are attached to the nodes so I
have to move the nodes and then move the attached edges, as well.

The networks are too complex to create the diagrams by hand which is why
I want to create them in R and then edit them by hand.

The above strategy is marginally acceptable but 
I was wondering if anyone had a better strategy which retains the
simplicity of the present approach but gives me the capability to 
have the edges move along with attached nodes when editing them.

(Note that the strategy must consist of generating the network under program
control, preferably in R, and then editing it afterwards.  I am not looking
to create the entire network by hand since the networks are too complex for
that.  I had tried specifying the networks in dot from Bell Labs but 1. its 
still more work than generating the network in R   2. the automatic
layout it chooses is so far from what I need that its a lot of work to 
fix it up by hand in dotty and 3. I could never get them to look just how
I like.  I have also tried Excel and Powerpoint, both
of which support connectors, which are edges that move along with attached
nodes, but to use them I have to create the entire network by hand and
the networks have grown too complex to do that.)