d.path(1)

📦
version 8.4.2 · 8 versions
, in fedora 44

💖 d.path 💖

okay bestie, welcome to d.path(1) from the GRASS GIS User's Manual — yes, the same one that ships with GRASS 8.4.2. this little icon finds the shortest path between a starting node and an ending node you pick. it's giving map-girlie-main-character energy and honestly? obsessed. 🦋

✨ NAME ✨

d.path — finds shortest path for selected starting and ending node. that's it, that's the girl. 🎀

🏷️ KEYWORDS 🏷️

display, network, shortest path — the three vibes. slay.

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

d.path
d.path --help
d.path [-gb] map=name  [arc_type=string[,string,...]]
coordinates=x1,y1,x2,y2  [arc_layer=string]   [node_layer=string]
[arc_column=string]   [arc_backward_column=string]
[node_column=string]   [highlight_color=string]   [--help]  [--verbose]
[--quiet]  [--ui]

🚩 Flags 🚩

  • -g — use geodesic calculation for longitude-latitude locations. lat/long girlies, this one's for you. 🌍
  • -b — render bold lines. thick. bold. iconic. 💅
  • --help — print usage summary. your little cheat sheet bestie. 🫶
  • --verbose — verbose module output. she talks a LOT and we love that for her. 😭
  • --quiet — quiet module output. she's mysterious. she's silent. she ate. 🤫
  • --ui — force launching GUI dialog. no terminal, just vibes. ✨

🎀 Parameters 🎀

  • map=name [required] — name of vector map. or, plot twist, a data source for direct OGR access. 👑
  • arc_type=string[,string,...] — arc type.
    • Options: line, boundary
    • Default: line,boundary
    • both by default, as she deserves. 💖
  • coordinates=x1,y1,x2,y2 [required] — starting and ending coordinates. this is literally the whole point. 📍
  • arc_layer=string — arc layer. vector features can have category values in different layers, and this number determines which layer to use. when used with direct OGR access, this is the layer name.
    • Default: 1
  • node_layer=string — node layer. same situation: vector features can have category values in different layers, and this number determines which layer to use. with direct OGR access, this is the layer name.
    • Default: 2
  • arc_column=string — arc forward/both direction(s) cost column (number). 💸
  • arc_backward_column=string — arc backward direction cost column (number). because sometimes going back costs differently, and honestly? relatable. 🙈
  • node_column=string — node cost column. 💰
  • highlight_color=string — highlight color.
    • Default: red
    • classic. bold. never misses. 🔥

🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

d.path enables shortest path vector networking. 💫

costs may be either line lengths, or attributes saved in a database table. supported are cost assignments for both arcs and nodes, and also different in both directions of a vector line. for areas, cost will be calculated along boundary lines. no cap, she does all of that. 🧚

💀 NOTE 💀

bestie, listen. the user needs to display a vector map before using d.path. if no graphics monitor is open, a file map.png is generated in the current directory. so like… it'll still work, but it's doing it quietly in a PNG instead of showing off on screen. 🙈

the 'from' and 'to' points are entered by mouse into the map displayed in the GRASS monitor, or if the coordinates option is used they can be specified non-interactively. the actions bound to the mouse buttons are described in the terminal window when running the command. so read the terminal, she's telling you things. 🫶

to calculate shortest path non-interactively and save the path to a new vector map, use the v.net.path module. that's the other girl. she files receipts. 📝

🔥 EXAMPLES 🔥

interactive shortest path routing on road network (North Carolina sample dataset):

g.region vector=roadsmajor -p
d.vect roadsmajor
d.path roadsmajor coordinates=668646.15,224447.16,668348.83,235894.02

non-interactive shortest path routing on road network (North Carolina sample dataset):

d.path -b roadsmajor coordinates=668646.15,224447.16,668348.83,235894.02

notice the -b? bold lines. she understood the assignment. 💅

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

  • v.net.path

go say hi, she's the sibling module. 💜

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Radim Blazek, ITC-Irst, Trento, Italy. thank you king, we stan. 🫶

🧚 SOURCE CODE 🧚

available at: d.path source code (history)

accessed: Saturday Jan 17 05:40:36 2026

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© 2003-2025 GRASS Development Team, GRASS GIS 8.4.2 Reference Manual

and that's the whole page bestie!! 🌈✨ this was d.path(1) from the GRASS GIS User's Manual, running on GRASS 8.4.2 — no cap, go find your shortest path, you're gonna ate. 💖🦋🎀💅

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