  Connection matrices for graph parameters with values in a field have been
introduced by M. Freedman, L. Lov{\'a}sz and A. Schrijver (2007). Graph
parameters with connection matrices of finite rank can be computed in
polynomial time on graph classes of bounded tree-width. We introduce join
matrices, a generalization of connection matrices, and allow graph parameters
to take values in the tropical rings (max-plus algebras) over the real numbers.
We show that rank-finiteness of join matrices implies that these graph
parameters can be computed in polynomial time on graph classes of bounded
clique-width. In the case of graph parameters with values in arbitrary
commutative semirings, this remains true for graph classes of bounded linear
clique-width. B. Godlin, T. Kotek and J.A. Makowsky (2008) showed that
definability of a graph parameter in Monadic Second Order Logic implies rank
finiteness. We also show that there are uncountably many integer valued graph
parameters with connection matrices or join matrices of fixed finite rank. This
shows that rank finiteness is a much weaker assumption than any definability
assumption.
