plantuml-ascii

# PlantUML ASCII Art Diagram Generator ## Overview Create text-based ASCII art diagrams using PlantUML. Perfect for documentation in terminal environments, README files, emails, or any scenario where graphical diagrams aren't suitable. ## What is PlantUML ASCII Art? PlantUML can generate diagrams as plain text (ASCII art) instead of images. This is useful for: - Terminal-based workflows - Git commits/PRs without image support - Documentation that needs to be version-controlled - Environments where graphical tools aren't available ## Installation ```bash # macOS brew install plantuml # Linux (varies by distro) sudo apt-get install plantuml # Ubuntu/Debian sudo yum install plantuml # RHEL/CentOS # Or download JAR directly wget https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml/releases/download/v1.2024.0/plantuml-1.2024.0.jar ``` ## Output Formats | Flag | Format | Description | | ------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------ | | `-txt` | ASCII | Pure ASCII characters | | `-utxt` | Unicode ASCII | Enhanced with box-drawing characters | ## Basic Workflow ### 1. Create PlantUML Diagram File ```plantuml @startuml participant Bob actor Alice Bob -> Alice : hello Alice -> Bob : Is it ok? @enduml ``` ### 2. Generate ASCII Art ```bash # Standard ASCII output plantuml -txt diagram.puml # Unicode-enhanced output (better looking) plantuml -utxt diagram.puml # Using JAR directly java -jar plantuml.jar -txt diagram.puml java -jar plantuml.jar -utxt diagram.puml ``` ### 3. View Output Output is saved as `diagram.atxt` (ASCII) or `diagram.utxt` (Unicode). ## Diagram Types Supported ### Sequence Diagram ```plantuml @startuml actor User participant "Web App" as App database "Database" as DB User -> App : Login Request App -> DB : Validate Credentials DB --> App : User Data App --> User : Auth Token @enduml ``` ### Class Diagram ```plantuml @startuml class User { +id: int +name: string +email: string +login(): bool } class Order { +id: int +total: float +items: List +calculateTotal(): float } User "1" -- "*" Order : places @enduml ``` ### Activity Diagram ```plantuml @startuml start :Initialize; if (Is Valid?) then (yes) :Process Data; :Save Result; else (no) :Log Error; stop endif :Complete; stop @enduml ``` ### State Diagram ```plantuml @startuml [*] --> Idle Idle --> Processing : start Processing --> Success : complete Processing --> Error : fail Success --> [*] Error --> Idle : retry @enduml ``` ### Component Diagram ```plantuml @startuml [Client] as client [API Gateway] as gateway [Service A] as svcA [Service B] as svcB [Database] as db client --> gateway gateway --> svcA gateway --> svcB svcA --> db svcB --> db @enduml ``` ### Use Case Diagram ```plantuml @startuml actor "User" as user actor "Admin" as admin rectangle "System" { user -- (Login) user -- (View Profile) user -- (Update Settings) admin -- (Manage Users) admin -- (Configure System) } @enduml ``` ### Deployment Diagram ```plantuml @startuml actor "User" as user node "Load Balancer" as lb node "Web Server 1" as ws1 node "Web Server 2" as ws2 database "Primary DB" as db1 database "Replica DB" as db2 user --> lb lb --> ws1 lb --> ws2 ws1 --> db1 ws2 --> db1 db1 --> db2 : replicate @enduml ``` ## Command-Line Options ```bash # Specify output directory plantuml -txt -o ./output diagram.puml # Process all files in directory plantuml -txt ./diagrams/ # Include dot files (hidden files) plantuml -txt -includeDot diagrams/ # Verbose output plantuml -txt -v diagram.puml # Specify charset plantuml -txt -charset UTF-8 diagram.puml ``` ## Ant Task Integration ```xml <target name="generate-ascii"> <plantuml dir="./src" format="txt" /> </target> <target name="generate-unicode-ascii"> <plantuml dir="./src" format="utxt" /> </target> ``` ## Tips for Better ASCII Diagrams 1. **Keep it simple**: Complex diagrams don't render well in ASCII 2. **Short labels**: Long text breaks ASCII alignment 3. **Use Unicode (`-utxt`)**: Better visual quality with box-drawing chars 4. **Test before sharing**: Verify in terminal with fixed-width font 5. **Consider alternatives**: For complex diagrams, use Mermaid.js or graphviz ## Example Output Comparison **Standard ASCII (`-txt`)**: ``` ,---. ,---. |Bob| |Alice| `---' `---' | hello | |------------->| | | | Is it ok? | |<-------------| | | ``` **Unicode ASCII (`-utxt`)**: ``` ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ │ Bob │ │Alice│ └─────┘ └─────┘ │ hello │ │─────────────>│ │ │ │ Is it ok? │ │<─────────────│ │ │ ``` ## Quick Reference ```bash # Create sequence diagram in ASCII cat > seq.puml << 'EOF' @startuml Alice -> Bob: Request Bob --> Alice: Response @enduml EOF plantuml -txt seq.puml cat seq.atxt # Create with Unicode plantuml -utxt seq.puml cat seq.utxt ``` ## Troubleshooting **Problem**: Garbled Unicode characters - **Solution**: Ensure terminal supports UTF-8 and has proper font **Problem**: Diagram looks misaligned - **Solution**: Use fixed-width font (Courier, Monaco, Consolas) **Problem**: Command not found - **Solution**: Install PlantUML or use Java JAR directly **Problem**: Output file not created - **Solution**: Check file permissions, ensure PlantUML has write access --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io) | [Claim this content](https://tomevault.io/claim/github/awesome-copilot) <!-- tomevault:2.0:skill_md:2026-04-05 -->