PlantUML

UML Class diagram showing an example of the Facade design pattern.

PlantUML is an open-source tool allowing users to create UML diagrams from a plain text language. The language of PlantUML is an example of a Application Specific Language^[3] It uses Graphviz software to layout its diagrams. It has been used to allow blind students work with UML. ^{[4] [5]} PlantUml also helps blind software engineers to design and read UML diagrams

Applications that use PlantUML

PlantUML.com is a web server that generates diagrams in the cloud. There are also various extensions or add-ons that incorporate PlantUML.

• IntelliJ IDEA can create and display diagrams using a plugin.
• Google Docs has an add-on called PlantUML Gizmo that works with the PlantUML.com server.
• Microsoft Word can use PlantUML diagrams via a Visual Studio Tools for Office add-in called PlantUML Gizmo that works in a similar fashion.
• Eclipse has a PlantUML plug-in.
• NetBeans has a PlantUML plug-in.
• LaTeX using the Tikz package has limited support for PlantUML.
• Confluence_(software) WIKI has a PlantUML plug-in which render diagrams on-the-fly during a page reload.

Text format to communicate UML at source code level

Because PlantUml uses well-formed and human-readable code to render the diagrams, the code is a good exchange format to discus at a source code level and thereby include blind software developers. It also can be used to describe diagrams in books to blind students.

There are other text formats for UML modelling but PlantUml supports many diagram types and doesn't need an explicit layouting, though one can easily tweak the diagrams to one's own needs.

Example

The source code for the class diagram shown on the right is as follows:

skinparam style strictuml
class Façade {
 doSomething()
}
Façade .> package1.Class1
Façade .> package2.Class2
Façade .> package3.Class3
Client1 .> Façade : doSomething()
Client2 .> Façade : doSomething()
note as N2
doSomething() {
  Class1 c1 = newClass1();
  Class2 c2 = newClass2();
  Class3 c3 = newClass3();
  c1.doStuff(c2)
  c3.setX(c1.getX());
  return c3.getY();
}
end note
Façade .. N2

See also

• UMLet
• AsciiDoc
• YEd

References

External References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to PlantUML.