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PlantUML Examples

PlantUML is a software tool that uses text formatting to create graphic diagrams. This page introduces PlantUML by showing examples with diagrams and source code, for UML, ERD, wireframes, mind maps, JSON, YAML, WBS, ASCII art, Gantt charts, C4 models, and more.

The aspect I like the most about PlantUML, is that it is a text-based diagramming tool. This means you can upload your diagrams to GitHub and other source control systems. You can also use PlantUML to create diagrams in your favorite text editor. This is a great way to create diagrams for your documentation, README files, and more.

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Table of Contents

• What is UML?
• Getting Started
• Examples
  • Sequence diagram
  • Sequence diagram with steps and divider
  • Sequence diagram with participant shapes
  • Usecase diagram
  • Object diagram
  • Class diagram
  • Entity relationship diagram (ERD)
  • Package styles
  • Activity diagram
  • Component diagram of items
  • State diagram
  • Deployment diagram items
  • Timing diagram
  • Diagrams through ASCII art (DITAA)
  • Wireframe
  • Gantt chart
  • Mind map
  • JSON data
  • YAML data
  • Network diagram
  • Work breakdown structure (WBS)
  • OpenIconic
  • Font Awesome
  • Procedure
  • Procedure layout
  • Area diagram
  • C4 model
  • Standard library
  • OpenIconic list
• Resources
• Credits

What is UML?

UML stands for Unified Modeling Language. UML is a standardized modeling language that is used to specify, visualize, construct, and document the artifacts of a software system. UML was created by the Object Management Group (OMG) and UML 1.0 specification draft was proposed to the OMG in January 1997. UML 2.5.1 is the latest version of UML and was released in June 2017.

Getting Started

• Use the PlantUML online server to create diagrams. The online server is free and does not require any installation. You can also install PlantUML locally on your computer. See the PlantUML installation page for more information.
• Use the examples provided below to create your own diagrams. Copy the source code from the example and paste it into the online server. Then click the Submit button to create the diagram. You can also click the Edit button to make changes to the source code and then click the Submit button to create the diagram.
• You can also find the examples located in the examples folder of this repository. The examples folder contains the source code and the diagram image for each example. You can copy the source code from the example and paste it into the online server. Then click the Submit button to create the diagram.

Examples

Below are examples of diagrams that can be created with PlantUML.

Sequence diagram

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
Alpha -> Bravo
Bravo -> Alpha
@enduml

Sequence diagram with steps and divider

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
Alpha -> Bravo: Step 1
Bravo -> Charlie: Step 2
== My Divider ==
Charlie -> Bravo: Step 3
Bravo -> Alpha: Step 4
@enduml

Sequence diagram with participant shapes

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
participant Participant as Foo
actor       Actor       as Foo1
boundary    Boundary    as Foo2
control     Control     as Foo3
entity      Entity      as Foo4
database    Database    as Foo5
collections Collections as Foo6
queue       Queue       as Foo7
Foo -> Foo1 : To actor 
Foo -> Foo2 : To boundary
Foo -> Foo3 : To control
Foo -> Foo4 : To entity
Foo -> Foo5 : To database
Foo -> Foo6 : To collections
Foo -> Foo7: To queue
@enduml

Usecase diagram

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
left to right direction
User1 --> (Story1)
(Story1) --> (Story2)
(Story2) --> (Story3)
@enduml

Object diagram

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
object Object1 {
Alpha
Bravo
}
object Object2 {
Charlie
Delta
}
object Object3 {
Echo
Foxtrot
}
Object1 <|-- Object2
Object1 <|-- Object3
@enduml

Class diagram

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
' If you want to hide the "C" circle, then uncomment this line:
' hide circle
class Class1 {
{field} Alpha
{method} Bravo
}
class Class2 {
{field} Charlie
{method} Delta
}
class Class3 {
{field} Echo
{method} Foxtrot
}
Class1 <|--o Class2
Class1 <|--* Class3
@enduml

Entity relationship diagram (ERD)

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
skinparam linetype ortho
' If you want to hide the "E" circle, then uncomment this line:
' hide circle
entity Entity1 {
Alpha
Bravo
}
entity Entity2 {
Charlie
Delta
}
entity Entity3 {
Echo
Foxtrot
}
Entity1 }o-down-o{ Entity2
Entity1 }o-down-o{ Entity3
@enduml

Package styles

View Source

@startuml
package "Demo Node" <> {
  object Object1
}
package "Demo Rectangle" <> {
  object Object2
}
package "Demo Folder" <> {
  object Object3
}
package "Demo Frame" <> {
  object Object4
}
package "Demo Cloud" <> {
  object Object5
}
package "Demo Database" <> {
  object Object6
}
@enduml

Activity diagram

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
start
-> Starting;
:Activity 1;
if (Question) then (yes)
  :Option 1;
else (no)
  :Option 2;
endif
:Activity 2;
-> Stopping;
stop
@enduml

Component diagram of items

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@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
component "Component"
interface "Interface"
database "Database"
cloud "Cloud"
node "Node"
package "Package"
@enduml

State diagram

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
[*] --> State1 : Start
State1 -> State2 : Change1
State2 -> State3 : Change2
State3 --> [*] : Stop
State1 : Description 1
State2 : Description 2
State3 : Description 3
@enduml

Deployment diagram items

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
actor actor
agent agent
artifact artifact
boundary boundary
card card
circle circle
cloud cloud
collections collections
component component
control control
database database
entity entity
file file
folder folder
frame frame
hexagon hexagon
interface interface
label label
node node
package package
person person
queue queue
rectangle rectangle
stack stack
storage storage
usecase usecase
@enduml

Timing diagram

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
concise "My Timeline" as T
@T
0 is Alpha
+100 is Bravo
+100 is Charlie
@50 <-> @+100 : My Note
@enduml

Diagrams through ASCII art (DITAA)

View Source

@startuml
ditaa
+--------+   +-------+    +-------+
|        +---+ ditaa +--> |       |
|  Text  |   +-------+    |diagram|
|Document|   |!magic!|    |       |
|     {d}|   |       |    |       |
+---+----+   +-------+    +-------+
    :                         ^
    |       Lots of work      |
    +-------------------------+
@enduml

Wireframe

View Source

@startuml
salt
{
  Hello world
  [Button]
  ()  Radio 1
  (X) Radio 2
  []  Checkbox 1
  [X] Checkbox 2
  "Enter text here   "
  ^This is a droplist^
}
@enduml

Gantt chart

View Source

@startgantt
skinparam monochrome true
[Task1] on {Alice} lasts 8 days
then [Task2] on {Bob} lasts 4 days at 50%
then [Task3] on {Carol} lasts 2 days at 25%
@endgantt

Mind map

View Source

@startmindmap
+ C
++ D
++ E
-- A
-- B
@endmindmap

JSON data

View Source

@startjson
{
   "fruit":"Apple",
   "size":"Large",
   "color": ["Red", "Green"]
}
@endjson

YAML data

View Source

@startyaml
fruit: Apple
size: Large
color: 
  - Red
  - Green
@endyaml

Network diagram

View Source

@startuml
nwdiag {
  network dmz {
      address = "210.x.x.x/24"
  web01 [address = "210.x.x.1"];
  web02 [address = "210.x.x.2"];

}
}
@enduml

Work breakdown structure (WBS)

View Source

@startwbs
* Top
** A
*** A1
*** A2
** B
*** B1
*** B2
@endwbs

OpenIconic

View Source

@startuml
title: <&heart> Demo <&heart>
@enduml

OpenIconic provides open source icons. OpenIconic is now built-in to PlantUML.

Font Awesome

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
!include 
rectangle "<$star>"
@enduml

Procedure

View Source

@startuml
!procedure $demo($name, $headline, $description)
card $name as "\nsize:22$headline\n\nsize:12$description\n"
!endprocedure
$demo(MyCard, "Hello World", "This is a demonstration")
@enduml

Procedure layout

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
skinparam defaultTextAlignment center
!procedure $layout($shape, $name, $openiconic, $headline, $description)
$shape $name as "\n\nsize:44<&$openiconic>\nsize:22<U+00A0><U+00A0>$headline<U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\n<U+00A0><U+00A0>$description<U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\n"
!endprocedure
$layout(card, MyCard, heart, "Hello World", "This is a demonstration")
@enduml

This shows how to create your own procedure to create a custom layout with a shape, object name, OpenIconic icon, headline that uses big size text, and a description that uses normal size text.

Area diagram

The area diagram is an example deployment diagram that shows a bunch of areas and how they interrlate. This example is useful for seeing a real-world diagram, that uses boxes, arrows, Font Awesome icons, multi-line text, Unicode padding, font sizes, and more.

View Source

@startuml
skinparam monochrome true
skinparam defaultTextAlignment center
' icons
!include <font-awesome/check_circle>
!include <font-awesome/cloud>
!include <font-awesome/cubes>
!include <font-awesome/exchange>
!include <font-awesome/file_code_o>
!include <font-awesome/file_image_o>
!include <font-awesome/gavel>
!include <font-awesome/gear>
!include <font-awesome/globe>
!include <font-awesome/heart>
!include <font-awesome/share_alt_square>
' Pipeline objects
stack ""size:20Example\n\nexample\nexample\nexample"" as StackLeft
card "<$cubes>\nsize:22<U+00A0><U+00A0>Example<U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\n<U+00A0><U+00A0>example, example, example <U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\n" as Pipeline1
queue "<$check_circle>\nsize:22<U+00A0><U+00A0>Example<U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\n<U+00A0><U+00A0>example, example, example<U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\n" as Pipeline2
card "<$cloud>\nsize:22<U+00A0><U+00A0>Example<U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\n<U+00A0><U+00A0>example, example, example<U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\n" as Pipeline3
stack "size:20Example\n\nexample\nexample\nexample" as StackRight
' Pipeline flow
StackLeft -r-> Pipeline1 : "Example"
Pipeline1 -r-> Pipeline2 : "Example"
Pipeline2 -r-> Pipeline3 : "Example"
Pipeline3 -r-> StackRight : "Example"
' Left side
interface "Example" as InterfaceLeft
InterfaceLeft -u-> StackLeft
' Right side
interface "Example" as InterfaceRight
InterfaceRight -u-> StackRight
' Actor 1
actor "Actor 1" as Actor1
usecase "\n<$file_image_o>\nsize:20<U+00A0><U+00A0>Example<U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\nexample\nexample\nexample\n\n" as UseCase1
Actor1 -d-> UseCase1
UseCase1 -d-> Pipeline1
' Actor 2
actor "Actor 2" as Actor2
usecase "\n<$file_code_o>\nsize:20<U+00A0><U+00A0>Example<U+00A0><U+00A0>\n\nexample\nexample\nexample\n\n" as UseCase2
Actor2 -d-> UseCase2
UseCase2 -d-> Pipeline1
' Actor 3
actor "Actor 3" as Actor3
usecase "\n<$exchange>\nsize:20Example\n\nexample\nexample\nexample\n\n" as UseCase3
Actor3 -d-> UseCase3
UseCase3 -d-> Pipeline3
' Actor 4
actor "Actor 4" as Actor4
usecase "\n<$share_alt_square>\nsize:20Example\n\nexample\nexample\nexample\n\n" as UseCase4
Actor4 -d-> UseCase4
UseCase4 -d-> Pipeline3
' Diamond upper area
cloud "\n<$heart>\nsize:20Example\n\nexample, example, example\n\n" as DiamondUpper
DiamondUpper -d-> Pipeline1
DiamondUpper -d-> Pipeline2
DiamondUpper -d-> Pipeline3
' Diamond lower area
database "\n<$gear>\nsize:20Example\n\nexample, example, example\n\n" as DiamondLower
DiamondLower -u-> Pipeline1
DiamondLower -u-> Pipeline2
DiamondLower -u-> Pipeline3
' Hinting
UseCase1 -[hidden]r- UseCase2
UseCase2 -[hidden]r- DiamondUpper
DiamondUpper -[hidden]r- UseCase3
UseCase3 -[hidden]r- UseCase4
' Pipeline 1 controls
control "size:20Example\n\nexample\nexample\nexample" as Pipeline1Control1
control "size:20Example\n\nexample\nexample\nexample" as Pipeline1Control2
Pipeline1Control1 -u-> Pipeline1
Pipeline1Control2 -u-> Pipeline1
' Pipeline 3 controls
control "size:20Example\n\nexample\nexample\nexample" as Pipeline3Control1
control "size:20Example\n\nexample\nexample\nexample" as Pipeline3Control2
Pipeline3Control1 -u-> Pipeline3
Pipeline3Control2 -u-> Pipeline3
@enduml

C4 model

View Source

@startuml
!include 
Person(personAlias, "Label", "Optional Description")
Container(containerAlias, "Label", "Technology", "Optional Description")
System(systemAlias, "Label", "Optional Description")
System_Ext(extSystemAlias, "Label", "Optional Description")
Rel(personAlias, containerAlias, "Label", "Optional Technology")
Rel_U(systemAlias, extSystemAlias, "Label", "Optional Technology")
@enduml

C4 Model focuses diagrams on four areas: Context, Containers, Components, Code.

Standard library

View Source

@startuml
stdlib
@enduml

You can list standard library folders by using the special diagram "stdlib".

OpenIconic list

View Source

@startuml
listopeniconic
@enduml

You can list all the OpenIconic icon names and images by using the special diagram "listopeniconic".

Resources

• PlantUML
• PlantUML Language Reference Guide
• PlantUML Standard Library
• Object Management Group (OMG) UML Resource Page from OMG
• Unified Modeling Language (UML)
• UML Diagrams Examples
• UML Wikipedia

Credits

Forked From: PlantUML Examples
I would like to express my gratitude to Joel Parker Henderson for their contribution to this project.

Author: Scott Grivner
Email: scott.grivner@gmail.com
Website: scottgrivner.dev
Reference: Main Branch

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