What Are Diagram Scripting Languages

TLDR;

Diagram scripting languages are specialised programming languages used to create diagrams and charts. They generally have a simple syntax, and offer a wide range of features for customising the appearance of your diagrams.

Diagram scripting languages offer the following benefits:

  • Version control: Diagram scripting languages can be easily versioned using git, and used with automation
  • Speed: Generally it will be quicker to generate diagrams using diagram scripting languages, rather than manually drawing them via a GUI tool
  • Diversity: Diagram scripting languages offer a wide variety of different diagrams and charts

Popular Diagram Scripting Languages include:

Example diagram types that can be created with Diagram scripting languages:

  • Sequence diagram
  • Flow diagram
  • Use case diagram
  • Class diagram
  • Object diagram
  • State diagram
  • Entity Relationship Diagram
  • Mind maps
  • Gantt charts
  • Pie charts

Who uses Diagram Scripting Languages?

Diagram scripting languages are mainly targeted at software developers and technical writers to create documentation, presentations, and technical illustrations.

Why use Diagram Scripting Languages?

One of the key benefits of using diagram scripting languages over GUI interfaces is the ability to version them with your code.You can also add automation to create diagrams, which is handy for creating large numbers of diagrams or for integrating diagramming into your existing workflow.

What is the best Diagram Scripting Language?

As with most tool selection, how suitable it is for your needs will dictate which diagram scripting language is best for you to use.

Listed below are some popular diagram scripting languages with their pros and cons.

D2lang

What is D2lang?

D2 is a diagram scripting language that turns text to diagrams. It stands for Declarative Diagramming. Declarative, as in, you describe what you want diagrammed, it generates the image. - d2lang.com

  • Pros: D2lang is a powerful language for creating diagrams and charts. It has a simple, easy-to-learn syntax and a wide range of features for customizing the appearance of your diagrams.

  • Cons: One potential downside of D2lang is that it can be a bit complex, so it may take some time to learn and master. Additionally, it may not be as widely supported as some of the other diagramming languages on this list.

Mermaid

What is Mermaid?

“JavaScript based diagramming and charting tool that renders Markdown-inspired text definitions to create and modify diagrams dynamically.” - mermaid-js.github.io

  • Pros: Mermaid is a popular choice for creating diagrams and charts, and is particularly well-suited for creating flowcharts and sequence diagrams. It has a simple, intuitive syntax, and is easy to learn and use.

  • Cons: One potential downside of Mermaid is that it may not be as feature-rich as some of the other diagramming languages on this list, so if you need a lot of customization options, you may need to look elsewhere.

PlantUML

What is PlantUML?

“Generate UML diagram from textual description” - github.com/plantuml/plantuml

  • Pros: PlantUML is a powerful language for creating diagrams and charts, and is particularly well-suited for creating UML diagrams. It has a simple, easy-to-learn syntax, and supports a wide range of diagramming features.

  • Cons: One potential downside of PlantUML is that it may not be as intuitive as some of the other diagramming languages on this list, so it may take some time to learn and master. Additionally, it may not be as widely supported as some of the other options.

Graphviz

What is Graphviz?

Graphviz is open source graph visualization software. Graph visualization is a way of representing structural information as diagrams of abstract graphs and networks. It has important applications in networking, bioinformatics, software engineering, database and web design, machine learning, and in visual interfaces for other technical domains - graphviz.org

  • Pros: Graphviz is a powerful, well-established language for creating diagrams and charts. It has a wide range of features for customizing the appearance of your diagrams, and is widely supported across a variety of platforms and tools.

  • Cons: One potential downside of Graphviz is that it can be a bit complex to learn and use, so it may take some time to become proficient with it. Additionally, it may not be as intuitive as some of the other diagramming languages on this list.

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