Ask HN: How do you create diagrams in documentation?

7 pointsby ahtomski12 yıl önce12 comments

12 comments

If you want a diagram you can embed in text and check into source control, take a look at GraphViz. http://www.graphviz.org/

You can even embed it in other things, like Wikis. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:GraphViz

alok-g12 yıl önce

Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

Sometimes Excel when diagram could be made by drawing borders around cells and resizing rows and columns as per need. This helps when unplanned non-linear horizontal and vertical scaling is needed while making the diagram.

The SmartArt concept they introduced was quite promising, though I find the current state of it lagging. I am sad that it never picked up.

fromdoon12 yıl önce

I had started with using MS Visio at my job. Though I had absolutely no experience in making diagrams, Visio was quite easy to get started and become comfortable in quick time.

The downside of course is that it is not free.

I would also like to know open source alternatives to MS Visio. I can see that Ubuntu 12.04 comes with Libre Draw, but I haven't tried it yet.

ahtomski12 yıl önce

Have you tried UMlet? It's limited but great for nailing UML diagrams.

phantom_oracle12 yıl önce

LibreOffice Draw is reasonable if you are coming from Linux.

Otherwise there is GIMP too.

+1 to all the other open source solutions mentioned here.

radq12 yıl önce

I use Dia: https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Dia

ahtomski12 yıl önce

Yeah I quite like Gliffy. More often than not, we take photos of whiteboards and email them round the team.

hnjake12 yıl önce

Give www.draw.io a go. I have used it a few times at work.

rsmaniak12 yıl önce

Gliffy(www.gliffy.com) works great for me.

atsaloli12 yıl önce

Blockdiag

chatmasta12 yıl önce

Balsamiq

bsaunder12 yıl önce

Inkscape