Quick Start Guide to PlantUML

Welcome to the world of PlantUML! With this quick start guide, you'll be creating your own diagrams in no time. Whether you're drawing a class diagram or creating a use case, PlantUML makes it simple and intuitive.

Introduction to PlantUML

PlantUML is a tool that allows you to create UML diagrams using a simple and intuitive language. It uses plain text to describe the desired diagram, which means you can focus on the structure and content, and leave the drawing part to PlantUML.

The basic structure of the PlantUML language consists of @startuml and @enduml tags at the beginning and end of your code respectively. These tags mark where the description of your diagram begins and ends.

Creating Diagrams

Class Diagrams

Class diagrams represent the static structure of a system, including its classes, their attributes, methods, and relationships among objects.

Here's an example of a simple class diagram:

@startuml
Class01 <|-- Class02
Class03 *-- Class04
@enduml

In this example, Class01 is connected to Class02 using a simple inheritance, represented by <|--, and Class03 is connected to Class04 using composition, represented by *--.

Use Case Diagrams

Use case diagrams help visualize the interactions between systems and entities (external actors) in terms of use cases.

Here's a simple use case diagram:

@startuml
User -- (Create)
User -- (Edit)
@enduml

In this example, User is an actor that interacts with the system to Create and Edit.

Sequence Diagrams

Sequence diagrams show interactions between classes in a sequential order. They illustrate objects, classes, and their interaction throughout the sequence.

Here's an example of a sequence diagram:

@startuml
Alice -> Bob: Authentication Request
Bob --> Alice: Authentication Response
@enduml

In this example, Alice sends an Authentication Request to Bob, and Bob sends an Authentication Response back to Alice.

Adding Labels and Notes

Labels

You can label the relationships between classes. For example:

@startuml
Class01 "1" *-- "many" Class02 : contains
@enduml

Here, Class01 has a one-to-many relationship with Class02 and is labeled contains.

Notes

To further explain certain parts of your diagram, you can add notes:

@startuml
Class01 <|-- Class02
note right: This is a note on the right.
@enduml

This will add a note on the right side of your diagram, containing the text This is a note on the right.

Viewing your diagram in Confluence

Enter your PlantUML code into the field provided by the PlantUML for Confluence app. Once you're done, PlantUML for Confluence will automatically generate and display your diagram on your Confluence page.

That's it! You are now ready to start creating your own UML diagrams using PlantUML. As you continue to explore and become more familiar with it, you'll discover the full range of its capabilities. Happy diagramming!