Simple PlantUML Mode

Major mode for PlantUML files.

Supports

• Xref navigation of component definitions & references within the same file
• Generating png preview files using the plantuml jar & java

Adds the following keybindings

Keybinding	Feature
C-c C-c	Compile diagram to check for errors
C-c C-p	Generate diagram preview
C-c C-o	Generate diagram preview & open in external image viewer
C-c !	Select diagram type when starting a diagram
C-c i	Insert a deployment diagram element with automatic alias generated
C-c u	Insert a stdlib cloud element (AWS/Azure/GCP)
C-c I	Insert archimate element
C-c l	Insert archimate relationship between existing archimate elements in the buffer
C-u C-c i	Insert diagram element with prompt for alias
C-c a h	Add Draft header (Use C-u overwrite existing header)
C-c a f	Add footer based on the current date (Use C-u overwrite existing footer)
C-c a s	Add comment with the file name slug (Use C-u overwrite existing slug comment)
C-c a a	Add archimate sprite declaration
C-c e h	Enclose selection in <color> creole tag
C-c e s	Enclose selection in <size> creole tag
C-c e u	Remove any creole tag of the form <xxx>t|ext</xxx> when point is positioned inside the tag contents
C-c r	Converts a selection to a set of component declarations with automatic alias generated by prompting for the component type (Use C-u to put alias after description eg. for sequence diagram participants)
C-c R	Converts the lines in a selected region to Archimate elelements
M-<up>	Move line up
M-<down>	Move line down
C-c c	Insert transparent rectangle container with dashed (Use C-u for dotted, C-u C-u for box)
C-j	Expand special like emmet mode (Alternate C-<return>). Use C-u for dashed & C-u C-u for dotted
C-c '	Open included file when invoked from line with !include directive

Why?

While there is already an excellent plantuml-mode available what is the reason of this package existing?

• Did not like planutml-init loading language keywords for each session
• Did not like preview buffer popping up new window distracting the diagramming session
• Wanted errors in plantuml compilation to be easily accessible via the compilation-mode
• Wanted quick creation of plantuml diagram components
• Wanted jump-to-definition & list-references within the file
• Wanted to save the generated diagrams instead of having to manually save them each time

Nice to have features

• Imenu listings for component definitions

• Simple emmet-mode like completions for relationships eg. a->b,c<-d expands to

  a --> b
  a --> c
  b <-- d
  c <-- d
  

  Running C-u C-j on the same expression results in

  a ..> b
  a ..> c
  b <.. d
  c <.. d
  

  Running C-u C-u C-j on the same expression results in

  a ~~> b
  a ~~> c
  b <~~ d
  c <~~ d
  

• Convert region of text to component type declarations eg. selecting the following lines

  Frontend API
  Data Base
  

  And running plantuml-convert-region or C-c r and selecting component for component type results in

  component fa as "Frontend API"
  component db as "Data Base"
  

  While running C-u C-c r on the same selection and selecting participant as the component type results in

  participant "Frontend API" as fa
  participant "Data Base" as db
  

  And running plantuml-archimate-convert-region or C-c R and selecting Application_Component for component type results in

  Application_Component(fa, "Frontend API")
  Application_Component(db, "Data Base")
  

• Add PlantUML fragments for header, title, footer and file name slug comment from prefix C-c a

• Enclose selection in PlantUML with creole tags (color & size) from prefix C-c e

Installation

Pre-requisites

1. Ensure a compatible Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is installed

2. Install the latest PlantUML jar file from https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml

For Emacs

1. Clone the repository into site-lisp in the emacs user directory

   git clone https://github.com/xshyamx/simple-plantuml-mode \
       $HOME/.emacs.d/site-lisp/simple-plantuml-mode

2. Add to load-path

   (add-to-list
   	'load-path
   	(expand-file-name "site-lisp/simple-plantuml-mode" user-emacs-directory))

3. Load & configure

   (require 'plantuml-mode)
   (setq plantuml-java-cmd "java"
   	  plantuml-jar-path
   	  (expand-file-name
   	   "~/.m2/repository/net/sourceforge/plantuml/plantuml/1.2022.12/plantuml-1.2022.12.jar"))