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knsv

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Show HN: GUI for editing Mermaid class diagrams

docs.mermaidchart.com
230 points·by knsv·anno scorso·59 comments

[untitled]

1 points·by knsv·3 anni fa·0 comments

comments

knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
Adding a ticket for this :)
knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
Using the extension, you can see your changes from the Mermaid Code rendered as a diagram in real-time.

If you also want to interact with the diagram itself to make the changes, you can do that using the Mermaid Chart Playground: https://www.mermaidchart.com/play
knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
No it can not. That's an interesting idea, though, but one would need to navigate/differentiate between the rendered output text and the Mermaid diagram code.
knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
Hi, I wanted to add some clarification on this topic.

I am Knut Sveidqvist, the inventor of Mermaid and creator of the Mermaid open-source project. I'm also the co-founder of Mermaid Chart.

To address the confusion: Mermaid Chart is not a separate entity "profiting off the name" - it's a commercial offering I created to help sustain the open-source project. Working on Mermaid during evenings and weekends became unsustainable as the project grew. Mermaid Chart allows me to work on what I love full-time while providing resources back to the open-source project. This support will continue to grow as our business matures.

I appreciate your concern about protecting users from deceptive practices. In this case, there is a direct connection between the open-source project and the commercial offering, created by the same founding team.
knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
More good input! Appreciate it. What about PNG export? It seems more direct than a PDF to me.
knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
That's good feedback. The icons are not bundled into Mermaid itself due to copyright concerns. The approach you suggest would make sense, though.
knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
You are right! A light plugin was released then.

Now, we have added lots of new functionality. Proper editing with syntax highlighting, etc. Apart from that, we have also added integration with GitHub Copilot, so you can generate diagrams from code and continue to edit them using the extension.
knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
Yes
knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
Thanks, I uploaded it!
knsv
·anno scorso·discuss
Yes! You can use this in the free mermaid playground: https://www.mermaidchart.com/play
knsv
·2 anni fa·discuss
Agree but we are changing things up to make this easier.

In the upcoming Mermaid version 11, we are adding a way to select which layout algorithm is used to layout the diagram. We are also making it easier to add additional layout algorithms.

Hopefully, this will be easier going forward!
knsv
·2 anni fa·discuss
Glad you love Mermaid!

As both the creator of Mermaid and the founder of Mermaid Chart, I can honestly say that both are close to my heart. My hope with Mermaid Chart was to spend more daytime hours working with Mermaid, improving it, and making some structure changes that were needed to continue to grow.

Since Mermaid Chart started in 2022 Mermaid Chart has enabled this. I believe this development is incredibly beneficial for the open-source project too. Our strategy involves Mermaid Chart consistently reinvesting resources and development efforts into the open-source project.

In addition, we hope to make it easier to use Mermaid itself. These services are provided by Mermaid Chart on top of Mermaid JS.

/Knut
knsv
·3 anni fa·discuss
Mermaid Chart introduces a new Visual Editor for flowcharts, enabling users of all skill levels to create diagrams easily and efficiently, with both GUI and code-based editing options.
knsv
·3 anni fa·discuss
Knut, Mermaid's creator here.

I agree that layout auto-adjustments in flowcharts can be problematic, especially when subgraphs represent architectural subsystems as they are not really flowcharts. :)

I'm developing a new Mermaid diagram type for more layout control, with precise block placement.