Diagram Selection & Patterns

Interactive Diagram Selection

Use AskUserQuestion to understand requirements and recommend the optimal diagram type and tool:

# Question 1: Primary Purpose (MCP: CLI best practices - scope selection)
question: "What are you trying to visualize?"
header: "Purpose"
options:
  - label: "System Architecture (Recommended)"
    description: "Components, services, containers, deployment"
  - label: "Process/Workflow"
    description: "Steps, decisions, activities, state transitions"
  - label: "Data Structures"
    description: "Classes, entities, relationships, schemas"
  - label: "Interactions"
    description: "Sequence of calls, messages, API flows"

# Question 2: Tool Constraints (MCP: CLI best practices - output format)
question: "Do you have tool or platform constraints?"
header: "Tool"
options:
  - label: "GitHub/GitLab Markdown (Recommended)"
    description: "Use Mermaid - native rendering, no setup"
  - label: "Maximum Customization"
    description: "Use PlantUML - more styling, sprites, icons"
  - label: "Enterprise Architecture"
    description: "Use PlantUML - C4, ArchiMate support"
  - label: "No Preference"
    description: "I'll recommend based on diagram type"

Use these responses to apply the decision tree and recommend the appropriate diagram type and tool.

Overview

This skill helps you choose the right diagram type and tool for your visualization needs. Use this when you need to decide:

1. Which diagram type best represents your information
2. Which tool (Mermaid or PlantUML) to use
3. How to structure the diagram for clarity

---

Diagram Type Decision Tree

START
  |
  +-- Interactions over time? --> SEQUENCE DIAGRAM
  |
  +-- Object/class structure? --> CLASS DIAGRAM
  |
  +-- Database schema? --> ER DIAGRAM
  |
  +-- State transitions? --> STATE DIAGRAM
  |
  +-- Process/workflow? --> FLOWCHART or ACTIVITY DIAGRAM
  |
  +-- System architecture?
  |     |
  |     +-- High-level context? --> C4 CONTEXT
  |     +-- Containers/services? --> C4 CONTAINER or COMPONENT
  |     +-- Infrastructure? --> DEPLOYMENT DIAGRAM
  |
  +-- Project timeline? --> GANTT CHART
  |
  +-- Git branching? --> GIT GRAPH (Mermaid only)
  |
  +-- Hierarchical ideas? --> MINDMAP (PlantUML only)
  |
  +-- Data structure? --> JSON DIAGRAM (PlantUML only)

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Tool Selection Guide

Quick Decision Matrix

Need	Recommended Tool	Reason
GitHub/GitLab rendering	Mermaid	Native support
Complex C4 models	PlantUML	Mature, better rendering
Simple sequence/class	Mermaid	Simpler syntax
MindMaps	PlantUML	Only option
JSON visualization	PlantUML	Only option
GitGraph	Mermaid	Only option
ER diagrams	Mermaid	Better default rendering
State diagrams	Mermaid	Cleaner output
Maximum customization	PlantUML	More styling options
Zero setup	Mermaid	Browser-based
Enterprise architecture	PlantUML	Better ArchiMate, C4

Detailed Comparison

Feature	Mermaid	PlantUML
Setup	None (browser)	Java + GraphViz
Markdown integration	Native (GitHub, GitLab)	Requires image embedding
Learning curve	Gentle	Steeper
Customization	Limited	Extensive
C4 support	Experimental	Mature
Diagram types	~10	15+
JSON/MindMap	No	Yes
GitGraph	Yes	No

When to Choose Mermaid

• Documentation that lives in GitHub/GitLab repos
• Quick diagrams that need no setup
• Teams with mixed technical backgrounds
• Simple to moderately complex diagrams

When to Choose PlantUML

• Complex enterprise architecture (C4, ArchiMate)
• Maximum control over appearance
• Specialized diagrams (MindMap, JSON, WBS)
• Need for sprites/icons

---

Quick Reference: Choosing Diagram Type

Question	If Yes, Use
Showing message flow between systems?	Sequence
Modeling OOP classes and relationships?	Class
Documenting database tables?	ER
Showing valid state transitions?	State
Depicting a process or algorithm?	Flowchart
High-level system overview?	C4 Context
Service/container architecture?	C4 Container
Timeline or schedule?	Gantt
Git branching strategy?	Git Graph
Brainstorming hierarchy?	MindMap

---

References

For detailed patterns and examples, see:

Reference	Content	When to Load
sequence-class-patterns.md	API flows, auth, async, domain models, repositories	Creating sequence/class diagrams
er-state-flow-patterns.md	Blog/e-commerce schemas, order lifecycle, decision trees	Creating ER/state/flow diagrams
c4-patterns.md	C4 context/container, tool recommendations	Creating architecture diagrams
best-practices.md	General guidelines, diagram tips, anti-patterns	Improving diagram quality

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Delegation

For detailed syntax reference:

• Mermaid syntax: Invoke visualization:mermaid-syntax skill
• PlantUML syntax: Invoke visualization:plantuml-syntax skill

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Test Scenarios

Scenario 1: Choosing a diagram type

Query: "What diagram should I use to show API request flow?"

Expected: Skill activates, recommends sequence diagram, provides tool comparison

Scenario 2: Tool selection

Query: "Should I use Mermaid or PlantUML for C4 diagrams?"

Expected: Skill activates, recommends PlantUML for complex C4, Mermaid for simple context

Scenario 3: Pattern lookup

Query: "Show me an authentication sequence diagram pattern"

Expected: Skill activates, directs to sequence-class-patterns.md reference

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Last Updated: 2025-12-28

Version History

• v1.1.0 (2025-12-28): Refactored to progressive disclosure - extracted patterns to references/
• v1.0.0 (2025-12-26): Initial release