Hi guys, I'm looking for ways to generate Sequence Diagrams out of programmed Logic. I do not mean rendering them out of e.g. text. A lot of post on the internet talk about generating, but I see that as rendering/drawing. I've searched the internet and most found textual tools or intuitive graphical payed tools. I'm not looking for either. But I want to program the message flow and let the system draw it based on possible choices. Why would I want such tool:
- The conditional if then else with 'alt' is not very useful (my opinion) if the else triggers a whole different path. It works for one different return, but it becomes very ugly soon (again my opinion);
- I'm busy developing such a generating tool (see KEP-Software) myself and I'm wondering if I do not try the make something nobody is waiting for. Except the fact that it is a nice hobby project for myself. For me it made sense to make it as it Interactively creates the Message Diagrams which are very helpful during the development process or pass on knowledge. Perhaps it could even validate the logic on dead ends;
- The text (for 3rd part tools) becomes complex by itself to maintain;
- I believe in automating a process that can/should be automated as we should not be busy drawing stuff but writing logic.
So is anybody aware of generating (not draw/render) tools available for sequence diagrams?
The following examples were generated where the difference started at invalid/valid card, which is difficult to capture in an if/then/else. And even so other choices are made along the way.
Invalid card, choices: electronic -> chip -> invalid card -> keep goods
Merchant Customer Terminal
| | |
+-inform-amount | |
|---choose-method--->| |
|<--chooses-terminal-| |
+-enters-amount | |
|--------------start-payment-------------->|
| |<-----show-amount----|
| +-taps-card |
| |----method-chosen--->|
| |<-contactless-failed-|
| +-pay-different |
|<--------------payment-failed-------------|
+-goods-left-behind | |
+-customer-leaves | |
I had to remove the more complex example as I could not make a nice layout (it did not fit). You can see the example
here. The choice made are electronic -> contact-less -> valid card -> auth valid -> enough balance
My hobby project also (beside the ASCII layout) generates textual code valid for several free drawing tools and can be used as a starting point. I however prefer adapting the logic and re-generate them. I dislike cut/copy/paste technology as it tends to become more work once changes are needed in the source (logic). The other risk is that the sequence diagram are only useful during the initial development phase. Having the ability to interactively create them aids in passing knowledge in a later phase. Some of the example have millions of permutations.
So is anybody aware of generating (not draw/render) tools available for sequence diagrams? Is anybody interested in such tool?