PlantUML in R

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Overview

This package provides the functionality to create UML graphs using the PlantUML language.

Installation

Prerequisites

The actual work is done by the program plantuml. Please see the plantuml installation page for prerequisites of running plantuml.

Installation of plantuml

The package is not on CRAN, but it is in the R-Universe. The original installation instructions can be found there, but are here reproduced fdor simplicity:

# Enable repository from rkrug
options(repos = c(
  rkrug = 'https://rkrug.r-universe.dev',
  CRAN = 'https://cloud.r-project.org'))
# Download and install plantuml in R
install.packages('plantuml')
# Browse the plantuml manual pages
help(package = 'plantuml')

Plotting Plantuml graphics

Define plantuml code

First, we define a plantuml object based on some plantuml code

library(plantuml)
x <- '
(*) --> "Initialization"

if "Some Test" then
  -->[true] "Some Activity"
  --> "Another activity"
  -right-> (*)
else
  ->[false] "Something else"
  -->[Ending process] (*)
endif
'
x <- plantuml( 
  x
)

Plotting to a file

To save the graph in a file, we simply specify the file argument in the plot command:

plot( 
  x, 
  file = "./vignettes/test.svg" 
)

And here is the file

vignettes/test.svg

The type of the file is automatically determined based on the extension. Plantuml retturns an svg file, wi=hich is than converted using Suported extensions in plantuml are:

- svg     To generate images in SVG format
- png     To generate images in PNG format
- pdf       To generate images in PDF format
- ps        To generate images in PS format
- txt       To generate images with ASCII art

Plotting R objects

In addition to plotting based on plantuml code some basic functionality to document R objects has been included.

This is not much more than a proof of concept but includes all standard R objects.

If you think this is usefull, pelase let me know and leave sugestions in the issue tracker.

One example is:

x <- list(
  a = 1:10,
  b = letters[1:4],
  c = data.frame(
    x = 1:10,
    y = c(TRUE, FALSE)
  )
)
plot(
  as.plantuml(x)
)

## [1] "/var/folders/50/wcr5bjwn75q595n6x82gxj280000gq/T//RtmpY7vzXX/plantuml.cac07edbe08d.svg"