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Why I Created the PlantUML Theme for Docusaurus

· 2 min read
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Wherever generative AI can be used, I want to make the most of it.
That includes writing detailed design documents.

That's why I created the PlantUML theme.

Mermaid is a good option, but I preferred PlantUML because Mermaid’s default diagrams are too large, and it lacks support for use case diagrams.

Anyway, here’s a sample I created:

Benefits of Using PlantUML

  1. With PlantUML or Mermaid, UML diagrams can be fully written in text 🎵
  2. This makes it easy to manage with GitHub.
  3. It can also be generated using AI.

The above sample was generated using ChatGPT.
Here is the prompt I used:

Create a sample detailed design document in markdown (mdx) format.
The specifications are as follows:
- Backend using gRPC (connect-go)
- Viewing a customer list
- Conditions for mdx output:
  - Use `1.` for all bullet points.
  - Use half-width symbols (`(` and `:`).
  - Do not include section numbers in headings.
- Processing order:
  - Authentication
    - Error check. Exit process if an error occurs.
  - Parameter validation
    - Error check. Exit process if an error occurs.
  - Database permission check
    - DB selection
    - Error check. Exit process if an error occurs.
  - Retrieve list from database
    - Apply conditions based on parameters
    - Fetch the list
  - Convert to result format
  - Return result to client
- Document structure:
  - Overview (1-2 line description of the process)
  - Prerequisites
  - CRUD - Only "R" (Read) this time, with referenced table name
  - Parameter specifications
  - Result specifications
  - Sequence diagram - Written in PlantUML, enclosed in ```pumld``` code blocks
  - Processing details - Text-based, covering authentication, SQL queries, etc., written using `###`

We truly live in a convenient world!